The Bookmark

The bookmark found in a second hand book

Buying from a second hand bookstore can lead to many surprising finds - aside from the books themselves. The surprise arrives later upon closer inspection of your purchase.

I had just returned home from Old Goat Books and was perusing my new find, my next read. I flipped through the pages, fanning them out to breath in that familiar, musty smell  of a pre-loved book, when something fell out from between the pages and fluttered down onto my foot. This has happened before, it was he previous reader’s bookmark. This particular time it was a homemade bookmark, clearly created by a child (if not, then I apologize to the adult who designed it). It was decorated with stickers that ranged in themes from Christmas to jungle animals, and was clearly designated as a ‘Bookmark’. Wow, I don’t think I have ever used a bookmark as a bookmark before’. I have used just about everything else as a bookmark - toilet paper, post its, scrap paper, old photos, receipts, bobby pins and even just the good ole fashioned dog-eared page.  

Finding these little scraps in used books is not unusual. I have stumbled across personal notes, a grocery list from 1996, business cards and even leaves pressed between the pages. But my favourite bookmark find from over the years has to be the vintage postcard that was wedged between the pages of a recent book purchase.

This postcard was used as an impromptu bookmark by the book’s previous owner and it captured my attention and piqued my interest more than the book (I don’t know if this is good for the postcard or bad for the book). The postcard is of Queen Elizabeth as a child, when she was still Princess Elizabeth, photographed with her father His Majesty King George. The two are sitting atop stunning horses wearing traditional riding clothes and looking oh so regal. 

The Postcard. To see a real image of this post card click here

Everything about this photograph intrigued me - the sepia colour tone, the stark whiteness of the Queen’s horse and even the uncanny resemblance between King George and Colin Firth (whoever did the casting for A King’s Speech deserves a pat on the back). I flipped the postcard over to the reverse side, it was blank with no personal message. A postcard that was never sent. There were however, the words ‘Valentine’s Post Card’ branded on it, I quickly typed them in a google search. Unfortunately, this led me to a whole host of horribly tacky Valentine’s Day cards covered in red hearts, chubby cupids and emblazoned with heinously cliche terms of endearment - not exactly what I was looking for. Digging deeper into the search, trying different key words and scrolling further and further down the google list I had found it. The postcard I held in front of me was a vintage postcard. This was a much cooler bookmark than what I was currently using to hold my page, which was a receipt for Indian takeout!

My current bookmark - a takeout receipt.

Apparently Terry O’Reilly, host of CBC Radio’s ‘Under the Influence’ also shares my affection for used books and the page markers they contain. This past summer (May 26, 2012) he broadcasted a show about the things readers use as bookmarks entitled ‘Books, books, books’. He spoke about a letter written by Paul McCartney that had been found folded in a book purchased at a yard sale. This letter was later auctioned for $56,000! My vintage postcard is worth $20 (I found it on eBay). Apparently, people frequently use money in lieu of bookmarks, and most often the denomination chosen is a twenty dollar bill! This seems extremely bizarre to me, but perhaps these people are in a more financially prosperous state than I. So until I am rolling in a bed of money (quite a common scenario for aspiring writers right?), I will continue to use my Kleenexes, bank statements and movie stubs - but I will also cherish the postcard I found in that old book.