c/forgotten-bookmarks

Found a personal letter in a library book and it changed my whole process

I was at the main branch in Seattle and pulled a 1970s gardening guide off the shelf, and a full page handwritten letter to 'Margaret' about a family secret fell out. Now I always check every single page of a used book before I even start reading, because you never know what's tucked inside. Anyone have a good system for storing or returning these kinds of finds?

3 comments

nora_walker57•1d ago

I used to think old receipts in books were just trash

I found a grocery receipt from 1978 in a copy of 'The Shining' last month, and almost tossed it. A friend who collects old paper told me, 'That's a time capsule, not trash. Look at the prices.' I kept it and saw a gallon of milk was 89 cents and gas was 63 cents. Now I put any old slip of paper I find into a little album instead of recycling it. Has anyone else found a receipt that made them stop and think?

3 comments

king.aaron•2d ago

Hot take: someone told me my 'found art' bookmarks were just trash and it made me think

I used to just tape any old thing into a book I was reading, like a gum wrapper or a bus ticket, and call it a 'time capsule' for the next person. Then a friend looked at my copy of 'Dune' with a dried leaf stuck in it and said, 'That's not a bookmark, that's just a mess. It adds nothing.' Ouch, but fair. Now I only leave things that actually connect to the book's story or feel like a real message. Like, I put a postcard of the Oregon coast in a book about shipwrecks, or a recipe for apple pie in a cozy mystery set in a bakery. It's way more fun to think about the link. Does anyone else try to match the bookmark to the book's vibe, or is that overthinking it?

2 comments

john650•3d ago

Found a 1950s grocery list in a cookbook that taught me a weird trick for keeping ants out of the pantry

I tried the old list's suggestion of drawing a chalk line across the doorway, and it actually stopped the line of little black ants I'd been battling for a week, which makes me wonder what other old household hacks are hidden in these forgotten bookmarks.

2 comments

terryk10•4d ago

Found my 100th forgotten bookmark today and it's a real head-scratcher!

It was a 1978 grocery receipt for a single can of beans and a pack of gum, tucked inside a book about ancient Rome. I'm trying to figure out the connection, but I'm coming up empty. Has anyone else found a receipt that made absolutely no sense with the book it was in?

3 comments

terry677•4d ago

I thought finding a love letter in a book was just a movie thing

For years, I rolled my eyes at stories about people finding old love notes tucked into used books. It seemed like a made-up trope, something that only happens in films. Then, last month, I bought a beat-up copy of 'The Great Gatsby' from a thrift store in Akron for two dollars. When I got home, a single, folded sheet of lined paper fell out. It was a short note, dated March 12, 1998, that just said, 'I saw you reading this in the library today. I think you're beautiful. Meet me by the oak tree tomorrow at 3? -J.' It wasn't signed with a full name, just that initial. The paper felt real, the ink was faded blue, and the handwriting was shaky, like someone was nervous. Holding that small piece of someone's bold, hopeful moment from over 25 years ago completely changed my mind. It made the whole book feel heavier, in a good way. Now I check every single used book I pick up. Has anyone else had a find that made them believe in something they used to think was fake?

2 comments

sageadams•7d ago

Decade-old congrats card in a manual just made my month

It was from when I first led a team project. Forgot all about it until today, lol.

3 comments

williams.jenny•7d ago

Hot take: That old postcard in a secondhand novel solved a personal mystery for me

I picked up a used copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and a postcard fell out. It was from 1965, with a faded message about a summer trip. I couldn't read the signature, so I got curious. I took a photo and tweaked the contrast on my phone, and the name became clear. It was from someone named Eleanor, who was visiting Monterey. I looked up old directories online and found out she was a teacher from my town. It got me thinking how we used to keep in touch with real mail, now it's just texts. I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but holding that postcard felt like touching a piece of history.

3 comments

murphy.zara•7d ago

Shoutout to the 1980s concert ticket I found marking a page

That wait for the show beats any instant streaming today.

3 comments

terryk28•9d ago

That 1940s grocery list changed my mind on bookmark hunting

I see folks say every old bookmark is worth keeping, but I think that's wrong. Last month, I found a faded list from 1942 in a used cookbook. People told me to study it, saying it showed history, but it needed hours of work to learn anything. After weeks, I found it was just normal items like flour and sugar, nothing special. I feel we waste too much time on things that don't matter. We should pick bookmarks with clear stories instead. Waiting for a big find often leads to letdown.

3 comments

tara_smith82•10d ago

I used a receipt as a bookmark and now my book smells like garlic

In my experience, using a grocery receipt was a bad idea. Your mileage may vary, but now my copy of 'Pride and Prejudice' has a permanent onion scent.

3 comments

carr.elliot•11d ago

Update: I save every little thing from books, even if others call it trash

I see posts where people say to throw out old bookmarks like receipts or lists. I disagree because that just makes more garbage. For example, I found a grocery list from the 80s in a cookbook. I framed it as art instead of binning it. That keeps it out of the dump. Small acts like this help the planet by reducing waste. These scraps show how books were used and loved. So I'll keep saving them, no matter what anyone says.

3 comments

christopherbrown•12d ago

Pressed flowers in used books are becoming my art material

I've noticed a lot of them in recent finds. Now I'm turning them into framed pieces for my home.

3 comments

paige512•13d ago

That 1972 paint color list bookmark got me hooked

I always tossed out bookmarks from used books. Then I found a list for 'avocado green' paint from 1972 and cracked up. Now I collect them - what's your best find?

3 comments

the_betty•13d ago

A vintage postcard in my paperback left me with a choice

I picked up a cheap romance novel and a faded postcard from 1972 fell out, addressed to someone in my town. Part of me wanted to mail it back, but that seemed like overstepping into a stranger's life. So I just tucked it into a plastic sleeve and put it back in the book for the next person. It's a fuzzy line between being helpful and prying into old memories.

3 comments

noah_brown•13d ago

Warning: A personal letter from 1998 was tucked in my thrift store buy

It's a really emotional note to someone named Mark. I feel weird having it, like I'm reading mail not meant for me. Any ideas on what to do with something like this?

3 comments

the_alice•18d ago

Finding a child's drawing in a textbook changed how I see forgotten bookmarks

I used to get genuinely irritated every time I'd buy a second-hand book and find some random piece of paper stuck inside, thinking it was just clutter left by a careless previous owner. It felt like a minor violation, you know, like someone didn't respect the book enough to clean it out before passing it on. But my perspective totally flipped after I picked up a copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and found a pressed four-leaf clover with a child's handwriting on the back that said 'for luck on my test.' Suddenly, I wasn't looking at trash, I was holding a moment from someone's life, a little artifact of their hope or anxiety. Now I actively hunt for these things, and I've started a small collection, from dry cleaning receipts in cookbooks to concert tickets in poetry anthologies. It's funny how something so insignificant can become a window into the past, and I'm almost grateful for the initial frustration because it made the realization that much sweeter.

3 comments