Inheritance - Of A Sort

The other day I went to my parents' house to look for some of my things - the things that I didn't take when I moved out. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I went looking for (maybe it's all in another storage place) but look at what I brought home!

These are all sorts of patterns from my ancestors. They range from the late thirties to the mid-seventies. They are amazing. Some of them are unfortunately missing pages and have bits stuck together from moisture, but I'm so very inspired. See the one in front with the blue tag? It says "A Necessary War Measure" and explaing that wool from Britain may be hard to find. In today's all-available world it's sometimes difficult to think of a time when there was no 24/7 anything-you-want life. The four books in the front all have tops or sweaters that I adore. The Workbasket magazines in the middle range fron 1948 to 1976 (but no '60s) and I have a plan for them - you'll see. The top is mostly doily and tablecloth books. I think my grandma crocheted doilies, but my great-grandma must have, too. I have some plans for those patterns, too, if my hands hold up. So, where did all of this come from? Apparently my mom's cousin had them in his attic and was going to throw them away but mom saved them. I kind of wish they had some handwritten notes in them- you know, so I can picture which relative worked on what. I'd love to know if anyone made and wore any of the tops so I can emulate them. I do need to find a way to store them to keep them from getting more damaged. I suppose I should invest in some plastic sleeves or archival boxes. Right now I'm still entranced in looking at everything over and over. and how sad is it that I can't still order all of the wonderful dress patterns advertised in the back of the magazines? Just one more time I'd love to have a time machine...