# Strange things found in second hand books (and other items) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 7, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852 "2015-10-07T19:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TheSpeculationElucidation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@TheSpeculationElucidation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSpeculationElucidation)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/61 "2015-10-09T05:48:32Z")
I don’t know if this counts, but: When my grandparents passed away we went through and separated their things among the family members. My grandmother had embroidered a picture of a pot of flowers and my grandfather had made a frame for it. I got it. All that was on the back was a piece of cardboard duct taped to the wood, so I got a proper backing for the frame and took it off. Between the cardboard and the embroidery there was a black and white photo of my grandparents when they first started dating in their 20’s. I have no idea why they hid it in there, but it was a really emotional moment for me. I scanned the photo and distributed it to the family, before writing their names on the back of the photo and putting it back in the frame. I was into pyrography at the time, so I ended up burning a design into the backing I had purchased, before attaching it to my Grandfather’s frame. I plan on passing it down when I’m old - I think it would be really great if a future generation found the photo. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/62 "2015-10-09T06:15:46Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Aw, gosh, I guess I took that corner too fast for PJ. Let me try again, real slow. > > I was in a bookstore. A very plain sort of used bookstore, not the kind that deals in first editions or rare books, just, you know, books that people didn’t want any more. > > In there, I found and bought a volume of literary criticism that’s a pretty well-known title in the field, a little famous even, by a critic whose name is even better known and a bit more famous. > > He had inscribed and dedicated the copy to a much more famous writer in the field, with kind words and flourishes. > > That famous writer (now concentrate, this is the tricky part) apparently didn’t think enough of the book or its author to hang onto it, or give it to some worthy destination like the repository of his papers, or a mutual friend, or even a bookstore that might have prized that copy and sold it at a premium price, but dumped the whole thing, inscription and all, into the stream of books no one wanted any more. > > Since I happened to have some professional connections to the critic (and knew the recipient author slightly) it was great fun to mention this under semi-embarrassing circumstances a few times over the years. > > I thought that qualified for “strange things found in second hand books.” > > I’m going to speed back up now, if that’s okay. Oh I got it. It seems however it was I that took the corner too fast. I was gently ribbing you for once again leaving out details of one of your stories to add… drama! I mean, come on, why not just mention the book title and the author? Could it be so that someone like moi would try to drag it out of you? Guilty! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/63 "2015-10-09T06:30:32Z")
Because it’s his usual fan dance. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/64 "2015-10-09T13:20:00Z")
Years ago, my wife wanted to get a copy of _So Long and Thanks For All the Fish_, so off we went to Half Price Books. I was wandering around while she looked through the stacks for the book. A few minutes later she called me over to show me the copy she’d found. On the opening leaf was written, “To Todd, Best Wishes, Douglas Adams.” \*My \*name is Todd. :eek: Needless to say, we bought it. That was my Christmas present that year. Then, years later, we went to a Douglas Adams booksigning with that book. I put it in front of him and told him the story. He signed it, “And Again, Douglas Adams”. It’s one of my prized possessions. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/65 "2015-10-09T13:27:09Z")
I found a signature by Richard Halliburton (died 1939). I also find old leaves, put in to dry out…who knows how long ago. i also find gift notices-in a copy of a book publish in 1940, a note that the book was a gift to man. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/66 "2015-10-09T13:42:44Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Oh I got it. Oh, good. > [@](#): > > I mean, come on, why not just mention the book title and the author? Because it’s pretty much irrelevant to the story, and the names involved wouldn’t mean much to anyone outside the field. If you don’t think it’s odd/funny that Kinda Notable Name A inscribes a book at length to Pretty Notable Name B, and B just dumps the book like an old magazine, and that I happened to know both parties and had a chance to have a little fun with the incident, then I guess the story’s not for you. You should probably just move on to the used-condom and shopping-list stories. > [@Penfeather](#): > > A “not-unfamous volume” dedicated to a “not-unfamous author” in the same sentence is not-unbad writing. (Poster makes note to use only short declarative sentences for certain of the audience here.) ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/67 "2015-10-09T16:44:59Z")
Stop the sniping in this thread, people…especially you, **Amateur Barbarian** , you’re getting unnecessarily short and snarky with people in this thread, so this is just a note to bring it back a bit. Others too, please. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/68 "2015-10-09T18:00:47Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > You’ve never heard of “twit.” > > Are you [**upper class**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqObJtGrKaA)? Actually, yes, I am Upper Class. But I am not British so I don’t speak British. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/69 "2015-10-09T20:53:25Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I bought a copy of a not-unfamous volume of litcrit, dedicated by the critic to a not-unfamous author. It was just on the shelf in an undistinguished used book store. > > I had occasion to twit him (the critic-author) about it a few times. Is there any reason you can’t tell us who the not-unfamous author and not-unfamous volume of litcrit are? Insurance reasons? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/70 "2015-10-09T21:06:52Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > … > > Because it’s pretty much irrelevant to the story, and the names involved wouldn’t mean much to anyone outside the field. > > If you don’t think it’s odd/funny that Kinda Notable Name A inscribes a book at length to Pretty Notable Name B, and B just dumps the book like an old magazine, and that I happened to know both parties and had a chance to have a little fun with the incident, then I guess the story’s not for you. You should probably just move on to the used-condom and shopping-list stories. > > … 😕 But you said “not-unfamous” in both cases, which after solving for x and reducing the fractions, means “famous”. So, somehow it’s famous critics and authors but totally so esoteric no one could possibly know who they are outside of the publishing industry? Which is it? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/71 "2015-10-09T21:33:47Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Poster makes note to use only short declarative sentences… That is a splendid idea. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/72 "2015-10-09T21:59:37Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > [“Twit”](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=twit&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctwit%3B%2Cc0) was in fairly common and rising use before Twitter rather cluelessly displaced the word family. Sorry it never showed up in your Dr. Seuss books. Another 😕 The proper verb of posting on Twitter is to _“tweet.”_ I’ve never heard anyone use “twit” in this context. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/73 "2015-10-09T22:11:20Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > [“Twit”](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=twit&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctwit%3B%2Cc0) was in fairly common and rising use before Twitter rather cluelessly displaced the word family. Sorry it never showed up in your Dr. Seuss books. I hope this doesn’t go against **Idle thoughts** instructions, but I just wanted to point out that your link shows that Twit hit it’s peak in 1875 at 0.0000147% and had eventually climbed back up to 0.0000128%. **Tease** on the other hand is at 0.000213% using your same search parameters. Also, I would argue that most of the modern usages of Twit are to describe a fool and not to tease someone. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/74 "2015-10-09T22:28:27Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Another 😕 > > The proper verb of posting on Twitter is to _“tweet.”_ > > I’ve never heard anyone use “twit” in this context. Well, he is correct in using it as a synonym for “tease”, but it’s quite archaic, and easily confused with a non-existent but plausible back-formed verb from Twitter. It’s best to avoid coy archaisms in everyday communication; they’re best saved for the SCA newsletter, where they… aren’t unexpected. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/75 "2015-10-09T22:31:01Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Well, he is correct in using it as a synonym for “tease”, but it’s quite archaic, and easily confused with a non-existent but plausible back-formed verb from Twitter. It’s best to avoid coy archaisms in everyday communication; they’re best saved for the SCA newsletter, where they… aren’t unexpected. Oh, agreed. I’ve known what “twit” has meant since as long as I can remember (though, not as a synonym for “tease”, but rather an idiot). But to use it as a back-formed verb to “tweet” is a little… weird. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/76 "2015-10-09T22:38:40Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Oh, agreed. I’ve known what “twit” has meant since as long as I can remember. > > But to use it as a back-formed verb to “tweet” is a little… weird. I think the usage was confused more on the lines of when your Dad says they sent a friend a twit today. You try to correct him and he responds “It’s Twitter, not Tweeter.” ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/77 "2015-10-09T22:55:42Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Oh, agreed. I’ve known what “twit” has meant since as long as I can remember (though, not as a synonym for “tease”, but rather an idiot). > > But to use it as a back-formed verb to “tweet” is a little… weird. Well, I think it makes more sense if you think of “Twitter” being mistaken for a noun which is formed with a verb plus an “-er” suffix. Like “writer” or “speaker”, a “twitter” would then be someone who “twits”, and to use Twitter would be to twit. It’s wrong, but it’s wholly consistent with how nouns and verbs work in English; it’s the sort of mistake someone learning English would make. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/78 "2015-10-09T23:07:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > …Because it’s pretty much irrelevant to the story, and the names involved wouldn’t mean much to anyone outside the field. > > If you don’t think it’s odd/funny that Kinda Notable Name A inscribes a book at length to Pretty Notable Name B, and B just dumps the book like an old magazine, and that I happened to know both parties and had a chance to have a little fun with the incident, then I guess the story’s not for you. You should probably just move on to the used-condom and shopping-list stories… And no, it’s not irrelevant to the story. I’d argue it’s wholly relevant. If I were to post, “I acquired this second-hand book by an author I know, and inside was a thing that was totally surprising—if you knew this author, but you don’t—that was stuffed there by someone who didn’t like his work!” That’s totally mundane and boring, if not pointlessly coy and annoying. Details are relevant to the tale here. If you can’t divulge the names/details, why bring it up? ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/79 "2015-10-09T23:10:17Z")
Nothing to add really, except the odd newspaper clipping or photograph. Several dealers I’ve know tell me they purposely leave whatever they find IN the books they find them in. That, I like. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852/80 "2015-10-09T23:18:03Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Years ago, my wife wanted to get a copy of _So Long and Thanks For All the Fish_, so off we went to Half Price Books. I was wandering around while she looked through the stacks for the book. A few minutes later she called me over to show me the copy she’d found. > > On the opening leaf was written, “To Todd, Best Wishes, Douglas Adams.” > > \*My \*name is Todd. :eek: > > Needless to say, we bought it. That was my Christmas present that year. > > Then, years later, we went to a Douglas Adams booksigning with that book. I put it in front of him and told him the story. He signed it, “And Again, Douglas Adams”. It’s one of my prized possessions. Now _that’s_ fucking awesome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-things-found-in-second-hand-books-and-other-items/733852.md?page=5)