Michael PopekBesprekingen

A bookseller curates a collection of interesting things he’s found used as bookmarks in the old books he buys and sells, and this is a coffee table-type book cataloging some of those finds.

Interesting enough for an afternoon’s worth of reading through it.½

If you have ever borrowed a book, gotten something from a library, or purchased from a used book store, you likely know the thrill of finding someone has read this book before you, whether a glossy printed bookmark advertising a faraway bookstore or a library receipt offering a peek into another’s reading habits. In this pretty little book based on his blog, Michael Popek, a used book store manager, reproduces some of his most interesting and odd finds, along with the books in which they were found. As to be expected, these range from the mundane (a home improvement shopping list) to the historical (notes from government officials) and the domestic (a son’s dramatic epistle to his mother explaining his need for money). There is a certain voyeurism vibe that comes from reading these, a la Postsecret, especially some of the letters and notes which have no other context.

This is a fun little book to flip through, and if you want to see more, I suggest subscribing to Popek’s blog, http://www.forgottenbookmarks.com/.

A neat book with pictures of the many things, besides bookmarks (mostly), that end up in books at a used bookstore. Pictures of the items, a transcription most times, a picture of the book the item was found in, and the title, author, and year of the book. A quick, neat diversion.½

There are some interesting 'finds' in this book.

Creative, interesting, and fun read. Photo stories of what is left behind in books.

This was an interesting book. It was not a book to actually read, but more one to leaf through and be amazed at what people leave inside a book/use for bookmarks.
I'm happy it crossed my path :-)½

Forgotten Bookmarks is a collection of items found in books that Mr Popek has come across in his used bookstore. I enjoyed the letters and postcards, those stories that told a little of the people who read the books. I also loved seeing the covers on the books and have added a few books to my TBR list as I enjoy reading old books.

A quick easy read, more pictures than reading actually so those that might just enjoy a bit of history might also enjoy this - even if they aren't as fond of books as I am.

An absolutely fascinating reminiscence. The author owns a bookstore, and has published at least one (other) book of things he found in books. This is more specialized - recipes he found in books. Most are handwritten, and he provides pictures of that. He includes the book it was in, the year it was published, and for some of them he asked cooks he knows to actually make the recipes and report. -- One recipe in it appeals to me, and though he doesn't note it (probably didn't realize) it was the winner of the 2nd Pillsbury Bake-Off, in 1950. It's called Orange Kiss Me Cake, and has in it, ground together, an orange, 1 C. raisins and 1/3 C. walnuts. These are incorporated into the cake batter. After baking, orange juice is "dripped" over the warm cake & it is giving a cinnamon sugar walnut topping. Sounds tasty! -- I am just delighted to have found the book. It brought back memory of Spry cans (although my mother was a Crisco user) and yes, of my youth. A fair amount of the recipes were done in handwriting resembling that of my mom, in a time penmanship was taught in school. -- Worthwhile read definitely.

I enjoy following Popek's blog about more found bookmarks: http://www.forgottenbookmarks.com/

A bookseller of old and used books has discovered an interesting variety of objects used as bookmarks: letters, photographs, order forms, etc. He decided to blog about them: http://www.forgottenbookmarks.com/ and that has led to a book.

A fellow Bookcrosser came across this book, mentioned it in a Bookcrossing.com forum post, and has made a bookray for it. A bookray is a book sent from one bookcrosser to another, without returning to the original sender. The last recipient is free to keep it, give it away, release it into the wild, or start another bookray or bookring (returns to sender eventually).
I found this interesting, especially one letter in particular, on pages 28-29. A woman lambasts an ex boyfriend, telling him exactly what she thinks of him in no uncertain terms! However, the letter was found in a book about pregnancy!

I've been reading a lot of "books from websites" lately. Mostly because I needed a break from the heavy reading I've been doing. These books are fast and fun to read, and this one is pretty interesting on top of that.

Basically, a book about all the notes, pictures and other assorted odd things found in books sold back to a bookseller.

I found this book interesting and unique.

I first heard of Michael Popek's forgottenbookmarks.com online. After one visit, I new I just had to read the book. I found it fascinating. To think that these treasures remained hidden for decades. (Especially those tickets! You know someone went CRAZY trying to remember where they put those tickets!) I found myself wondering when I looked at the photographs- would someone read this book and see their own relatives? The letters were thought provoking as well. Page after page of hidden treasures: letters, cards, mementos-it made me wonder what memories are hiding inside my own books.
I plan to visit the website more often, and I hope Popek will publish more of his fascinating finds.

Read this book if...
*you love non-fiction
*you love old books
*you love old treasure and mementos

I received this book as an early Christmas gift from my girlfriend the other day after hinting about it for awhile. After discovering Michael's "Forgotten Bookmarks" blog sometime over the summer, I wanted nothing more than to get this book. I always enjoyed logging into facebook or pulling up the blog and seeing another "bookmark" found that day. It is also great to see that I am not the only one interested in what is left in books from previous owners. Not too long before finding the blog, I created my own tumblr blog based similarly on finding things in books.

Getting back to the book itself, Popek has compiled a large assortment of photos, letters, receipts, as well as miscellaneous items that he has discovered in the books he has. I envy the selection available to him. I am only a book buyer, so the amount of books to look through for me is limited. With Michael being a book buyer and seller for a store, there is an almost endless supply at his disposal.
I have only gotten part of the way into the second section of the book entitled "Letters, Cards, and Correspondence." Even though that isn't much of the way through the entire book, I can honestly say this will be a favorite to keep going back to for years to come. The photo's section alone is worthy enough of it's own book. I especially enjoyed seeing the pictures from Martinique disaster. There is a lot to learn about history from books, and not all of it comes from the text itself. Before seeing these photos, I knew nothing about the volcanic explosion of Mt. Pelee. Now I'm intrigued and will most likely research more into the event.
In the coming days I expect to have similar experiences with this book. There is a lot to discover within these pages. I can't wait to finish it, but I may go through the pages slowly to savor the experience.

On another note, the day I received my copy of the book, my girlfriend and I took a drive out to Oneonta, NY to check out Popek's bookstore as well as to meet Michael Popek himself. The bookstore itself was well worth the thirty mile drive. We found a good amount of books for very reasonable prices. Meeting Michael was fun as well. I enjoy talking to people about books, and hearing about how the blog/book came to be from the author himself was a real treat. I strongly suggest anyone in the area, or whoever is up for a road trip, to visit Michael's bookstore. You will not be disappointed..

I enjoyed this book and was really surprised by the amount of stuff the author found. Some of the items were a little weird and unusual.

A great scrapbook collection of things found in books that passed through the hands of a used books dealer. Letters, original poems, photographs, receipts, recipes, report cards, invitations, and even razor blades (!) are among the artifacts. Popek lets the items speak for themselves with the writing from letters and poems transcribed. Some of the items are amusing, others quite poignant. As a librarian who has found quite a few interesting things in the pages of books over the years, I found this collection entertaining.

Anyone who deals with books, from librarians to used book sellers, is likely to come across some crazy things. That's what prompted Michael Popek to write Forgotten Bookmarks - A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages. In this charming little book, Popek shares his favorites from 30 years in the book business. There are heartwarming love poems, recipes and advertisements (to name a few). Some are modern, most are antique and they're all fun to look at! My favorite? A handmade invitation to a sorority Halloween dance from 1910 where they invitees are warned to "be prepared to meet your doom!" They're required to dress precisely according to 7 points including "have your hair curled in 12 curls" and "wear your 'jeweled' dog collar"!! Also they must be prepared to sing "Oh Where Oh Where has my Little Dog Gone?" A final warning of "woe betide you if even one point is neglected!" and the skull and cross bones atop the page promise an evening of blood curdling terror!

Popek's book is a great peak inside the forgotten private lives of readers, and his blog offers a look at his latest discoveries. Perhaps because of my own experiences I find it more interesting than others might, but it's charming none the less. Click over for a look, and don't forget to check your books before you bring them back to the library!

Loads of people have this book which is about all the sorts of things that you find loose or stuck in books. Amazing.

Michael Popek has been involved with his parents used book store for most of his life. Over the years, he's found a multitude of bookmarks left behind in the used books sold to his store, from old photographs to letters, receipts, gift cards, and advertisements to razor blades. He describes the experience of finding these things as leaving him with "a lingering wonder, a sense of misplaced nostalgia, a touch of the voyeuristic thrill that comes from peeping into someone else's life."

Popek has shared this experience by publishing photographs and scans of a few of his bookmark finds along with photos of the books in which they were found. It's fascinating to see what's left behind inside what books, so much so that I read through the entire book in a matter of hours (okay, it's not so hard since it's mostly photographs). Sometimes the pairing of found bookmark is perfect (like an old baseball card found inside a book about baseball) sometimes the finds are ironic or contradictory (I can't remember an example at the moment, sorry). But it's definitely a fun glimpse into the strange worlds of other's lives.

Of course, I had to leave my own "forgotten" book mark between the pages when I returned it to the library. Just the receipt for the books I checked out with this one. I'm curious what the person will think of my contribution, though I'll never know as I didn't leave any identifying contact information. Hehe. (^_^)

If you want instant gratification, you can check out his blog, which also host his daily finds of forgotten bookmarks.

Working at a library, I have found some very interesting things sandwiched between the pages of books (not the least of which was an actual sandwich... that book was sadly unsalvageable). This book gives a wonderful accounting of some of the more pleasant items left in the pages of our favorite tomes, with full-color photographs of the bookmarks, as well as a cover image of the book each item was found in. This book would really work well as a coffee-table piece, as it is filled with interesting pictures and snippets, and is really quite beautifully produced.½

I first became aware of this book by reading a blog written by someone. I then followed a load of links and eventually was introduced to the book, the website, Facebook page and the twitter feed. I added the book to my Amazon list and my intended next order. The book arrived under the Christmas tree, courtesy of my Mum and I have spent the last couple of months reading the book cover to cover and then delving back into random pages.

In short I loved this book! The cover has a "read me" feel to it and once inside, the pages have an old feel to them. This is truly a collection of bits that have been found in random books by the author. Each page is filled with a photograph of the forgotten bookmark, a transcript of it along with a photograph and details of the book it was found in. There is no rhyme or reasoning behind the bookmarks used. Some are photographs, others are recipes and receipts, letters, postcards, beer mats and even a couple of actual bookmarks. The books they were left in are a mix of older books from the late 19th Century up until 2001.

These bookmarks are so much more than that. They are snapshots of someone's life, a glimpse into their world, even if for a short time. We have all done it, simply grabbed the nearest thing we could use as a bookmark, rummaged in a handbag,purse or wallet, or perhaps a notebook, even perhaps the corner from a magazine, book, newspaper. I have even been known to use an unused tissue or a square of toilet paper! It isn't just the book these marks were left in, or the mark itself, perhaps it is also where the former reader left the book mark. What was it on that particular page that they found interesting? Or did someone else stumble across the book with the page marked and move the book mark. Whatever the reason or cause this is a great book to disappear into, with pondering and speculation of a previous owner or world we, as readers can never discover.

Very disappointing...and dull!

Spotted numerous errors in the transcriptions of messages- did nobody proofread this thing?!