ephemera  etc.... 

   Top Ten Things Found in Books    

Used books frequently tell tales of their previous owners. Here are just a few common tell tale traces:

10 BILLET DOUX – Perhaps proof that literature is the next best thing to love

9 PHOTOGRAPHS –  Family? Friend? May even be a portrait of the person who read the book last

8 BOOKMARKS – Typically an advert for the original bookshop; sometimes of very good quality

7 CUTTINGS – Often a review of the book, author or allied event, cut-and-pasted with fleeting enthusiasm

6 DRIED FLOWERS – After all, some books are little better than flower presses

5 ARTWORK (REPRODUCTIONS) – Normally on postcards which can often be worth a lot more than the book

4 ARTWORK (ORIGINAL) –  It is not unusual to find doodles and drawings,  occasionally of such artistic integrity the book is significantly added to

3 MARGIN NOTES – Nor is it unusual to find inscriptions or annotations … sometimes the commentary can be erudite, witty … or just plain weird

2 EPHEMERA – Normally defined as written and printed matter of a transitory nature, something that no one intended to keep, and perhaps this explains how an old invoice or letterhead can have rarity and value

1 MONEY – Yes, it really does pay to give second-hand books the shakedown