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What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

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Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#81

Post by TedDoesntTalk »

joyfylbanana wrote: post #47
TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a far stretch to "tens of thousands of dollars." A valuable second-hand book can be $50.

I quite recently bought a used book for something like $100. Certain books can be expensive, it was not a popular or particularly good book, but the writer was a character and I guess therefore his written books are valuable niche items... Also no more will be printed, so there is limited supply. Similar for some old music sheets or records. However these are definitely not liquid, if you are going to sell them you m…

...and there are good condition, first-edition old books that sell for thousands. How does that relate to this thread?

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#82

Post by kaesar14 »

ortusdux wrote: post #78

I once took a critical thinking course and bought the textbook 2nd hand from the college bookstore. A week or two in, I noticed half of a sentence written in the margin. As the professor started teaching the topic from that page, he rhetorically asked a question, did not get an answer, and then answered himself with the sentence from the book. I filliped ahead and found that the entire book was annotated with all of…

You lived the Half Blood Prince!

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#83

Post by trebbble »

Mine:

1) A note from one feminine-name to another assuring her that the book it was in (which was a gift, evidently, and this the accompanying card) would be a good start to her college journey, and wishing her success. It's a Modern Library copy of Plato's Republic published in IIRC the '50s. The hand and condition of the note fit with its having been gifted around that time—so, probably it was gifted new, not long after the publication date. Found it really touching for some reason, always wished (voyeuristically, I suppose) I could learn how all that turned out.

2) Set of Ex Libris stickers in the front of a multi-volume Folio Society history of England identifying it as from the library of a moderately well-known (so I gather—I'd not heard of 'em) 1980s Conservative British politician (I'm in the US, and the online listing I bought them from made no note of this). Had a title, too, Lord something-or-other. Judging from the tightness of the spines I don't think they'd ever been opened, probably just office decoration. Now that I think about it, I should see if I can track down photos of the guy's office and spot these in the background... 5-volume set, so it might be possible to pick them out even in a poor photo.

3) Late 19th century reading-size catholic bible that must have been a family bible, because it had about a hundred years of family history in it, up to IIRC the 1920s, going all the way back to "The Old Country". I've held on to it for years because I keep thinking I should do something to preserve that or get it to someone who cares, but realistically, probably never will.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#84

Post by JoeAltmaier »

My wife's artist friend loaned us a beautiful old book about a famous restaurant and it's menus - Del Monicos. It was handsomely illustrated. Including the feast for Lincoln's inauguration dinner etc.

Original binding but for some added librarians' tape to keep the covers stable. She paid $6 at a thrift shop.

I googled a bit - worth $400 to $600! She doesn't care; its all about the beautiful illustrations for her.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#85

Post by bluGill »

cperciva wrote: post #62
bluGill wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good auctioneers make sure that there is a buyer for specific things like that. I'm surprised that there wasn't a used book buyer in the crowd. Though maybe his guy didn't show up.

Good auctioneers make sure there are at least two buyers for specific things like that.

That depends. For things they expect to go be worth a lot they want two buyers. However for things like scrap metal they just want one buyer - they know that buyer will get a great deal, but the value in scrap isn't high enough to support two and so getting a second buyer means both will disappear soon.

Good auctioneers know what goes to each category.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#86

Post by h0p3 »

ortusdux wrote: post #78

I once took a critical thinking course and bought the textbook 2nd hand from the college bookstore. A week or two in, I noticed half of a sentence written in the margin. As the professor started teaching the topic from that page, he rhetorically asked a question, did not get an answer, and then answered himself with the sentence from the book. I filliped ahead and found that the entire book was annotated with all of…

I hope you didn't cast any random spells scrawled in your Advanced Potion-Making book. Sectumsempra is a nono, I hear.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#87

Post by JoeAltmaier »

My Israeli friend went thru his Grandmother's books after her death. Found hundreds in 'old Shekels' among the pages. Saving against some disaster I imagine.

Except they were worthless - there was an amnesty for turning them in, that had expired decades ago.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#88

Post by trebbble »

kaesar14 wrote: post #82
ortusdux wrote: post #78

I once took a critical thinking course and bought the textbook 2nd hand from the college bookstore. A week or two in, I noticed half of a sentence written in the margin. As the professor started teaching the topic from that page, he rhetorically asked a question, did not get an answer, and then answered himself with the sentence from the book. I filliped ahead and found that the entire book was annotated with all of…

You lived the Half Blood Prince!

That element of the Half-Blood Prince was taken from real life. Used textbooks have been preferred by students for precisely for this reason (well, cost too, but this is a well-known benefit) in colleges since... well, probably since textbooks have existed.

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#89

Post by CamperBob2 »

daviddaviddavid wrote: post #40

I realize it is not the same as finding a friend, but I recently found five crisp $20 bills in a used logic text book at an Amvets thrift store. I opened the book because it was written by Irving Copi, who wrote my undergrad logic text. I was paranoid it was counterfeit, but it was very much real money. To make things better, the first $20 I spent was to get a pizza and the employee said a mistake happened at the piz…

Trouble is, luck is conserved. That's why you got COVID and a tax audit and three cavities at your next dental exam.

At least that's what I tell myself when someone randomly finds $100 in a book...

Re: What’s the strangest thing you ever found in a book?

#90

Post by smm11 »

A few weeks back I took a book to a nearby Little Library. I hadn't opened the book since 1987, when I was in college, but held onto it for reasons.

Right before I dropped it off in exchange for another I wanted, I thumbed through for some unknown reason. Inside was a note from a girl I knew in high school, who I'd drifted apart from somewhat. It was agreeing to my plan to:

Have her move 2000 miles to where I was going to school. Marry in 1990.

I'd not seen the note in 1987, nor any time after, nor heard from her ever again - she presumably put that note there in late-1986, right about when we ended it. Long story, she was in town.

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