Treasure Between the Pages

"The man who does not 

read good books 

has no advantage 

over the man 

who can not read them." 

~Mark Twain

Have you read

any good books lately?

Books, I am afraid,

may be an endangered species!

I must say, that of all the things

I enjoy collecting,

OLD BOOKS

are my all time favorites!

I use them all over my house

to decorate, to add interest,

to make me smile!

This is a February, 

1961 Edition of Winnie the Pooh!

In Latin!!!

Didn't that make you smile?

Any time I find a book from

the early 1900's or older,

I am thrilled!

But there are those 

special books 

that hold treasure

between their pages!

Not only the thoughts 

of the author,

but gifts of time 

that have been 

left behind

by previous owners!

My old books 

range from 

dictionaries, hymnals,

cook books, fictional stories,

poetry (my favorites), 

and really

ANYTHING

that catches my eye.

I am always thrilled 

when I gently turn 

the time worn pages

to discover 

newspaper clippings,

bits of fabric, 

or little dried flowers.

I sit there in awe 

and wonder

how this 

little piece of history,

meant something 

to this person.

So endearing, 

it found its way

between the pages 

of this book,

to be saved 

for another to find!

Cook books with old

hand written recipes, 

and clippings

of cooking the perfect roast.

Garden guides 

with magazine articles

shoved between the pages,

mapping out flowers and seasons.

Old school books

with hand written notes

about assignments!

It is like a 

time warp

right out of that

person's life!

I want to share with you

a few of my

special finds!

I consider myself

to be their guardian 

for now - 

until they find 

their way

into hopefully 

another pair 

of  appreciative hands!

The title caught my eye! 

The first thing I saw

when I opened the book,

was a piece of the original

dust jacket ~

carefully, cut and glued

 for the sake of posterity!

Written by the doctor himself!

 I always check the copyright...1939!

Then I saw this inscription and

my hair stood up on my arms 

and I got goose bumps! 

 When I saw this, I knew I had a keeper!

 This book had been passed down,

and now in the hands 

of another relative,

held a 1969 newspaper clipping

with information 

about their family name and coat of arms.

 

As I turned the pages,

I came to find a bittersweet

memento of Dr. Holley's family. 

Dr. Holley's Funeral Program from 1947.

And the subsequent Obituary notice.

How could anyone leave this 

on the shelves of a thrift store?

My most prized treasure 

to date ~

isn't due to its age,

 but what lays within it!

A very bland looking book,

would you have picked this out while shopping?

 There are no copyright dates,

 but I assume from the pages,

printing style and design,

that it must be early 1900's.

In the beginning of the book, 

the owner underlines a few sentences

in the preface regarding 

Omar Khayyam's character.

Did you read what it said?

"(Omar) having failed of finding 

any Providence but Destiny,

and any World but This, 

he set about making the most of it;

...he very likely takes a humorous 

or perverse pleasure in exalting the

gratification of Sense above that of the Intellect."

 If you have read this far in the post,

then I ask you to stop

 and read the clipping below.

 Can you imagine yourself in her shoes?

 After reading the clipping,

I was immediately drawn into this woman's life!

What did she look like, where did she live?

 Was she melancholy?

 A day dreamer?

Then I found a multitude of 

endearing treasures

 that will forever leave me wondering...

 

Was she in love?  

In an unhappy marriage?

 Hoping for Good Luck?

Did she have a secret lover?

 Who gave her these gifts 

so precious she saved them?

I wondered ~

do the quatrains of poetry 

have any significance

 with where she placed the roses?

page 81

LXXVII

And this I know:  whether the one True Light

Kindle to Love, or Wrath-consume me quite,

 One Flash of It within the Tavern caught

 Better than in the Temple lost outright.

 LXXVIII

What!  out of senseless Nothing to provoke

A conscious Something to resent the yoke

 Of un-permitted Pleasure, under pain

 Of Everlasting Penalties, if broke!

 I feel such empathy for her.

So sentimental in her dreams for happiness.

  

A beautiful poem about 'Transience'

and with it,  a humorous quote!

  I would have liked

to have known this woman.

A Red Ribbon from a special evening,

perhaps from a corsage!

A hand written note!  I love it!

It reads:

"A leaf from the "Bo-Tree"

(Sacred Tree of India) under which "Buddah" meditated),

which I picked up in Lafayette Park L.A. early in July.

I have a mate to it.  It's a glorious thing when fresh.

Please return this with ??? and snap shot."

And then, one of the final gifts:

The Red Feather ~ 

If she were a superstitious type,

it symbolized courage, physical vitality, 

good fortune and life!

I hope that life was good to her,

and that she experienced 

extreme joy in her daily living! 

The next time you see an old book

in a pile of things at the thrift store,

will you consider what it may have to offer?

It could be a treasure 

OR

it could give you a gift 

of knowledge,

OR

 a life lesson!

"To sit alone in the lamplight 

with a book spread out before you, 

and hold intimate converse 

with men of unseen generations - 

such is a pleasure beyond compare." 

~Kenko Yoshida

Live Authentically!

Blessings,

Martha