One of the pleasures of reading a pre-loved book is that sometimes an unusual bookmark is found between the pages. Over the years I have found bus and train tickets, a shopping list, sweet wrappers, a piece of string, a cigarette card. Presumably just whatever was handy.
Today I came across one of the most intriguing. It was tucked into an old book - probably one which I bought at an auction years ago. It is a postcard. Nothing special or intriguing about that then...
Except that this postcard is printed on thin wartime card.
It is a wartime postcard, but it wasn't posted until 11 August 1962, sent from Torquay in Devon, to an address in London. It was addressed to 'Oberfuhrer ....'.
No valid postage had been paid on it, so the 'Oberfuhrer' had to pay the princely sum of 5 old pence to have it delivered.
I suppose it was written as a joke...but I shall never know.
Ahhh . . . the charm of an old postcard. The images are swimming in my mind!
ReplyDeletePeople look back on recent history as though it was terrible and paranoid but can you imagine the consequences of sending such an item through the post today?
ReplyDeleteNo matter how innocently done, within seconds you'd be surrounded by armed police, helicopters, MI4/5/6/7 agents and sentenced to life imprisonment or extradition/"rendition" to Guantanamo Bay, forever to wear an orange boilersuit and slip away in isolation and obscurity ...
One of my hobbies is collecting rare old books and have found many bookmarks as well. How fun they are.
ReplyDeleteAnd you weren't charged extra! Wonderful bookmark.
ReplyDeleteMuch nicer than the old smutty postcards!
ReplyDeleteJane x
What a lovely bookmark--and a mystery! XOXO
ReplyDeleteWhen I come across forgotten bookmarks in my second-loved books, I always wonder why was it left there? Did the person finish the book? Was it intended for the next reader... and so on.
ReplyDeleteJanet
That's a treasure indeed. Any book that was handled by my late mother always contains hundreds of four-leaf-clovers; most are now crumbling.
ReplyDeleteWe found old scraps like this in some 100-year-old family books, including the family bible. The stories they tell (or that we can make up) are magic.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure to find in an old book! Remember the traveling labels on my Isle of Man train case? Do you ever wonder what notes, from our books, will be found years' later?
ReplyDeleteFascinating discovery.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fabulous find, I love the messages written in the front of second hand books too, the to/message/from it makes me wonder about the people, just for a short while.
ReplyDeleteI would be so curious to find out more about that postcard. How did it come to be inside your book?
ReplyDeleteHello everyone, Thanks for your lovely comments. As you may have gathered from my lack of posts recently, I have been struggling with blogging. Other things have a prior claim on my time right now, and yet I do enjoy sharing some of the things I find of interest. My apologies for not replying individually to you; however, I really appreciate you stopping by.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you all!
xxx
It's true there are amazing finds tucked into library books. My favorite recipe for banana bread was a slip of paper found tucked into a book. No name or date or anything, just delicious banana bread! Stevie @ ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful find! I like to leave notes in my books. I like to think one day my ancestors will enjoy reading my thoughts on the book they are reading. Happy New Year! Bonnie
ReplyDeleteVERY intriguing! What a fun find!
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