It was one of those finds that I knew I had to have, even though I knew I shouldn't spend the money. Sitting on a wooden chair in a used book store in Margaretville, NY, were three large (18" x 13") pop-up books detailing The Mysteries of the Rosary: Part 1 The Joyful Mysteries, Part 2 The Sorrowful Mysteries, and Part 3 The Glorious Mysteries.
I couldn't stop flipping through the books, taking in the rich colors on their thick pages which melded Catholic and greeting card art. The more I looked the more I wanted but they were only available as a set - as should be - and the price was too high. I'm terrible at bartering, one of the reasons I felt overwhelmed by Morocco. I'm more of a feel sad the price is out of my reach and walk away. I showed the books to my friends and said sotto voce that I really wanted them but couldn't justify the price but probably would. I knew I would never see them again.
I talked with the owner of the bookstore expressing my amazement and asking for more information about the books. She didn't really have any. What was the Salesian Catechetical Centre? Why in Hong Kong? Indicia seems to say they were published in 1967 but who knows? While talking with the owner, as I was getting ready to try and bargain, my friend Michele joined us. "What's that?" she asked. I showed her the books. "Oh, you have to get them. You have to!" So much for the strategy of acting like I wasn't that interested and buying them was doing the owner a favor. However, the owner did knock quite a bit off the price. Still expensive but much easier to justify.
The mysteries behind the books hasn't been solved. When I first bought them, I did a google search for the titles, author and publisher and could not find anything. No copies available on amazon or abebooks or ebay. However, when I began writing this entry, I did a quick google search again and managed to find a webpage but little real info for The Salesian Catechetical Centre.
Regardless, I'll be posting some of the images from these books during the 40 Days of Lent. For now, here is Our Lady of Lourdes. I like how from an angle you can see the stagecraft of Mary standing on her paper pedestal that matches the background.
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