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uNarrify Proof of concept. The writers and stories here are samples for now.A place for readers and the people who write for them.

EssaySecond-HandTheo Marsh

Essay Books Literary Classics

Second-Hand

TMTheo Marsh · An essay every other Sunday

About the column · by Theo Marsh

Essays from behind the counter of a small used bookstore: the books that come in, what people leave inside them, and why we keep them.

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All 5 essays so far

From the start Newest first

Each essay has its own picture, chosen by the writer.

Start here8 weeks agoThe Smell of Old PaperWhy used bookstores smell the way they do, and why we love it.6 min · 11.8K reads 6 weeks agoNotes on a Dog-Eared PageIn defense of folding corners, from a reformed book snob.14 min · 9.3K reads 4 weeks agoThe Man Who Bought Every CopyA regular at my shop who only ever bought one book, over and over.11 min · 8.6K reads 2 weeks agoClosing TimeOn the last day of a bookstore I loved.12 min · 8K reads Latest2 days agoWhat I Found Inside a Used MiddlemarchA grocery list, a pressed flower and decades of someone else’s underlining.6 min · 7.3K reads