Over the years, I've amassed a collection of original building materials catalogs ranging from about 1907 through 1925 that I have been using as references for my restoration projects around my house. The catalogs include building materials and millwork, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, hardware, wallpaper, garage styles, etc, basically a little of everything. I would love to be able to share these references with others.
I've slowly been scanning some of them and creating pdf files. My goal was to one day have them on my website for viewers to download as references. The website is in the process of being rebuilt and has been a slow work in progress due to long work hours and the little free time I have being consumed with projects around the house. My goal is to eventually have the whole collection in pdf form, but I'm not sure when that will be.
Does anyone have suggestions on the best way to make these available to others once I have digitized them?
Best way to digitize and share old catalogs?
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Re: Best way to digitize and share old catalogs?
Fiddle. I thought I had bookmarked a few sites that have catalogs you can browse through. If I did, I put them in the wrong place.
The series I was thinking about, I think the site was an academic one, had a page where you could choose from which catalog you wanted to browse. When you chose, the page had the catalog itself on the top half of the page, where the PDFs you could flip like book pages.
Ah ha! Found it right after I posted. https://archive.org/
I found the site trying to find images of 20-40s bathrooms. Here's an example page, and you "turn" the pages by clicking on the image:
https://archive.org/details/ModernBeautyAndUsefulnessInPlumbingFixtures
The series I was thinking about, I think the site was an academic one, had a page where you could choose from which catalog you wanted to browse. When you chose, the page had the catalog itself on the top half of the page, where the PDFs you could flip like book pages.
Ah ha! Found it right after I posted. https://archive.org/
I found the site trying to find images of 20-40s bathrooms. Here's an example page, and you "turn" the pages by clicking on the image:
https://archive.org/details/ModernBeautyAndUsefulnessInPlumbingFixtures
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.