Old Finds

/ J. F. Riordan

The thing I miss about Tw*%^tter is the little pockets of community we built among ourselves. The connection was mostly about animals, and then mostly about dogs, but there were also the writers, photographers, farmers, and scientists whose work you could take interest in, and the neighborly people whose company warmed on a bleak day.

Among the unlikely acquaintances I made was a bookseller in a little town in England, whose job was to comb through estate sales, the ruins of well-loved libraries, and mountains of cardboard boxes dumped like abandoned puppies, rescuing old or even ancient books. At first he would tweet about some intriguing find and I would reply requesting a price. But soon I had given him a hopeful list, and he began keeping an eye out for me.

The arrival of these books was an event. They always came beautifully wrapped in brown paper, or sometimes in the pages of old magazines. There was twine. The packaging suggested to me the perfection one used to expect from a purchase in London: very much not shoved into a bag. There were no plastic bubbles.

Among the purchases I made were a tiny shirt-pocket sized Book of Common Prayer, a 19th century book of beautifully painted pull-out English maps (in an unusual shape, and filled with geographic detail unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere), first editions of some favorite authors, and other very specific and odd literary delights. One of these is a vintage edition of Beeton’s Complete Letter Writer for Ladies and Gentlemen; Containing Love Letters, Complimentary Notes, Invitations, Business Letters, Applications; With Domestic, Fashionable, Friendly, and Formal Correspondence.

I find it endlessly entertaining.

I can’t find an exact date in it, but it was published in late nineteenth century London, and sold for One Shilling. It is a thing out of time, since letter writing is no longer our primary means of communication, and since we live in such a graceless era, when manners in particular and civilization in general are all up for grabs.

It is amusing, too, in its formality and superannuated language. There is the sharply worded note from a father to a fractious boy at boarding school; the disapproving note from an aunt to a newly-engaged girl; letters enquiring into the character of servants; and, as the title promises, love letters: all earnest, some moving, and some rather improbable (“Answer to a Missionary’s Proposal Negatively”).

I am happy to live in our era, with its science, medical advances, and convenience. But I do wish that along with all our advantages, we still lived among thoughtful, gracious people who understood that formality was an act of respect and dignity, and who had the time to ponder proposals of marriage from well-meaning missionaries.

38 thoughts on “Old Finds”

  1. I am so thrilled you are writing these thoughts and observations. I love them and I love seeing the pictures of the beautiful Germans. Glad Auggie is improving. I have loved ALL of your books and I look forward to finding these in my inbox. Thank you for sharing yourself.
    Grateful here in NC
    Peggy

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  2. # 169 reminds me of a girl friend. Gorgeous, French Canadian, long time ago, her mother did not approve of me.
    Wonder why ? my Italian heritage most likely
    Enjoyed reading this, thanks

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  3. I miss your presence on “what used to be that community of friends sharing pieces of their days.” I keep hoping someone will create a new platform for us.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Ms. Riordan, Another beautiful story. Keep them coming. I read each one and enjoy them all. Thank you for sharing your passion for our beloved pet companions and life in general.

    Hope your next book in the Door County/Washington Island series is in the works.

    Have a wonderful Christmas season.

    Linda Vieth Milwaukee, WI

    >

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  5. Yes, I agree, your opening paragraph is spot on. I miss old Twitter for those same reasons. I also miss daily stories of the dogs and their antics.
    I love your sharing of this book that came so beautifully wrapped. Its contents remind me of a hug from my grandma. Please keep doing what you do!
    Jill

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  6. What a treasure! I love the cover. Do you display the book on a stand? I have a very modest collection of antiquarian books, mostly Nancy Mitford, although I’ve never been able to find the really famous ones. Would you share the name of your source?
    I’m still hanging in on twitter. Entirely for my dog friends and a few substackers I follow. I joined instagram but just to scroll through dog pics.
    Thank you for doing this, JF. What a treat to wake up to🙏. I marvel at those who can create day after day.

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  8. Note that such a letter requires the “date in full.” Haha. Loving your daily blogs and gratuitous pictures of the boys. 🥰 Serious and deep prayers were answered for Mr. Auggie which bolsters faith that other prayers (especially politically-related) will be answered, too. Have a wonderful Sunday!

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  9. I love this! Reading and collecting these old books from England obviously brings you so much joy and I find the subjects of the various writings so interesting. Ahh, the days of yore. I swear that somewhere in my past there is a connection to England. I love anything that has to do with Great Britain. I’ll probably never know.😊

    Fortunately, there are still pockets of community on Twitter. It’s not perfect by any means, but a lot of your followers still post and that’s what I concentrate on.

    P.S. I’m loving the “44 Scotland Street” book. Reading my way through book number one. Very entertaining. Thanks for recommending.

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  10. I so miss the former T, primarily for the reasons you describe as well as the anticipation of what your precious pups might be up to. I also miss the days of formal, written correspondence, in particular, ‘Thank You’ notes. Our only child (now 31) always had a large family b-day gathering, in part, it was my way of helping her ‘know’ the aunts and uncles she rarely saw. Our practice was that while all of the gifts were opened and people individually thanked, they were placed on the hearth until one-by-one, thank you notes were written and sent. Nothing was worn or played with until her gratefulness was expressed, which she (mostly) continues. All of this is background to say that in the Philadelphia area, for years, it has been deemed ‘acceptable’ to forgo written thank you notes even for wedding gifts. I am appalled each and every time. She marries in July and that was my only ‘must’ – that everyone receive a hand written note of thanks for taking the time to celebrate with her. I’d be interested if no note is now the standard everywhere.

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      • My daughter in law is a great practitioner of the the thank you note art. It is so lovely to get one from her just for a luncheon date. Otherwise I wait in vain for my nephews and nieces to acknowledge any gifts or acts of kindness extended to them. As you say it is appalling.

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  11. Are you still locked out of Twitter? Why were you locked out? Maybe you could appeal your lockout or sign up under a new Twitter name and let us all know what it is. I enjoy your Emails, but I do miss you on Twitter(now X).

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    • There’s some technical problem, and there is no tech support. It’s as simple as that. Perhaps if I were willing to buy a subscription there might be a response, but I am not interested in underwriting Elon Musk.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. When I followed you on twitter a long while ago (I left before you), I remember reading about the bookstore and I was a follower of it as well. Miss those connections too. Some of the examples in the book could still be useful today 😊

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  15. I do miss you and the boys on Twitter, but I am grateful for these gems in my inbox. (Gratuitous dog pix are always appreciated!)

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  16. I used to write letters to each student in my senior class to be given to them their last day of high school. They were difficult and emotional to write, but I found the kids, many of them, saved these letters. When I eventually had more than one senior class, it became too hard to keep up with the tradition, but I wish I had continued.

    I miss seeing photos of the boys and hearing of their antics…..💜

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  18. I find Mastodon to be quite wonderful. Community, lots more interesting subjects find their way into view, and NO TROLLS! there’s a touch of a learning curve, but no ads and no algorithm. You determine what you see and who, anything objectionable you can eliminate forward. I have yet to find anything hateful to block, I did unfollow a few accounts that turned out to be a bit more progressive than I like to see, and posted a LOT!

    I’m following you there already, waiting on your return….

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  19. I miss you on Twitter/X, but understand. Nice to get these posts. I like keeping up with your dogs and writing, not, necessarily in that order. Lost my blind dog, NYE eve. On Mother’s Day, I picked up another blind dog in the south. She had issues I couldn’t deal with, even with a dog behaviourist coming to help. Decided to return her to the rescue org after 3 months in Indiana, where I live. Found the almost perfect dog for me and Enzo, my deaf Husky/Shepherd in September. Older, male, pit ,boxer? 7 years old. 37 lbs. Fig has fit in mostly, wonderfully, from day 1. Although he thrives on doggy companionship, he is very dedicated to me, too. Enzo is 12+, and the dog love of my life, and many dogs over the years. I fear the day…..I picked Fig because of my age, a few over Charlie, and his. Sometimes planning ahead sucks.

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  20. I too love old books. When I was twenty my family moved into the house my father’s aunt (his mother’s sister) had owned. We had spent a lot of time at that house, mostly holiday celebrations with all the local families. It came as quite a surprise that she left the house to my father and mother. Even more surprising, we moved into that house…leaving all our own furnishings behind. Really weird…

    But why I’m bothering you with this is, I discovered my Great-Aunt Alma had quite collection of “old” books. So I a book reader read my way through Charles Dickens books. Old books have a smell of their own and the paper is so thin and smooth…

    My 99-year old Mother still lives in that house…to this day the books are still there. But the house gives me the creeps. I won’t be living there. Ever..

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  24. Visible to some degree in the last photo is something minor I love about old books: being able to see and feel the actual impressions of real metal type on the paper page. Digital printing, while often crisper, definitely lacks this tactile pleasure. (Rather like an email lacks the tactile pleasure of a note sent through the mail on actual paper!)

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