She literally grabbed it out of my hand to show me a water stain on page 47 and said 'this isn't worth your three dollars,' but I bought it anyway and that book knocked me sideways with its energy and twists, has anyone else had a stranger actively try to talk you out of a find at a sale like that?
I picked up a 1950s novel called 'The Living Reed' at a library sale in Des Moines for 50 cents, and I was flying through it in two days. The librarian at the checkout counter said I should try slowing down to notice the descriptions and side characters, so I went back and reread the first 50 pages more carefully. Has anyone else had a librarian or bookseller give you feedback that changed how you approach an old book?
Bought it on a whim. Turned out to have handwritten notes from the original owner in the margins. Best recipes for simple stew I ever made.
I grabbed this beat up "Joy of Cooking" at a Goodwill in Portland for $2.50. Someone scribbled in the margins about adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the dough. I tried it on a whim last weekend and my sourdough had this amazing spring I never got before. Has anyone else found weird tips written in old books that actually worked out?
I picked up a beat-up spiral-bound cookbook from 1965 at a library sale for a dollar last month. It looked cheesy with those old photos of jello molds and weird casseroles. But I tried their simple bread recipe and it came out better than anything I've baked in years. No frills, just solid instructions that actually work. Anyone else find a hidden gem in a thrift store cookbook that surprised you?
I grabbed this beat up 1970s book called "Home Waterproofing for the Average Guy" at a library sale in Lancaster for pocket change. Never thought much of it until a pipe behind my washing machine started dripping last Tuesday night. Figured I'd flip through it while waiting for a plumber to call back, and there was a whole chapter on using hydraulic cement for small leaks. The instructions were plain and simple, no fancy jargon. I got a bucket of the stuff from the hardware store for like 8 bucks and patched the crack myself before the water did any real damage. The plumber showed up the next day and said my fix actually looked better than what most people call in for. Has anyone else found a random old book that turned out to be oddly useful for a real problem?
There's this retired librarian who hangs around the local library sales in Phoenix. He told me to grab a beat up copy of 'Stoner' by John Williams for 50 cents. I passed because the cover looked boring and the pages were yellowed. Six months later I saw it on a 'best novels you never read' list and paid $12 for a used copy online. He was right, it's one of the best books I've ever read. Anyone else had a random stranger at a book sale steer you right or wrong?