Secret histories of books.

A posting from Poetry Café

This has maybe already happened to lovers of secondhand books: you open your book and find a little treasure inside. Such as: a note from the previous owner or small personal things like drawings or tickets that served as bookmarks. Our research showed that there are some treasure hunters among the fans of used books. For example Wayne Gooderham, who records his finds on the blog bookdedications. Or Michael Popek, a used book seller, who writes about his finds on forgottenbookmarks.

If the book and the finding are linked it sometimes offers a very exciting (or even bizarre) result as Wayne Gooderham tells in an Guardian article: (…)Such as the copy of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Words, addressed to “mummy” with the instructions that she “read it all without prejudice”, including, one presumes, the cover artwork with its text reading: “I loathe my childhood and all that remains of it.” (…) :-)

We have collected a few highlights from the above mentioned blogs:

25/4/88

Dear Dad,

According to Mum (alias the Guru of the Postal Rates) the best way to send a book is as Printed Matter, but then it can’t include a letter – hence this method.

I enjoyed this book (and its sequel) a ‘lot.’ While I was reading them, I thought of you, and wondered what memories you have of any of the times and places he describes. Of course this world, (of centralEuropeas it was in 19??) vanished before I was born. The mixture of the author’s experiences of it at age 18 and his reflections now (or at any rate in 1978) on a world it is impossible to re-visit, give the book an usual texture, I think.

Don’t feel obliged to read it if it doesn’t “grab” you. You can view this as a short letter with 300 pages attached.

 

Lots of love

Ohne Worte :-)

To Peter;

I hope you haven’t got a copy of this already- I met 2 of my friends whilst buying it + they still won’t believe it wasn’t for me – Happy birthday + Happy reading!!

Love Sally x.

I LOVE YOU [inside heart] Dec 21st 08

To my darling Husband -

We have now been married for 6 very special months. Enjoy memories of our wonderful Honeymoon as you read this

Anita XXX

Source: Caveman from forgottenbookmarks, which – by the way – is available as book. All other examples from bookdedications.
Fotocredit black/white photo: Secondhand bookshop on Charing Cross Road, London, in 1951. Photograph: John Chillingworth/Hulton-Deutsch Collection

Links
bookdedications
forgottenbookmarks