Lost and Found
Yesterday;s Wall Street Journal had an article about the interesting things that turn up in used books - keys, cards, arrest tickets, love letters, and even bullets.
Oddly enough, several weeks ago I had my own discovery of used book treasure. I've come across ticket stubs and old bookmarks before, but this was different. I purchased an old copy of The Forsyte Saga to give to a friend. When I returned home I flipped through the pages out of curiosity (I've never read any Galsworthy) and a photo fell out.
It was black and white, about two inches high and four inches across. There was nothing about the photo to indicate the date or place it was taken. The view is looking through foliage - palm trees of some sort I believe - and out over an ocean. There are no people in sight. Staring at the image I got the sensation of a windy day - perhaps a little chilly, the wind with a little bite to it - and the impression of a storm lurking just over the horizon, heading towards the photographer.
It's an odd little photo, and it currently rests atop a living room bookcase, tucked in the frame of another, larger photo. I can't help but wonder where it was taken, and what happened to the photographer. Why did he or she stash the photo in a hardcover copy of The Forsyte Saga? Where did the book travel from, and by what route did it travel to reach a used bookstore in Boston?
Anybody else ever find used-book treasure?
Oddly enough, several weeks ago I had my own discovery of used book treasure. I've come across ticket stubs and old bookmarks before, but this was different. I purchased an old copy of The Forsyte Saga to give to a friend. When I returned home I flipped through the pages out of curiosity (I've never read any Galsworthy) and a photo fell out.
It was black and white, about two inches high and four inches across. There was nothing about the photo to indicate the date or place it was taken. The view is looking through foliage - palm trees of some sort I believe - and out over an ocean. There are no people in sight. Staring at the image I got the sensation of a windy day - perhaps a little chilly, the wind with a little bite to it - and the impression of a storm lurking just over the horizon, heading towards the photographer.
It's an odd little photo, and it currently rests atop a living room bookcase, tucked in the frame of another, larger photo. I can't help but wonder where it was taken, and what happened to the photographer. Why did he or she stash the photo in a hardcover copy of The Forsyte Saga? Where did the book travel from, and by what route did it travel to reach a used bookstore in Boston?
Anybody else ever find used-book treasure?
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