There are many reasons people buy secondhand books: maybe they don’t live near a library, or they read too fast to buy them full price, or they enjoy a good deal.
But one of those reasons will always be that reading someone else’s book can be like a little glimpse into their life.
And for these 18 people, that peek turned out to be more than they bargained for… in the best way possible.
18. How utterly charming.
I found this in a 1949 children’s book I bought today
byu/stitch-witchery inForgottenBookmarks
17. I hope she had an extra pair lying around at home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BInBc6uBsNI/
16. Nope, she’s not giving you the code word!
I found this in a random book on the shelves of a cafe.
byu/Dangjasondang infunny
15. Really lovely work.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXztNPpnzfx/
14. Someone is definitely missing this!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCvjbyxEJ93/
13. Well I mean, money is always a nice surprise.
Found a Little Surprise in the Library Book I Borrowed
byu/jahrom inpics
12. People are so careless with those things!
used bookstore has a wall of forgotten bookmarks
byu/KaiF1SCH inForgottenBookmarks
11. Honestly, probably worth more then than now.
10. I want to know the story of their trip.
A 1970’s plane ticket
byu/PointsGenerator inForgottenBookmarks
9. Aw, I remember when my grandpa gave me one of these.
Found a cool surprise in my library book.
byu/k80k80k80 inpics
8. Kind of makes you feel like you won the lottery!
Nothing like picking up a book and finding a photo (and autograph) of the author inside
byu/jennabunnykins inForgottenBookmarks
7. Oh you guys my heart.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxXr_UiHaCz/
6. I bet they’re so sorry they lost these.
Found tucked between the pages of a secondhand textbook I bought.
byu/HopelessQuantic inFoundPaper
5. I wish I had found this.
My mother found a 108 year old ticket to a fair in an old book being used as a book mark.
byu/The_Law_Giver inmildlyinteresting
4. How utterly adorable.
A message, and a coin.
byu/MissGoldenDragon inForgottenBookmarks
3. I hope they’re as lucky for you as they were for the first person!
This 4 and 5 leaf clover I found in this nearly 200 year old book
byu/sethyy12345 inmildlyinteresting
2. A little piece of history.
My son found a report card from nearly 100 years ago in his library book
byu/Carel16 inmildlyinteresting
1. This one is definitely not as charming as the others.
Dried lizard between my book
byu/MOstred inmildlyinteresting
I can’t wait for my next trip to the used book store… but also I need to go through my own books and make sure there’s nothing embarrassing in there before I donate.
Just in case, right?
How about you? Anything interesting in books you’ve picked up along the way?
Share your finds (and pics) in the comments!
