This post over at the Literature Network forums has prompted me to ask the the question – What interesting things have you found in 2nd-hand books?
Aside from the usual collection of receipts, train tickets and post-it notes, the most amazing thing I found was a letter from an author – not just any author though, but former military officer and official historian of the Grossdeutschland Division – Helmuth Spaeter.
One of my main historical interests is the war on the Eastern Front during the 2nd World War. The Grossdeutschland Division was a big part of that campaign, and when I came across the 3-volume history of the division at a specialist shop in Edinburgh I snapped it up (not cheap but worth it). Imagine my surprise then when I arrived home, opened one of the volumes and the letter you see in the pic above fluttered to the floor.
The content of the letter is nothing too significant. It’s simply a reply from Spaeter to a request from someone in Scotland asking about individual Company colours. However it’s still a significant piece of ephemera for me, made more important because Helmuth Spaeter is no longer with us.
So what’s the most interesting thing you’ve found within the pages of a 2nd-hand book?
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