Books, to be sure, are full of words. But sometimes you come upon things that people leave in the books. Over the years of my book collecting—sometimes for research, sometime for reading pleasure— I have found pressed between the pages:
- Four leaf clovers. (Did they bring luck?)
- Flowers (As pale as old memories)
- A partially filled-in dance card, from 1923. (Why only partially?)
- Postage stamps that wouldn’t, today, take a letter fifty yards
- A receipt for the purchase of the book, when the book was new and cost two dollars and fifty cents (That was long ago!)
- A note explaining why the book was being sent as a gift (An apology? Thanks?)
- Author signatures, along with cryptic messages to persons unknown, for reasons at best vague
- Birthday greetings, sometimes in child-like scrawls
- Thank you notes (Beautiful calligraphy, revealing no emotion)
- An invitation to a party (Did the recipient go?)
I always wonder about these left behind items. Were they discarded, forgotten, or in fact, meant to be saved as something meaningful? Never mind: Each thing suggests a story.
My favorite find was a letter dated 1898. I found it in a book (published much earlier) meant for young readers, and consisting of two stories. They were love stories, of a kind. The tales were each about young women, both of whom were choosing husbands. The first tale was about one who marries for love, and lives in harsh poverty. The second story was about a woman who marries for riches, and lives to be equally unhappy. The book—not uncommon for the day—was meant to teach lessons.
As for the letter in the book: (I paraphrase)
“My darling granddaughter Mary: You are only two and cannot read. I am eighty-nine, and may not live long enough to see you read. But I wanted to send you these stories because they will teach you a lesson I did not learn. I hope when you choose a husband you will heed the wisest story in this book. Your loving Grandmother, Dora.”
Ah, but which story did Grandma Dora not heed? Which story did she consider wisest?
The answers were not provided.
Maybe I’ll find it in another book.
5 thoughts on “Found in a Book”
My best find was the crushed remains in “Death in the Air” returned by a Fire Island visitor. This was back in the 1960s when Sayville was still a summer resort.
Connie, I used to take the ferry to the Pines one summer when I visited my college roommate and her family at their place there. I loved the ocean from childhood. You brought back so very happy memories.
Oh goodness, Avi. This may be my favorite of many favorites. Maybe you will write the book for all the Marys of this world. My question is, did the one who married for love still love her husband and find happiness in their love despite the harsh poverty? I have always believed that though it helps, money cannot buy happiness, but it can provide creature comforts. Oh what a conundrum. Grandmother Dora is not much of a help to young Mary without some of her 89 year old wisdom. And here’s the rub. We just never know what is around the bend. Perhaps that is the message, learn to take care of yourself so you can marry for love. Oh you have me pondering away.
I was in a book store to purchase Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies and tucked inside was a business card encouraging participation in a local Aryan Nation group. It provided a teachable moment for the students in my class studying the Holocaust the following week.
1898, the year Johannes Brahms died. His music would go well with this anecdote! My daughter recently found a 1978 library check-out card in a used copy of the Fairie Queene and it triggered happy speculation about who else had read it. I once stumbled on a used copy of a book signed by a boy I had attended grade school with. Bizarre coincidence! One would never find an interesting ‘thing’ left ‘in’ a webpage or eBook …