Do you buy books from second-hand bookstores? I do.
There’s always something to find in them, well, at least for me. I’ve seen signatures, underlined sentences, highlights, and even the occasional “Great book!” scribbled on one of the pages. In one of the books I bought, there was a boarding pass tuck between the pages. I’m guessing it was used as a bookmark. Unless the owner has left a clue for the next owner (me)? Hmmm…
My problem with second-hand bookstores is that I tend to spend too much time in them. I can stay there for an hour (or more) just to find books. Okay, so it’s not really a big problem because I do like being there. I love looking at the books, especially the tattered and worn-out ones. I’ve always believed the creases on the spine are always a good indication that someone enjoyed reading it.
People dispose of books for many reasons. Some may not like hoarding the books they buy because it takes up too much space inside their homes, some may not like it and thought of giving it away instead of throwing it away… But I’d like to think that these books are in second-hand bookstores because a previous reader wants to share the book with anyone who can find it. I think it’s wonderful when you get to hold one of those books that have been held and owned by another person. It’s like passing along a message or a book recommendation.
Do you purchase books from secondhand bookstores, or do you prefer new books?
The Five-Eyed Bookworm 
March 23, 2014 at 8:17 pm
I buy a lot of used books and wonder about their history. I especially love the inscriptions written on the front leaves. My Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot has “For your beautiful soul” written on it.
LikeLike
March 24, 2014 at 7:22 am
Wow. That’s something! So far, I’ve only seen “great book” written on some books I’ve purchased, but it would be wonderful to pick up a random book and have “for your beautiful soul” on it.
LikeLike
March 29, 2014 at 4:27 pm
I love shopping at secondhand bookstores just as much as at new-book bookstores! (Well, except for the fact that I avoided secondhand bookstores for a while after reading an article a while back about library books or other old books having traces of herpes in them…)
Like you, I like the tattered and worn-out books the best. Hardcovers without jackets also appeal to me for some reason, probably because I like the mystery of not knowing what the book is about. That Virginia Woolf quote is spot on, and I’m definitely attracted by the charm of secondhand books. :)
LikeLike
March 31, 2014 at 9:59 pm
Sophie, I have some tattered books here that I’ll be glad to show you in a post (Soon, I promise!). I bought them in secondhand bookstores. Also, I love buying hardcover books without jackets. I have a few here but I’ve not read them. Sometimes why I buy books and then end up not reading them @_@
LikeLiked by 1 person