Last Friday night, I went out to dinner with my cousin Donny. He’s my mom’s age so I call him my uncle, even though he’s really a cousin. I met him at his mother’s apartment downtown. She passed away in December and he’s in the process of fixing the place up to be sold.
Donny let me take three books from her collection–a Jimmy Breslin novel; a collection of letters by the legendary editor Maxwell Perkins; and Liebling Abroad, a collection of war and food writing by one of our of most influencial journalists.
I didn’t find any bookmarks in them, but Michael Popek, more commonly known around these parts as “unmoderated,” sent me a link to his terrific blog about the hidden treasures that are left in books: forgottenbookmarks.com. Michael runs a used bookstore so he comes across a lot of interesting momentos.
Check, check it out.
Great site, Michael. A bit unsettling because of the voyeuristic nature of it all, and because the thought of lost mementos is one that doesn't sit well with me, but in general very interesting and touching and very well executed.
it is a little creepy, i admit. quick story - a few years back, i found a ton of extremely personal items at the bottom of a box of books. wedding mementos, anniversary gifts, love letters, and these absolutely breathtaking hand-made books. the husband had written and bound these little love books and cut and pasted pictures all over the cover. really touching stuff, you know? they were married in the 1930s, so I did some snooping... it turns out they both had died but their only son was still alive and was driving a trailways bus up in plattsburgh (I'm a good googler). I finally got him on the phone, to see if he wanted me to send all this stuff, these intimate and unique memories of his parents, and he had absolutely no interest. i've since given up on the romantic idea of reuniting people with their old pictures and letters, but I do still enjoy featuring these little scraps of memories, even if they weren't mine.
and thanks for the props, alex.