Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Well, just one book sold, and I can already call my endeavor on Amazon.com, where I'm selling books under the name Penn Wood Books a success.

This one book turned out to be more valuable than I anticipated, so I'm already turning a profit, even including the cost of all the other books, the cost of buying padded envelopes, and the cost of mailing.

Yesterday this came in handy, since I didn't get any of the extra afternoon work I've become accustomed to getting.

Speaking of books, I found something interesting in one of the books I'd bought, as I was listing them all on Amazon.com. It was in one of the astrology books, of which there are quite a few. They all came from the same house and were together in a box that only cost me $1 for the entire box.

This chart is for someone born on June 12, 1919. I know very little about astrology, so my interpretation of the chart is limited to the what the person wrote on it: "Good mental or mechanical skills. Forget one hr later/fikle (sic)/love. Religious."

I'm guessing this chart was either for the person who owned the book or for someone close to them. Not only had it clearly been in the book a long time, but it also had a couple personal notes jotted carelessly on the back: "Aspect to 12 House. Letter or CALL" and "Flight 230B TWA 8:19 P.M."

I wish I could remember exactly what the woman said who sold me the books. They belonged to someone who wasn't her, which would explain why she didn't care how much she got for them. Most of the astrology books were from the 1970s, so if they belonged to the person whose chart that was, s/he would have been about 50 at the time.

I'm thinking that the woman who sold the books said they belonged to her brother. She herself couldn't have been much older than her 40s, so if they were her brother's books, he would probably have been a young man when he used them and the chart could have been for an older family member.

But at any rate, the books are fascinating. Unfortunately, they're also well used, therefore not in the best condition to sell as collector's editions, although they are all fairly rare.

I think I'll hit another yard sale this weekend to search for more books. This time I'll look for more unusual books. As long as I get them at a good price, anything I sell them for is a profit. This time I won't bother with mass market paperbacks unless they're either first editions or signed by the author (or thrown in as part of a larger box)!

Copyright 2004 by Alyce Wilson

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