I found this old book called 'Mushrooms of the Northeast' from like 1965 at a library sale last month for a dollar. Figured it would be outdated crap but I flipped through it and the illustrations are hand-drawn and super detailed. Took it on a hike last weekend and identified 3 different mushrooms just from the way the gills attached to the stem. No app has ever been that clear for me. Has anyone else had luck with old field guides over modern ones for identifying stuff?
So I'm flipping through a box of old kids books at this sale last summer. Found this beat up copy of The Forgotten Door, cover is barely hanging on, pages all yellow. I remembered reading it as a kid and loved it. But this guy next to me noticed it and offered to trade me a first edition of something else I'd never heard of. Said his copy was worth way more. I stood there for like 5 minutes holding both books. Ended up keeping the Door because it felt wrong to let it go. Read it to my daughter that night and she actually liked it. Anyone else ever get stuck between what's valuable and what means something to you?
I found this beat up book at a library sale in Akron last fall that had a whole chapter on fixing toilet flappers with stuff you have in your kitchen. My toilet started running two weeks ago and I was about to call a plumber. Followed the diagram to swap a rubber gasket using an old yogurt container lid as a shim. It actually held for 8 days so far. Has anyone else had luck with these old fix-it books from the 70s?
I grabbed this beat up old cookbook from a library sale for 50 cents, like from 1953, called "Quick Meals for Busy Families." Flipping through it, I found a whole section on how to make Velveeta cheese last for months without refrigeration. It said to just leave it wrapped in wax paper in a cool closet, and it would keep for up to 6 months. That blew my mind, like people just trusted that cheese wouldn't go bad in their pantry. Has anyone else come across old food storage advice that sounds crazy now?
Found a beat up copy of 'The Forever War' and a pristine 'Gateway' at the Friends of the Library sale in Portland for 50 cents each. I only had a dollar in my wallet, so I grabbed the Haldeman instead of the Pohl. Got home and found out it had pages 45-60 ripped out... whole chunk of the boot camp scene missing. Has anyone else got burned by a thrift store book that looked fine on the outside?