A firm believer in the power of the written word, I am a true-blue book collector and lover. My generation, Gen X, drank the Kool Aid of digital books, but thankfully the Millennials and Gen Z have gone back to the paper ones. Huzzah for the youth! Anyhow, each of my daughters has a trunk in our basement where I have squirreled away books for them. These are not modern classics or must reads (per se) but rather antique books that connected back to something in their childhood. For example, they both have American 1st of The Wind and the Willows since that was a favorite when they were small. I encourage folks to think about books as gifts for young people. It definitely sets the right tone and can start a lifetime love affair. Whenever a friend finds out they are having a baby, I head to the antiques mall to buy one of these early 20th-century illustrated childrens books. Sure, I get them a diaper genie or a bottle cleaner, but I also always provide a great classic childrens book. The parents usually are in love with such items as much as the kids will be, and so it is the perfect gift. And who would not want a Wyeth illustrated copy of Treasure Island? Hunting for books for their chests also gives me a chance to reflect on places that I have lived or worked. For example, we had a cottage at Mt. Gretna for a number of years. So, both girls have copies of Ann Harks Hex Marks the Spot. Hark is regarded as one of Mt. Gretnas own, and so having that in their chests is not only a reminder of their childhood, but it also connects to their Pennsylvania German heritage. Some of my favorite collectible authors are those regionalist writers from the 20th century. People like Sherwood Anderson and his book Winesburg, Ohio. Of course, residents of Reading (Pa.) love John Updike, whose tales are set among familiar landmarks in the town. I always have to talk about John OHara and his book A Rage to Live, which was published in 1946. Many people are familiar with the 1960s film by Walter Grauman. What fewer know is that OHara set the book in Harrisburg, Pa. In its time, the book was quite scandalous in its covert and overt sexual references. When I was a boy in Harrisburg in the 1970s, no one, and I mean no one, talked about the book. A friend many years later told me that they managed to find a copy in the gift shop of the Harrisburg International Airport. That was as close to the city as any bookseller apparently dared to sell a copy. Why were Harrisburgers so curious about the book? Because OHara rather thinly disguised some of his characters from their real-life counterparts in Harrisburg. It did not take a brain surgeon to figure out that the wealthy Jewish matron who ran a ladys dress shop was Mary Sachs, whose acumen as a woman retailer was legendary. But when it came to the lead characters, OHara became rather opaque with the results that speculation was rampant about who they were. By the 1990s, most who might have known who the characters were had been long gone, and the mystery has never been solved. Still, A Rage to Live, remains a fascinating book perhaps for a future historian or literary scholar to unlock its mystery. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.