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Just came from one of the local thrift shops and while there I found an older book on the hobby titled "Salt-Water Aquarium Fish" by Dr. Herbert Axelrod and William Vorderwinkler, copyright 1963.

I had almost forgotten how far this hobby has come in a relatively short amount of time, basically tanks are tanks with some exceptions, but the advancement in filtration systems, lighting, knowledge of the fish themselves is amazing.

I like to collect the older books for my library so this was a great find and at only 20 cents how could I pass it up. Boy that reminds me somewhere in all of my boxes I have if I remember correctly the first 4 or 5 years of TFH magazine - I believe from the late fifties or early sixties. I guess I'm telling my age again. Oh well. Anyone know of any web sites that might sell old aquarium literature

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

[font color="#008000"]You could always look on http://www.amazon.com]http://www.amazon.com[/link]. They sell a lot of books, and some movies I believe. You might also try [link=http://www.ebay.com.

And yes...fish books are always good reads. I have a few sitting in my lamp stand.:88)

[hr width='20%']Spawned from radioactive waters.[/font]

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Born in radioactive waters, the Mutant Goldfish swims...
Check out my profile to see my tank setup(s)!

[link=Half.com]http://www.half.com" style="COLOR: #FFFF00[/link] also sells books that can be old.

I've got a book by axelrod and schultz named "Handbook of tropoical aquarium fishes" copyright 1955

Just came from one of the local thrift shops and while there I found an older book on the hobby titled "Salt-Water Aquarium Fish" by Dr. Herbert Axelrod and William Vorderwinkler, copyright 1963.I had almost forgotten how far this hobby has come in a relatively short amount of time,

Define 'short'....my grandfather was breeding many types of tropical fish in the 1930's (2007 will mark 75 years of uninterrupted tropical aquarium-keeping in my paternal line), and I have books on tropical aquaria that are now 110 years old. Most people do not realise this, but the hobby has been around since about 1840. Tanks have changed a fair bit, too...from what were basicall glass-sided ponds on tall stands heated with kerosene, to table-top boxes, to today's tanks. And turn of the century tanks are something to behold...they were not just meant to hold fish, but were, in themselves, works of art.

As far as old aquarium literature goes...eBay, but be prepared to fight tooth and nail for the older stuff. The following book is one I have just ordered, and it may be of interest to you, too:

http://www.finleyaquaticbooks.com/ToyFish.html

Last edited by Toirtis at 10-Feb-2005 16:28

Kind of OT, but I've got a book from the 20's.. I forget the exact date... about aquatic life found at the sea shore. Now that's a real trip. There are some wild things in there, talking about the abundence of fish that are now much less frequently caught in huge numbers, like striped bass and bluefish (those being local names for from the new york/ new jersey area)

Anyway, yeah I love reading those old books.

Last edited by NowherMan6 at 10-Feb-2005 16:29

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Back in the saddle!

What I meant by "short" was from the time this book was published. I do realize that fish have been kept for centuries as "pets." However, the changes in the hobby over the last 40 years is huge do to the technology that is now available to the aquarist.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain