What interesting stuff have you found in secondhand books?

[interrupted_girl]

Owners name, one who was gifted the book to name, shopping receipts, pen marks... But the most precious of all is the smell and feel of used books.
Thank you

[queeennnkatie]

Some one highlighted everytime someone died. Never ever will I buy a used Game of Thrones book on Ebay.

[Catherine and AJ]

In one secondhand book, I found a boarding pass for a plane in Europe. Considering I've never been out of the country and collect items from other countries, this was a great find. Someone seemed to have used this as a bookmark, which I thought very similar to how I just grab the handiest scrap of paper and use it as a bookmark.

[sweetpinabel]

For some reason, I find a lot of plane ticket stubs in books? I think the most interesting were for Frankfurt, Germany, and Tokyo. I also found a bookmark from the Grand Canyon gift shop once. I still use it.

[cstegmil]

I'm not sure this was 'interesting' but while on vacation in Mexico there was a donation box of used books. I found one I had been anxious to read and settled in for a few days with it. Came to the ending and someone had tore out the last chapter, and included a note that had a smiley face and the word "gotcha".....I wasn't too thrilled.

[Manang Muyang]

I found an author-autographed copy of Under Orders by Dick Francis. Dick Francis is one of my favorite authors but he passed on in 2010 at 89. Under Orders was his last book written solo. His next three books were co-authored by his son Felix.

[patrickt]

I was called to a used bookstore because someone had dropped off a few boxes of books they'd found in the garage of a home they'd bought. In one box, a few books were removed exposing sawdust with odd globules of glue. When the owner of the bookstore pulled out a piece of red paper that had DuPont printed on it she got concerned. It was old, and very unstable dynamite.

[Snowflake]

I've usually only found old library slips or handwritten notes. In one book, the reader was quite annoyed with the author and had several "corrections" written in the margins!

[EMoffat]

I have found a lot of notes from the previous owners. One time I found a (I believe) a love letter from about 80 years ago, it was very sweet and I still have it

[Manang Muyang]

I was called to a used bookstore because someone had dropped off a few boxes of books they'd found in the garage of a home they'd bought. In one box, a few books were removed exposing sawdust with odd globules of glue. When the owner of the bookstore pulled out a piece of red paper that had DuPont printed on it she got concerned. It was old, and very unstable dynamite.

Do you mean there was actual dynamite there or just the wrapper? If just the wrapper, the books must have been thrillers and the owner, a certified prankster.

[BookishBookkeeping]

This is one of my favorite things to do with used books. I've found money, notes, unusual book markers, cards, newspaper clippings, dried flowers, pictures, and business cards. It's exciting to see what treasure I'll find within the treasure. I love how it gives a brief glimpse of another's life.

[ebethina]

Something I find interesting in secondhand books is the stuff that people will write in the books. Sometimes I find names of people that the book used to belong to that I know.

[CaitlinGonya]

Notes from another reader, signed copies, limited editions or first editions, plus box sets

[kjs237]

I found a child's letter to Santa in a used cookbook that I picked up at the Goodwill. It made me smile because it reminded me so much of the type of letter my kids would write. The letter asked for typical things a kid would want like video games and Transformers. It also included a request that Santa not give the same toys to his brother because his brother was always copying him and the brother hadn't been all that good anyway. I still have the letter and I keep it in the cookbook.

[Rumbly]

Well I used to buy lots of secondhand textbooks for class and a few had notes some even answered questions in the book so LOL