Cataloging a collection of books saved from my childhood home; it is interesting to peak at the cover pages. Within, it is quite common to witness a name, date or address or to see a remembrance scripted from long ago. One such book revealed so much more. It had belonged to Grandmother.

This unassuming Third Grade Reader from 1931 — “Good stories from Everywhere Out-of-Doors stories Old tales Big and Little Workers Fairy Tales Festival Stories Hero Stories” was a bit of an oddity.

The pages had no such content. The pages were blank as finished. It was defective from the publisher. Perfectly bound but devoid of author’s work.

The unique but quite useless book likely found itself on some flea-market shelf and this is where Grandmother acquired it. She was thrifty that way.

Actually, I believe she bought it second hand. The first dozen or so pages had been torn out after the previous owner scribbled upon them and then had given up interest, so extra bargain points there. This was circa 1963 and for the next decade and a half (until her death) she spoke of early childhood in the old country. She wrote of admiration for her loving family, and remaining loyal to her faith throughout, of the trials and tribulations that accompany life.

Addressed to: Dear Friend, it offers insight into her declining years which she makes the best of nonetheless with positive thinking and future hopefulness. I’m glad to have found this old book, inconspicuous in the dusty library stack. I read every word.