You guys aren't going to believe this.
So the other day I was in a thrift store, browsing through old books. I do this a lot, as I like books a great deal and have established a small library collection of my own over the last two years. And, when not nabbing my books on such sites as Amazon, Ebay, or Half, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt in second-hand antique and thrift stores. I've found all kinds of treasure there - hundred-year old books, autographed books, first editions, etc. Sometimes you can get them in mint condition, too.
Yes, thrift stores are a treasure trove for fortune hunters likes Yours Truly.
Anyway, so the other day I was at a thrift store perusing through their hardcovers when I stumbled upon a vintage-looking book that had been tucked in the back. It was stamped with the date '1945,' so that right there was reason enough for me to pick it up for closer examination (I'm a big World War II fan as well.)
That's when I opened it up and realized what I was looking at. A woman's diary. From 1945.
Yes, readers - a hand-writtern, first-person account of 1945. A young woman, living in New York City in 1945, describing her daily life during one of the most pivotal eras in modern history. Her name was is Marion Heeb.
I've only read a couple pages, and flipped through here and there, but I've come to the conclusion that she was in love with a man named Edwin Harte, who was serving overseas in Europe during the War. Eventually, this Edwin guy makes it back home to the States and proposes to her. . . so I'm assuming he survived the war.
The craziest part about this diary is the first-hand, personal experience you get surrounding such important dates in human history. I mean, this Marion woman talks casually about the fall of the Nazis and the end of the war in Europe. Even crazier, three months later she talks about how her and a few friends make their way down to Manhattan and just so happen to attend the famous end-of-the-war victory celebration in Time Square that followed the Japanese surrender:
This book is like a frickin' time capsule, folks - it's mind-blowing how different day-to-day life was like seventy years ago. This Marion chick talks about writing multiple letters per day to friends and family members. No television, no computers, no iPads, no smartphones - lots of community events, lots of social gathering. . . people weren't so disconnected via technology back then. It makes you pretty depressed when you stop and think about how dependent and untrusting we've come in such a short timespan.
So what am I going to do with this book, you might ask? Well, I thought about it, and the diary really doesn't belong to me. How could it? I think I'm going to try and decipher a few more clues and see if I can't find out if this woman is still alive (I'm assuming she would be). I can then get her address, via cyberspace, and mail it to her. I'm sure she'd want it back (I know I would). Honestly, how her diary from such a tumultuous period in history ended up at a central Florida thrift store is beyond me.
I'll keep you posted with what else I uncover, folks - stay tuned. . .
So the other day I was in a thrift store, browsing through old books. I do this a lot, as I like books a great deal and have established a small library collection of my own over the last two years. And, when not nabbing my books on such sites as Amazon, Ebay, or Half, I enjoy the thrill of the hunt in second-hand antique and thrift stores. I've found all kinds of treasure there - hundred-year old books, autographed books, first editions, etc. Sometimes you can get them in mint condition, too.
 |
| Diary of Marion Heeb |
Anyway, so the other day I was at a thrift store perusing through their hardcovers when I stumbled upon a vintage-looking book that had been tucked in the back. It was stamped with the date '1945,' so that right there was reason enough for me to pick it up for closer examination (I'm a big World War II fan as well.)
That's when I opened it up and realized what I was looking at. A woman's diary. From 1945.
 |
| Doodles on the inside cover |
Yes, readers - a hand-writtern, first-person account of 1945. A young woman, living in New York City in 1945, describing her daily life during one of the most pivotal eras in modern history. Her name was is Marion Heeb.
I've only read a couple pages, and flipped through here and there, but I've come to the conclusion that she was in love with a man named Edwin Harte, who was serving overseas in Europe during the War. Eventually, this Edwin guy makes it back home to the States and proposes to her. . . so I'm assuming he survived the war. 
The craziest part about this diary is the first-hand, personal experience you get surrounding such important dates in human history. I mean, this Marion woman talks casually about the fall of the Nazis and the end of the war in Europe. Even crazier, three months later she talks about how her and a few friends make their way down to Manhattan and just so happen to attend the famous end-of-the-war victory celebration in Time Square that followed the Japanese surrender:
So what am I going to do with this book, you might ask? Well, I thought about it, and the diary really doesn't belong to me. How could it? I think I'm going to try and decipher a few more clues and see if I can't find out if this woman is still alive (I'm assuming she would be). I can then get her address, via cyberspace, and mail it to her. I'm sure she'd want it back (I know I would). Honestly, how her diary from such a tumultuous period in history ended up at a central Florida thrift store is beyond me.I'll keep you posted with what else I uncover, folks - stay tuned. . .
- Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment