Hunting Rare Books

On a blustery November morning I braved the cold and stood in line for an hour at The Book Thing for their few and far-between book giveaways.  The beloved Baltimore institution always draws a crowd of literary types, families, and students.  Having been forced to shutter its doors due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, they can only open outside once in a while.  Books are randomly placed in boxes six feet apart, sorted into three categories: Fiction, nonfiction, and children's.  It's a literal grab bag of surprises, with volunteers refilling the boxes when necessary.  

As always, I was on the hunt for rare books.  The classics, foreign fiction, vintage childrens books and first editions are what I search for.  Sometimes I find discarded library materials, which as a library worker by trade is something I collect.  Today I found several excellent additions to my shelves: a 1930 translation of Racine, a century old Ruskin, and a hardcover copy of Salingers Franny and Zoey to replace the paperback edition I found in a Little Free Library.