We spent a couple of days in east Texas with some of our good friends. One morning, Jeff and I ventured into a larger town and wandered through a few antique stores. We love antiques, though we buy very few. Our weakness, however, is books. (Of course!)
We found three books we were willing to shell out $2-$3 each to own. One was a copy of a book I read as a child. It’s kind of an obscure book. I’ve never heard anyone mention it, never found it hanging around in a current library collection. But when I saw it in a dusty back corner amidst a tumble of children’s books, I grabbed it up.
I don’t know if, on a re-reading, it will hold any literary merit at all, but I remember it being a book I truly enjoyed, one that continued to fuel my love of reading—and book-buying, for it was one that lived in my bookshelf for years! I wondered if the author would find a satisfaction in that. She didn’t write a bestseller, but her story meant something to someone. And isn’t that the point?
Actually, I still have titles on my shelves that few people have ever heard of, authors that are not even close to household names. I keep them for the same reason that I bought this one: because the reading of them is a good memory. And somehow I feel I owe it to the ones who penned those stories to make sure they don’t disappear forever.
What a wonderful treasure you found! I love when that happens.
What's the book?
It's called Make-Believe Daughter. It's a mystery.
My sisters and I love the "antique" hunt, too. A book we've always looked for and never found was "Little Black Sambo". It's available on the internet (at a humongous price), but we've always wanted the thrill of finding it in an obscure place.
One year, my favorite Christmas gift was from my sister–a deck of Animal Rummy cards like we had as little girls.
Congrats on finding your treasured book!