Health & Fitness
The Librarian's Shelf
Interview with Michael Popek, Author of Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages.
Have you ever used something weird or offbeat for a bookmark? Do you grab whatever's close at hand, shoving it in a book to keep your place? Maybe you, like me, have a big pile of pretty actual bookmarks, made specifically for the purpose, usually gifts given by well-meaning friends who have no idea what titles you haven't read but do know you read a lot. And, again, if you're like me you never have any of these beautiful, well-meaning presents next to you when you're reading.
I've been known to use anything and everything to mark my place: receipts, tags from clothing, junk mail, candy wrappers, pens (I am a book reviewer, and yes, I do write in books...), cardboard I've ripped off a box, notes for other books I mean to look up but probably never will (because I usually take out whatever I used to mark my place last time and throw it away). I've even been known to use other, shorter books sitting in a pile of unread books next to me. If there's a dustjacket I'll sometimes use that, though if it's slippery it's a dangerous proposition with about a 50/50 chance of success. I do also - and forgive this contrite librarian - occasionally even dogear pages.
Mea culpa.
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Author Michael Popek, bookseller of used and rare books, has found all sorts of things in books - items other readers used to mark their place. He's found so many items he's written a book about it: Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages.
As just a small sampling, he's found: recipes, a small Confederate flag and something inscrutable involving Queen Victoria's Jubilee.
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I was so taken with the idea of this book I approached author Michael Popek with a few interview questions:
1). I'm going to assume you were a bookish child from a bookish family. What were some of your favorites and can you remember life before you were able to read?
My first memory is looking at the beach in Florida when I was 10 months or so, but I don't remember much else until I was 4, which is when I started reading. The first book I was able to make it through was "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman. I still have it.
2). What about self-published books? Is it a good or bad thing that anyone can publish these days?
The more the merrier, I say. Readers will sort the wheat from the chaff, and good books, no matter how they got published, will flourish.
3). What sorts of books sell best at your store? Any most popular books or authors?
Local history always does well, I think that's true for any used bookshop. Besides that, readers are always looking for cookbooks and westerns. If I were to open a new shop tomorrow, that would be the name of the shop.
4). Do you also deal in ephemera?
We sell a little bit in the shop, mostly local postcards and the occasional print I come across. I wish we could do more, but I don't come across a lot, besides the ephemera stuffed between the pages.
5). Is it difficult letting go of your books, selling gorgeous copies you'd love to keep for yourself?
Absolutely. I will often bring a really rare book home and get to know it, live with it for a while. You only get so many chances in life to see something like that.
6). Has the downturn in the economy affected your business?
Readers often turn to used items in tough times, and books are no exception. We offer a lot of books under $1.00 in the shop, and that helps keep us in the black.
7). Which book or books in your inventory do you find most interesting or valuable? Any particular gems in your collection you'd like to show off?
We have a copy of the first appearance of Beowulf in modern language. It is a translation by Grimur Jonsson Thorkelin from 1815, quite expensive. We also have a lot of great vintage science fiction and fantasy, some of the early serials and pamphlets.
8). Ever found anything in a book you've tried to return to the former owner?
It doesn't happen as often as I'd like. I would really enjoy returning some of this stuff to its proper owners. The first time it happened, it was a handmade cloth bookmark. (http://www.forgottenbookmarks.com/2009/03/inge.html - read comments) The person who had made the bookmark more than 30 years ago had found the post. More recently, a reader identified her mother's old recipe and book, I sent both back to her.
9). Do you leave found items in the books, or keep them?
I keep all the stuff I find, and if I think it's good enough for the blog, I'll make a little note about what book it was in so I can retrieve it later. I am a bookseller, so I've got to get those volumes cleaned and priced and on the shelf.
10). Is your clientele more collectors or general book buyers?
Mostly readers, I believe. We still get our share of both collectors and specialty dealers, but for the most part, it's just someone looking for a good story.
11). Who are your favorite authors? Do you find much time to read?
Not enough time, unfortunately. For fun, I read baseball books when I can. Most of my all-time favorites are Greek drama - Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles. My favorite book is The Odyssey.
12). Any plans to publish more books in the future? Working on any writing projects right now?
I am - the sister site of Forgotten Bookmarks is Handwritten Recipes, where I show off all the recipes I've found in books. The collection should be out about this time next year.
Thanks so much to Michael Popek for so generously giving of his time. And for our patrons, I am ordering a copy of his book today, so we'll soon have it available for checkout! I'd love to hear what you think of it, so please feel free to add a comment or bring by a note to let me know what you thought.
I'll probably use your note as a bookmark. Candy wrappers also gratefully accepted (filled, of course).
- Lisa Guidarini