I love used books. There is nothing like looking through an old book with handwritten notes, dog-eared pages, and even the occasional bookmark (an actual bookmark, receipt, gum wrapper). Usually it’s just a couple of highlighted sentences, or I can tell that the previous owner only finished a part of the book.
But then, sometimes, the stars align or the book angels smile down on me or I just get really, really lucky, and I come across gems like these.
These books were acquired at three different places in two different states. Cyrano de Bergerac was purchased at our local library’s Friends of the Library used bookstore, the Cosmetology textbook was found at a Goodwill outlet in Canton, Ohio, and the Bible was part of our church’s library giveaway (in order to make room for new books). All three were obviously used and loved.
Cyrano is full of highlighted passages and notes on the characters, the story, the history, and everything in between. The textbook is also highlighted and full of handwritten notes, and the student who owned it added tabs to mark each chapter and stuffed various loose pages with extra notes in there, too. The Bible was obviously used (note the packing tape holding it together). It has notes, highlights, and mementos stuck between the pages. It also has lists of births, deaths, and marriages within the previous owner’s family.
Now why, you may be asking yourself, would I want to read a book full of someone else’s notes, have a history of someone else’s family tree, or even own a textbook from 1967 for a subject I don’t have any practical interest in? Because, dear reader, these books tell someone’s story. I may never know anything about the people who owned and loved these books before I found them, but I can imagine.
If I close my eyes, I can picture a young girl practicing the latest hairstyles on a mannequin head, dreaming of her own beauty shop. I can see a young man hunched over a desk, notebook in front of him, studying the story of Cyrano’s love for Roxane, and learning to love classic literature. I can envision a woman who has lived a long life, married twice, had several children, grandchildren, and more turning to her favorite verses and leaning on her Heavenly Father for comfort when life starts to weigh her down.
I may never know their stories, but I can do my best to tell them.
Thus, I keep these books on my desk or on my bookshelf, where I can see them and be inspired, take them in my hand and look through to learn a little more about the people who had them before, or even discover a new character for a story I may be writing.
So, I encourage you to stop in and take a look around the next time you see a used bookstore, garage sale, or estate sale. This world is full of fascinating stories. Some real, some made up; some ridiculous, some exciting; some horrendous, some absolutely wonderful. Just look around, talk to someone new, or even look through an old book.
You never know what kind of treasure trove you may find.
Kristi West 