Congratulations on an interesting find. As a book collector, I regularly buy from charity shops, and in the 1980s I found and bought (in Winchester) a number of very well preserved copies of paperbacks by John Creasey. One of them - _The Mark of the Crescent_ (1935) published by Andew Melrose Ltd, London, probably in the 1950s - had been extensively edited in biro, both shortening it and toning down the British references (it opens with a cricket match). From the addresses, etc., written on the inside-front cover, and an instructional note pinned inside and dated in 1961, it was evident that Creasey himself (then in New York) had edited the book for an American reprint and sent it to a copy typist (in Salisbury) for a typescript to be made and 1 copy sent to a (named) reader (in Whitsbury) for a final check. Luckily, in 1997 I was able to have the item authenticated by The John Creasey Museum (in Salisbury). Although I could probably sell it for a modest sum, I have (being a former book editor) kept it for its intrinsic interest. Re the copyright: under the Berne Convention, it isn't necessary in the UK to formally copyright writing or art (though this can be commercially useful) - it's automatically copyright on creation.
I love finds like these! My copy of the Wizard of Oz in English is a charity shop find, and inside it said something like "I thought you'd like a book like this. Love, Auntie Jane from Australia." I found it in my native Denmark. Recently, I bought a Peanuts book in English, too, and in the middle there is a learner's sheet translating the words in it into Swedish. It has page count by the words to find them in the strips, so the page must have been created specifically for that book.
@ERB2nd That was my conclusion as well, in the end. But I'm still thinking if that's the case, why there weren't more of them left, and why isn't there a school name on it? So it still has mysteries even after the most likely conclusion.
I started an Asterix collection by finding two albums for the equivalent of £0.8, and I decided that if two could be found at that price, then surely could the others. Sure enough, 1.5 years later, I've only budged on that price once.
What a fascinating video! I picked up a second hand book under similar circumstances in 2017. It was a book called "A Philosophy Of Walking" by Frederic Gros. When i got it home and started to read it, a folded up, hand written note fell out. It was in French and it was a love letter from a man to his girlfriend or wife, telling her how lovely she was and that the book was a gift for her. I've kept it to this day. There's no indication as to who the people in the letter are other than the woman is called Sophia.
"Asterix at the Olympic Games" is my second favourite Asterix book. My absolute favourite is "Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield", which has a story that was a bit too complex for me to fully comprehend when I read it as a child but love now so much!
i like second hand books. mainly because they're cheap and i get to keep them but also because of finds like this. people forget what they used as a book mark in which book and i've found people's holiday photos, postcards, a theatre ticket, bits of paper with child's drawings on them like this. you get a little look into the life of the last owner of the book like that
I never had to borrow Asterix albums from the library because my dad had all of them. Go dad! He also had all TinTin albums and all Lucky Luke albums and some others, so I had 100+ 'stripbooks' to read as a child. In fact my parents claim that I learned to read from the comic books
Those supermarket shelves can be great - I guess because they're unpoliced - no-one to decide a book is 'vintage' and valuable. As for random inserts in books - brilliant!
That Asterix book is a great find - and the enclosed notes are a fascinating testament! The old Asterix books are golden! The modern ones have updated text (obvs the original text was French). The modern versions are rubbish, being as they have been updated for "modern audiences" i.e. politically correct and sterile.
Basically all Asterix books written by Goscinny are great, then when he died, Uderzo (the cartoonist) took over the writing, those are ok, but not as good as the ones by Goscinny. When Uderzo died, the franchise got a reboot with new artists and those books are quite boring, worth a one time read for nostalgia, but not nearly as good as the old ones which you can read a dozen times and still find a new joke
Not really. I have copies of all the Asterix books. The originals and the modern versions. And the text is exactly the same. All they've done is remaster( And greatly improved) the art work and reletter it slightly. There is no political correctness involved..
@@scottandrewbrass1931 depends on the language I think. some translations have been re-translated at some point . and usually the older translation is closer to the French original.
Congratulations on an interesting find.
As a book collector, I regularly buy from charity shops, and in the 1980s I found and bought (in Winchester) a number of very well preserved copies of paperbacks by John Creasey. One of them - _The Mark of the Crescent_ (1935) published by Andew Melrose Ltd, London, probably in the 1950s - had been extensively edited in biro, both shortening it and toning down the British references (it opens with a cricket match).
From the addresses, etc., written on the inside-front cover, and an instructional note pinned inside and dated in 1961, it was evident that Creasey himself (then in New York) had edited the book for an American reprint and sent it to a copy typist (in Salisbury) for a typescript to be made and 1 copy sent to a (named) reader (in Whitsbury) for a final check.
Luckily, in 1997 I was able to have the item authenticated by The John Creasey Museum (in Salisbury). Although I could probably sell it for a modest sum, I have (being a former book editor) kept it for its intrinsic interest.
Re the copyright: under the Berne Convention, it isn't necessary in the UK to formally copyright writing or art (though this can be commercially useful) - it's automatically copyright on creation.
That's amazing, a book edited down by the author himself! That's nuts!
I love finds like these!
My copy of the Wizard of Oz in English is a charity shop find, and inside it said something like "I thought you'd like a book like this. Love, Auntie Jane from Australia." I found it in my native Denmark.
Recently, I bought a Peanuts book in English, too, and in the middle there is a learner's sheet translating the words in it into Swedish. It has page count by the words to find them in the strips, so the page must have been created specifically for that book.
Oh cool!!
I wonder if that translation sheet was for a school lesson or something.
@ERB2nd That was my conclusion as well, in the end. But I'm still thinking if that's the case, why there weren't more of them left, and why isn't there a school name on it? So it still has mysteries even after the most likely conclusion.
I started an Asterix collection by finding two albums for the equivalent of £0.8, and I decided that if two could be found at that price, then surely could the others. Sure enough, 1.5 years later, I've only budged on that price once.
What a fascinating video! I picked up a second hand book under similar circumstances in 2017. It was a book called "A Philosophy Of Walking" by Frederic Gros. When i got it home and started to read it, a folded up, hand written note fell out. It was in French and it was a love letter from a man to his girlfriend or wife, telling her how lovely she was and that the book was a gift for her. I've kept it to this day. There's no indication as to who the people in the letter are other than the woman is called Sophia.
I hope Sophia got to read it, nothing more heart-breaking than the idea his fiancée never got to see the note
"Asterix at the Olympic Games" is my second favourite Asterix book. My absolute favourite is "Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield", which has a story that was a bit too complex for me to fully comprehend when I read it as a child but love now so much!
I will have to check these out, I think I might get into the Asterix comics
The world is full of miracles, all we have to do is to stay attentive. Great story! 👏👏👏👏👏
Love the energy of this comment!
Some of the most fascinating artifacts come with second hand items. So many indications of other lives.
There's a word for that - "sonder" - the realisation that people have their own lives and experiences. I still struggle with sonder sometimes :D
i like second hand books. mainly because they're cheap and i get to keep them but also because of finds like this. people forget what they used as a book mark in which book and i've found people's holiday photos, postcards, a theatre ticket, bits of paper with child's drawings on them like this. you get a little look into the life of the last owner of the book like that
I wonder if there's a subreddit for this sort of thing? I'd be interested in checking that out
I never had to borrow Asterix albums from the library because my dad had all of them. Go dad! He also had all TinTin albums and all Lucky Luke albums and some others, so I had 100+ 'stripbooks' to read as a child. In fact my parents claim that I learned to read from the comic books
Your dad has excellent taste!
Those supermarket shelves can be great - I guess because they're unpoliced - no-one to decide a book is 'vintage' and valuable. As for random inserts in books - brilliant!
I'm in love with a good rummage in the community section, breaks my heart when I go for the weekly shop and the shelves are bare haha
@ERB2nd Me too - I occasionally add an item or two as bait for similar things
You didn't mention the carefully drawn shape with "ten" written beside it. I presume it's a decahedron (?). Fascinating.
I hadn't clocked that!
That Asterix book is a great find - and the enclosed notes are a fascinating testament!
The old Asterix books are golden! The modern ones have updated text (obvs the original text was French). The modern versions are rubbish, being as they have been updated for "modern audiences" i.e. politically correct and sterile.
There's a few things in the book I saw and thought, "no way that'd fly today"
Basically all Asterix books written by Goscinny are great, then when he died, Uderzo (the cartoonist) took over the writing, those are ok, but not as good as the ones by Goscinny. When Uderzo died, the franchise got a reboot with new artists and those books are quite boring, worth a one time read for nostalgia, but not nearly as good as the old ones which you can read a dozen times and still find a new joke
Not really. I have copies of all the Asterix books. The originals and the modern versions. And the text is exactly the same. All they've done is remaster( And greatly improved) the art work and reletter it slightly. There is no political correctness involved..
@@scottandrewbrass1931 depends on the language I think. some translations have been re-translated at some point . and usually the older translation is closer to the French original.
I had the swedish translation of that very same Asterix comic album
The Cat and dog are definitely "Roobarb and Custard"
That makes perfect sense actually. Garfield was created in 1978 and I don't think he would have been big in the UK until the late '80s.
Did you read the British Transport Police paper? It might have had a date on it which would help you narrow things down.
It was a blank witness statement template, unfortunately no date on it since the person filling it in would write the date in themselves.
Well the phone never rang because Laura didn't tell the other person who she was...
This is fascinating. I love shit like this!
This has boosted my interest in doing more thrifting and rummaging
That's not Garfield that's a bloke with a funny moustache! (Just kidding).
Also I think this might be someone's homework.
I think so too. Possibly even someone who was being homeschooled at the time hence the weird choice of paper to write on.
Why is the library slip in the back?
There's text on the inside at the front so it might have been to avoid covering information.