Thursday, December 10, 2009

Booking Through Thursday- Marking the Spot


Suggested by Tammy:

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?

I found this in an old copy of Sholem Aleichem's Tevye the Dairyman I bought at a library booksale:


So if you can read this and tell me what it is, I'd love to know! But whatever it is, it's definitely the most unusual thing I've found in a book!

UPDATE: After consulting with a colleague of mine in the Jewish library world (my boss, actually!) I've confirmed that the document is a ticket to a High Holy Days service held in Tel Aviv, in pre-state Israel. HaZafon is a neighborhood there and all of the other geographic markers check out. Thanks for everyone who wrote in with their ideas and translations!

As for what I use, mostly I just dog-ear. I know- I know. Bad!

More Booking Through Thursday answers can be found here.

22 comments:

rhapsodyinbooks said...

It's a theater ticket - and from 1936 - wow!

Anonymous said...

What an interesting find inside the book.

I don't dog-ear...I used to years ago, but stopped once I began collecting.

Anonymous said...

What a find! It always feels like a bit of treasure to find a bookmark in an old book.

Alayne said...

That's so cool! Here's my mark!

jlshall said...

That is so neat! And with a name and address and everything! What a find. And I try to avoid the dog-ear, but sometimes it's the only way.

Lydia Schultz said...

It is a ticket, but I think it might be a High Holiday ticket for a synagogue. It has the word "Minyan" as part of the description, so I'm betting that is what it was for. Many (probably most) synagogues sell tickets for the High Holidays as a way to fundraise for the rest of the year.

Marie Cloutier said...

Jill- thank you!

Lydia- I think you're right. Festgottesdienst means (I think) festival service, so I think you're on the right track. Thank you!

gautami tripathy said...

What a great find.

I like finding bookmarks in used books.

I too dog-ear at times. Whats wrong with that?

Zee said...

Wow that is so cool!

Anonymous said...

Nice find, and isn't it wonderful that we can find these things out in the little book community...

logankstewart said...

I use an assortment of things. Right now I'm using a public library Sandman (from Neil Gaiman) bookmark. I use scraps of mail from time to time. I used to use photos quite a bit. Really I use whatever is nearby. I have a friend that doesn't use bookmarks, though. He just remembers the page or chapter number he's on when he quits.

Lori Thornton said...

I'm a librarian. We find all sorts of interesting and sometimes unusual things used as bookmarks. I opened a Reference book here a couple of summers ago to find a banana peel (which by that time had molded).

Melissa Ward said...

I'm with Lydia - it seems to be an entry ticket to a religous festival, possibly at a Hebrew school "Tel-Nordau Schule". You only gain entry with that ticket (Eintritt nur gegen diese Karte gestattet) and sit in row 8 seat 106. I wish the handwriting was a little neater.

Ted said...

What it literally says it that it is an admission ticket (einlass karte) to a divine religious festival (Festgottesdienst). It would be interesting to know what city the synagogue was in and whether it still exists!

Nise' said...

What a neat thing to find in a book

Marce said...

A librarian that dog ears, I am appalled Marie :-0 (joking of course) i'm shocked and amazed though.

caite said...

Dog earing...oh, that is simply shocking! :-O

Memory said...

What an awesome thing to find in a book!

Melissa said...

I don't dog ear. I always feel like I'm damaging the book...

Literary Feline said...

That is so cool, Marie! I'm glad you finally found out what it is.

The most unusual thing I've used to mark a book recently was a penny.

Bryan R. Terry said...

I'm late to the game, so without much ado, my BTT is HERE

Bekah said...

I use so many random papers as bookmarks, while my official bookmarks sit idley in a basket.String, reciepts, and envelopes are my most common markers.