About

Welcome to Bible Lit!

This blog is a companion to Christian Image Source, a site where you can find hundreds of free images related to the Bible and Christianity.

I have a constantly growing collection of old books, magazines, and postcards, because let’s face it, I’m a book addict.  I love to collect old books.  But not just any old books.  The books I love to add to my library are those with illustrations.  I try to restrain myself, but when I see a book containing those wonderful old etchings and lithographs, my heart skips a beat, and I wonder if I can justify adding it to my overflowing bookshelves.

Most of these books are in miserable condition.  The pages are falling it out, the spines are missing, the stitching is unraveling, and  the covers are loose or non-existent.  I never intentionally tear a book apart, but sometimes just turning a browned and brittle page will cause a tear.

Where are these books headed?  Few people really want them.  Sometimes I can acquire them for less that $1.  But I know that lying beneath the pages of these sad looking books are glorious illustrations that I  can share with the world.

But what of the words surrounding the pictures?  Are they to be forgotten as well?  Most of these books can no longer be found in libraries.  I had someone write me wanting to know how he could get a copy of a book I had referenced in one of my other sites, and I had to tell him that he’d have to hunt it down and buy it.  The chance of finding a book from 1897 in the public library are practically nil.  Maybe he could get lucky and find a scan at Internet Archive or at Project Gutenberg or maybe Google Books. Unfortunately, in this gentleman’s case, he was not that fortunate, and I ended up scanning the pages he needed and sending them to him.

So while Christian Image Source is for the pictures of the Bible, Bible Lit is for the words.  My intention is to cherry-pick through my Bible books to share some of my favorite stories, articles, and commentaries.

In case you’re interested in the other parts of my life, I’m a seventh grade English teacher in Northern California, and have been for the past twenty-five years.  I also create art from books, which you can see at Karen’s Whimsy.  As you can imagine, I know how to keep busy.  So I’ll keep adding things as I’m able, and maybe you’ll find something you’ll enjoy.

My other websites:

Karen’s Whimsy – my artwork and how-to’s

Public Domain Images – hundreds of free images of all kinds

U.S. History Images – Images from United States history

Artful Journey – a more personal blog about art and life