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Used Bookstore - What a Goldmine

General Genealogy

Tim Firkowski

Monday, 19 March 2012

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I was returni

ng from running errands the other day and for some unknown reason, my thoughts went to the used bookstore that is in the town I live in. I had not been there in many years and decided to stop by.

Old Number Six Book Depot is not far from the center of Henniker, NH. It boasts having one of New England's largest collection of reading material. You will believe their claim to 165,000 volumes the moment you walk in. It is wall-to-wall & floor-to-ceiling books and literature, with narrow walkways between shelves with some isles having books on the floor as there is no room on the shelf. The pleasant pungent odor of old paper fills your nostrils as you walk around. Everything is very well organized & the owner, Ian Morrison knows where everything is.

polway198a

Although a person could spend all day there, I decided to peruse the section on Poland to see what I could find. There are books there on every country in the world, both past and present. I came across two books that tickled my fancy. Since the history of Poland is quite complex I am always looking to learn more and found two books to help me better understand its history. The first book written in 1988 - The Polish Way by Adam Zamoyski is a hefty 422 page book that covers a thousand year history of Poles and their culture.

The second book is a little more interesting. It is titled Origins of Prussianism and was published in 1942. The original version was titled Das deutsche Ordensland Preussen and published in 1862. It was originally written by Heinrich von Treitschke and later translated by Eden and Cedar Paul. I found the preface to be quite interesting as its content is referenced in time by "the present war" - meaning WWII. The perspective of the reference caught me off guard for a moment.

I guess you never know what you will find in an old book store. A goldmine of text just waiting to be discovered. These are books that you will never find available for iPads and eReaders. In my opinion, there is nothing better than holding that book in your hand.

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About the author

Tim Firkowski

I have been doing genealogy research since 2002 & have worked full time as a Professional Genealogist since 2008. I specialize in Polish and American-Canadian Genealogy. As a member of APG, I was the 2010/2011 President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). I have Certificates of Completion for studies in "Foundations of Forensic Genealogy" and "Advanced Forensic Genealogy Techniques". I have been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center, and a genealogy research consultant at “Ask the Expert” Ancestry Road Shows. I have traveled to Poland numerous times & researched in churches and archives. At conferences and special events, you may find me dressed up in my Sherlock Holmes outfit, or my Kujawy (the folk costume from the region in Poland where my ancestors came from).