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I alter books and create journals. Usually, I visit the local Goodwill store to select a book. This weekend, I went to the Goodwill in Gainesville, Florida, where I have recently moved. I didn’t find a book suitable for altering. It’s like a treasure hunt to find a book not too big, nor too small. Not too old, but not so new that the pages aren’t bound. It is a quest! I also purchase older books to gut for collage paper. I pulled a slight book with a green cover but not a back cover. No dustjacket, either. The pages were yellowed with age. I turned it over and read the back page. To my delight, I found a 1967 Hans Holzer book!

The book cost 63 cents. Well worth it!

The Lively Ghosts of Ireland consists of 17 investigations Holzer conducted in Ireland. Countess Catherine Buxhoeveden (known then as “The Haunted Countess”), at the time Han’s wife, created 8 pen and ink illustrations. The book is incredibly fragile and will sit on a shelf with an eclectic mix of Rosary beads and porcelain dolls.

So, head on out to the thrift stores and locate your treasure.