Things you find in second hand books

I love books. I've lost count how many I now have. Its too expensive buying them new so most of mine come from charity shops, car boot sales or second hand shops.
Today my Mum had to go back to the village I grew up in for an appointment and, seeing as I barely go out these days, she asked if I'd like to go out. So she picked me up and I hobbled around the local charity shops and had a look at the old place.

In one of the shops all the paperbacks were 50p each so I picked Hunter S Thompsons Kingdom of Fear. It should be an interesting read and was in good condition. Inside was one US dollar and it got me round to thinking. I usually find bookmarks like postcards, shopping lists, bus tickets...the usual stuff. A good one I found was a lovely child's drawing of the Pink Panther, lovingly coloured in then covered with clear plastic. Probably a gift to an older relative, maybe Grandma or Grandpa.I wonder if the owner now misses it or even if they're still alive.
Funny how these little things strike a chord within.

The best one I found was in a CD. It was a copy of The Wall by Pink Floyd. There was only one disc but it was 50p and I thought there's no harm in having a spare. The booklet seemed a bit lumpy so I took it out to straighten it up and inside were two twenty pound notes!!!
I was broke at the time so that was an amazing stroke of luck and I'm wondering, what about you lot?

Have you found anything cool in anything you've bought second hand?
I'd prefer to hear about your finds in books or CDs but if you've got a good fnd you want to post, here's the place.

Cheers in advance.

Only book marks or business cards. Helped clean out a second hand book shop the other week like 20 rubbish bags worth or so probably missed something cool.

a reply to: Tulpa

I haven't found too many cool things in my used books BUT one book I read had the VERY LAST PAGE ripped out and I didn't realize it until I finished the book.

I'm a very slow reader and it took me like 2 weeks to almost get to the end of the book. Then I got there and couldn't read the last page.. That really ticked me off... lol!

Great thread Tulpa.


Best thing I've ever found was a solid silver bookmark.


Second best was a really sweet love letter written in the 1930s.

a reply to: theSpaceWizard

It would've been worthwhile flicking through each one just in case.
I appreciate that would've taken some time so I can't complain.

Now I'm just worried about where they'll end up and if I would've wanted any. I can't help myself. Always straight in the books when I get the chance.

Thanks for posting.

Painterza reply to: FamCore

That would've driven me absolutely NUTS!!! I sympathise!

and Painterz

Excellent. Bet it was a nice book mark too. I like silver but gold repels me for some reason.
Finding a love letter is poignant. Hope you kept it.

These things have a name. Two names, to be exact.

The first is the 'formal' name: Interfoliant. (Singular; plural -iants) Meaning, "between leaves" - anything that's inside a book that was put there by a reader rather than by the publisher.

The second is the 'informal' name: Biblioscat. I'll leave you to guess at the meaning of that one!

So, there you go.

originally posted by: Tulpa
Painterza reply to: FamCore

That would've driven me absolutely NUTS!!! I sympathise!

and Painterz

Excellent. Bet it was a nice book mark too. I like silver but gold repels me for some reason.
Finding a love letter is poignant. Hope you kept it.

It's a beautiful bookmark, yes. I use it regularly.

And the love letter I kept until the next time I was donating books to charity, and I popped it into one of those books, so that it can go on to have a life beyond my bookshelves. I like to think of somebody else finding it and being touched by it.

a reply to: audubon

Haha. Brilliant!
Was trying to keep things informal.

I have found the odd Palimpsest, too.

Now everyone will have to go and look that up.



PAINTERZ
What a fantastic move. Tipping my hat to you.

I purchased a book at a garage sale, with a hollowed out section in the center. I'll leave it up to your imagination what was in that hole.

a reply to: olaru12

I think I get ya.

Happy daze

a reply to: Tulpa
I found an unused 2011 World Series ticket in a book I bought at goodwill.

I use dollar bills as bookmarks. After I have read the book, I leave the money. If I reread the book , I replace the dollar with a five dollar bill. Then a ten etc...

It's kind of savings account for more books.

a reply to: abago71

Are you missing a copy of Kingdom of Fear by any chance?
A friend of mine has an antique family Bible which is bulging and almost wedge shaped. He doesn't like banks!

a reply to: Tulpa

What a cool thread I love books and I love treasure. What's not to like?!

Best thing I've personally found was a set of old Victorian valentines in an Edgar Allen Poe anthology. Not really known for love poems, so a strange place to find valentines, but he did write "Annabelle Lee" so there is that...

If there are estate sales near you, many times people will give you the books that are left on the last day of the sale. People hate to move books.

S&F.

a reply to: Missmissie173

Wow! That's a great find.
I seem to collect more than I have the time to read. Moving them is a problem, though, and I fear ending up homeless and losing them. They're worth far more to me than the cost of replacements.

I darent even tell you about my vinyl and CD collection!

a reply to: Tulpa

Tell me about the vinyl...I was "lady of the 80's." Jeesh. Moving records is worse than books. I finally had enough of that and gave most of mine to my 9 year old (at the time) nephew. I got sick of lugging them around and was getting married for the second time and combining households. I also gave him my old Pioneer turntable and speakers.

Long story short, he got hooked on The Beastie Boys! Some of those boxes of records had not been opened for 20+ years and the cover art was still in great shape and valuable (who knew?)

The last 10 or so years he has made a little cottage industry out of selling rare albums online. He has banked some serious bucks and I tell him he can support his Auntie Missie in her old age - Ha! But not bad for help towards his education fund.

I've never been lucky enough to find money in a second hand book. The usual bookmark, postcard, the odd pressed flowers and such. It's only recently though that I started reading again and actively searching out new material. My eyesight isn't what it used to be and I lived in denial for awhile before getting glasses. Perhaps now I'll find a hidden treasure between the pages.

a reply to: Tulpa

Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child In the Final Days of the American Century, is Hunter at his sardonic, snarky, best. It was this book that had me re-think some of the funny, ha-ha moments from his other books in a different manner. It opened up my view to see a well thought, intellectual, who is honest, funny, and wickedly scathing under the guise of humor.

Enjoy the read!

a reply to: FamCore

I haven't found too many cool things in my used books BUT one book I read had the VERY LAST PAGE ripped out and I didn't realize it until I finished the book.

It wasn't a a murder mystery titled "The rooster crows at midnight" was it???..... If anybody can guess what that reference is from you win a big noprize. lol...

will be back late tonight or tomorrow to see if any answers.

a reply to: Missmissie173

Started collecting Sex Pistols when I was a kid. Ska, reggae, dub, more punk like Crass, Conflict, Anti-Sect. Anarcho stuff. Got into the habit of regular clearouts to fund the next shopping binge.

Rooting around old crates looking for weird stuff rather than mainstream.
I used to go to a lot of festivals and wandered into a rave tent, really mashed!
May 1991 bought a mixer and two turntables and from then on I spent almost all my spare cash on underground house, techno and a little bit of hardcore and drum n bass. Hard times meant that a lot of them had to go but I kept a core of my best stuff. DJed at some illegal raves, house parties and got a resident spot at a Uni (which will remain unnamed) night that was done by the students.

Begged, borrowed and even stole a few. At the moment there's a couple of thousand crated up and unused. My true love is techno. Detroit. Dirty, funky, spacey grooves. There's also some very strange stuff in there. I've considered doing a thread before but the users here seem like a more rock kind of crowd. Maybe I'll do one in the future but you may regret it.... I'm hard to stop once I get going. Once, after clubbing, we filled someone's house with people and I played for over thirteen hours solid! Before you ask, I peed in a bottle!!!

Now there's too many clues to my identity in this post.
Back to the books.