When I am in an old house digging through old books or whatever I can dig through, I am in my element. I don't profess to be an expert, but in these situations, I am having the time of my life. A few weeks ago I was in an 18th century home and there were piles and piles of books to go through.
This was the one that looked most promising I was not sure I'd find the Laws of Pennsylvania interesting, but I was only planning to breeze through it.
I don't recommend the barbarians method, which is searching for items by pinching the spine of the book and waggling it back and forth until things fly out. The only thing that will fly out is you if the seller catches you. Not to mention the damage you could cause any book by that method of search.
Flipping the pages and feeling for a change in the pattern when a separation caused by a foreign object will make the page-vacuum effect feel different to your touch. I'm really milking the subtle nuances here.
What makes this find so awesome is that this blotter has probably been in this book for almost as long as the book has been around - say 1871? I don't usually like having Insurance agents sneak up on me, but in this case - Mason B Crary - you are welcome in my presence anytime!
That is cool!
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