Interesting things found in 2nd hand books

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Deacs, Feb 29, 2024.

  1. Deacs

    Deacs Well i am from Cumbria.

    Having picked up A SHORT HISTORY OF THE 7TH ARMOURED DIVISION in a 2nd hand book store quite awhile ago I finally sat down to read it this week.
    First page I turned there was a signature to Terence W Gallagher 1945. At first I thought it was the signature of the author but no that wasn't correct.
    So I carried on reading then I was some way through it turned a page and then there was a picture of a truck and in that page was a piece of paper which was written TERRY DRIVING LORRY . So I'm assuming the signature was Terry named on the piece of paper.

    So I was wondering as anybody else found anything interesting in a 2nd hand book ?

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  2. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    I did order one of the official histories of the Canadian army 20 years back, when I received it, it featured Col. Stacey's handwritten dedication to one of the Brigadiers of a Canadian division, so that was nice.

    All the best

    Andreas
     
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  3. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Frequently, I am a fan of World of Books Ltd (the UK company).Excellent books albeit old.
    Often first editions.
    All have been read, sometimes they are ex library books.
    The page marker notes are often between the pages that I am interested in.
    This book still has the original tissue paper to protect the photographs.

    The attached is Algiers to Austria by Cyril Ray hardback printed in 1952.
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    Last edited: Feb 29, 2024
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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I found this book at a shop on the west coast of Canada (Near Victoria). It had an inscription on the inside - well you will see, they very kindly listed his company and platoon!

    The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada were in combat in Ortona so I have to assume that the former owner was a veteran of the battle. To me, that's really something!

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  5. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

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  6. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    I'm not a collector of books I buy them for the content. Subjects that I am studying at the time.
    Many were Christmas or birthday gifts in the past. World of Books Ltd sell them off very low prices.
    They used to sell unsold books from storage shelves of bookshops.
    First bought one for my wife, a cookery book from the time when she was at school and one for our daughter like her mother used.
    Their description of the condition is pretty accurate.
    They changed ownership recently, with trendy logo, just hope they don't lower their standards bringing in books from abroad.

    World of Books - Wikipedia.
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2024
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  7. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    My Pop had a copy of this when I was a kid. Between him and the book my interest and love of climbing grew - peaked even :)

    So, decades after both the book and my Pop had long gone I'm mooching around a bookshop. They sell (sold?) new, secondhand, some giveaways even. And I pull this from the piles. Three quid. Yep, just three quid. Next to nothing pricewise.

    And inside, treasure. I would have happily paid ten times as much just for the three Tom Bourdillon clippings. Not to mention all the other clippings. A previous custodian of the book was clearly keen, which I think a very good thing and for which I am still grateful.

    Photos aplenty, more than one post's worth, and for me, saved the best, the very best, till last.

    Kind regards, keep looking, never give up, always,

    Jim.

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  8. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    And then you turn some of the clippings over and find more gold, more memories of childhood.

    And of course, the best is last.

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.

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  9. 14/264

    14/264 Well-Known Member

    In my copy of 'On The Beach' is a cutting from what appears to be a US newspaper. It seems the US government weren't too happy about the book!

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  10. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    From Malaya, too!
     
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  11. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Just for information

    John Hunt was commander of 11 KRRC in 1944 who's battalion was given the job of training the rest of 23rd Armoured brigade in infantry tactics, house clearing and riot control in Palestine and Egypt before the brigade went to Greece in October 1944.

    For his service he was promoted and given command of 11th Indian infantry brigade.who were sent to Greece at short notice to help quell the ELAS insurgency two months later.

    Gus
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2024
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  12. Uncle Target

    Uncle Target Mist over Dartmoor

    Those were the days! My father in law was a great exponent of newspaper cuttings.
    I have his collection of ATB. I have to be careful when opening them in case the clippings fall out.

    Lt HN Beadle had the same hobby, I inherited his book of Newspaper cuttings. Now in Worcester County Archive.
    HNB was a modern day thinker, an advertising executive in London before the war.
    Working for the Crawford Agency and later a Public Relations executive working for Glaxo.
    He was well known in the Regiment for his decoration of his Command Posts with newspaper and magazine clippings.
    Crawford's Advertising Agency - Wikipedia
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Mar 3, 2024
  13. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Found in amongst a purchase of stamps and old books a number of years ago cant remember where.
    I am assuming it is WW2 related due to the mention of the Polish Red Cross.

    I have not opened it.

    Letter to W P Zofia Swiniarczuk from J Kadluczka

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  14. EmpireUmpire

    EmpireUmpire Closed account

    Todays find for the princely sum of $2.50 - I'd like to find out who it belonged to.

    Clearly from the annotations this book belonged to H. N. Clarke who was Aircrew with 40 Squadron - it looks like he gifted it to one of his children.


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    Cheers
     
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  15. EmpireUmpire

    EmpireUmpire Closed account

    Found him!

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  16. 14/264

    14/264 Well-Known Member

    Clearing out my book stash I found quite a few books I had forgotten I owned, including this one which had an interesting little poem inside it.
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    I wonder who the poet was?
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2024
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  17. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    This conclusion might merit its own thread!

    From a tweet by Mishal Husain this morning – found in a second-hand Auchinleck biography:
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  18. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Found this in another Desert Rats book; a note from the Author to ‘Dickie’. I wonder who Dickie - presumably Richard - was?
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  19. Wobbler

    Wobbler Patron Patron

    Maybe Sir Richard O’Connor? Long shot admittedly!

    Richard O'Connor - Wikipedia
     
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  20. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    A long shot, I agree. No other clues as the book is unmarked - no name or annotations etc. I thought it could refer to a former GOC 7th AD but none, to my knowledge, were a Richard.
     
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