Updated, with additional information!

I’ve updated this article for two reasons. The main reason is that I realised, from a tweet, that I’d neglected to include another useful source of information. The other is that when I looked for the article to update it, it had disappeared. I have no idea what happened, except to say that I’ve been tidying up things around here, and I probably hit “Delete” on the wrong article. Anyway, here’s the article as best as I can recall it — and please accept my apologies if you bookmarked the original one.

George Orwell wrote about the challenges of working in a second-hand bookshop. He said that the people who don’t work in one imagine it as a kind of paradise. (I know I do: for a start, some bookshops offer mega discounts to staff. And all those books! Heaven.)

I chuckled at this in particular:

Many of the people who came to us were of the kind who would be a nuisance anywhere but have special opportunities in a bookshop. For example, the dear old lady who ‘wants a book for an invalid’ (a very common demand, that), and the other dear old lady who read such a nice book in 1897 and wonders whether you can find her a copy.

If you find yourself in a similar position to that second “dear old lady” (apart from the year mentioned, obviously), then you will be pleased to learn that the New York Public Library has collated some ideas and online places to help you find what you’re looking for. Here’s the link:

Finding a Book When You've Forgotten Its Title

Now, the Writing Community Chat Show on Twitter kindly pointed out that you could also ask Twitter using the hashtag #WritingCommunity for help rediscovering a book. Thinking about it, I should think using the hashtag #AmReading would be a good idea too.

So, many thanks to the Writing Community Chat Show for the Twitter tip.

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