GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #740: NOTES FROM THE PAST

 I feel certain that I've mentioned here before that I'm somewhat of a used book detective. I like to find out about the previous owner of a book through the notes they leave or what they highlight or even the condition of the book. I'm 95% positive I've written about it before, but 740 GF columns are a lot to go through, and I'm not going to do that now. (Or ever, probably.)

I was going through my things, packing my books away, when I found this book. I don't recall how it came into my possession. It's not something I would have picked up at a used bookstore. I have a suspicion I inherited it from somewhere, which happens sometimes.

It's almost a hundred years old, so I'm thinking it might be something Mom had, possibly from her grandparents or great aunt or uncle. But the note left inside is pretty cool:

At first I thought it might have been my stepfather's parents, but the date is wrong. They would have been in Germany still. And I doubt they would have inscribed it in English. It's not from Dad's side of the family. There's no way it would have come to me through him. I doubt it's from Gramps's side of the family. They would not have written in English, either, back then. It would have been Greek. That leaves Grandma's side. Most of them were in America long before that written date, and none of them would have written in another language.

But who are Georgia and Frank? More importantly, who is Bada, aka the Old Puzzle Maker? All I know is that Bada would have been born in 1866, a mere few years after the Civil War.

I haven't said it in a while, so perhaps it bears repeating. History is never far behind us.

EVERYONE'S GOT ONE #33: USED BOOKS AND THE PEOPLE WHO OWNED THEM BEFORE YOU DID

Many of the books in my library were bought from used bookstores or library sales. A lot of them contain notes in the margins from the previous owner. Sometimes, the notes are better than the book. But my favorite thing to do is to figure out as much as I can about the person who used to own the book.

As I write this, I am reading THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Samuel Butler. I like the message, but it's a book I just can't seem to get into. I also don't think I'd be able to get along with the person who left his or her notes for me to find. Let me tell you what I can gather from this person.

This book was read for class by a person who went to college in the late 'Sixties. I know this because on the inside cover of the book, it says SEMESTER 1 67-68. I'm going to deduce that it was college reading because I don't see this book being assigned to a high school student.

The previous owner was probably a man, since the handwriting is a bit spidery, and he was probably right-handed, due to the slant of the writing.

He did not like this book at all. After some chapters, he has written the word STOP, to remind him that he doesn't have to read any further for the next class discussion. He also takes very few notes. The passages he underlines aren't particularly interesting, indicating that he might have underlined them just to show he actually opened the book.

I am certain that a fellow student helped him with this book, because later on I see someone else's handwriting, and the insight is a lot more interesting than earlier in the book. I also believe that this person was a woman, considering the enlarged, sweeping lettering.

Lastly, the previous owner had no respect for books. On the very last page of this book, he has written down a math problem, clearly regarding the pages as nothing more than scratch paper.

Am I the only one who has this habit? I can't be. There are a lot of readers who follow my posts. Anyone else want to share their own Sherlock Holmes-like investigations?