--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Secondhand books are full of mysteries…" description: "\"“Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I like them. Frederick”\" — Cath Crowley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/cath-crowley-1328_books_secondhand-books-are-full-of-mysteries-w_890725.jpg" --- # Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I… ![“Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I like them. Frederick” quote by Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/cath-crowley-1328_books_secondhand-books-are-full-of-mysteries-w_890725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/cath-crowley-1328_books_secondhand-books-are-full-of-mysteries-w_890725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/cath-crowley-1328_books_secondhand-books-are-full-of-mysteries-w_890725.jpg) > ““Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I like them. Frederick”” [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secondhand books carry hidden stories, making them intriguing and valuable. **In simple terms:** Old books hold secret tales. Key Takeaway Explore used books for surprise discoveries. Themes literature nostalgia curiosity Mood curious nostalgic Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - library browsing - bookstore treasure hunts - gift exchanges - reading clubs Key Concepts storytelling historical context collecting Questions to Reflect On - What mystery might a used book reveal? - How does a book’s history affect your reading? A Different Perspective Condition may be poor, limiting access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mysteries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysteries/) [Secondhand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secondhand/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to "I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-do-love-secondhand-books-that-open-to-the-page-some-previous-owner-2/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-do-love-secondhand-books-that-open-to-the-page-some-previous-owner/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [“By now, I probably preferred secondhand books to new ones. In America such items were disparagingly referred to as “previously owned”; but this very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/by-now-i-probably-preferred-secondhand-books-to-new-ones-in-america/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I have always loved reading books for children and young adults, particularly when those books are mysteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/i-have-always-loved-reading-books-for-children-and-young-adults/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [I really wouldn't classify the books as mysteries. I prefer to say that they're adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-really-wouldn-t-classify-the-books-as-mysteries-i-prefer-to-say/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“Secondhand books are haunted, according to him. Ghosts in the pages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/secondhand-books-are-haunted-according-to-him-ghosts-in-the-pages/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“And I love you. I love that you read. I love that you love secondhand books. I love pretty much everything about you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/and-i-love-you-i-love-that-you-read-i-love-that-you-love-secondhand/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [I have a lot of vinyl, but I only buy old records on vinyl. Like secondhand. It's too expensive otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-rose/i-have-a-lot-of-vinyl-but-i-only-buy-old-records-on-vinyl-like/) [Caitlin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-rose/) > [“What a treasure, to meet with any thing a new heart-- all hearts, nowadays, are secondhand at best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/what-a-treasure-to-meet-with-any-thing-a-new-heart-all-hearts/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [“It’s a secondhand world we’re born into. What is novel to us is only so because we’re newborn, and what we cannot see, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-min/it-s-a-secondhand-world-we-re-born-into-what-is-novel-to-us-is-only/) Katherine Min > [A secondhand wardrobe hand clothes doesn't make one an artist. Neither do a hair-trigger temper, melancholic nature, propensity for tears, hating your parents, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/a-secondhand-wardrobe-hand-clothes-doesn-t-make-one-an-artist-neither/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Have you had your bad luck, until today, You Got Everything As Secondhand! So, What's You Thinks About Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/have-you-had-your-bad-luck-until-today-you-got-everything-as/) Mak\_786 > [When my kids were toddlers, they had all these rotomolded plastic things. My life became surrounded by big, hollow plastic toys - from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lynn/when-my-kids-were-toddlers-they-had-all-these-rotomolded-plastic/) [Greg Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lynn/) > [My father, whose hobby was collecting secondhand cricket books, came back from a book fair one day with a copy of 'The Body In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/my-father-whose-hobby-was-collecting-secondhand-cricket-books-came/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [Secondhand experience breaks down a block from the car lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/secondhand-experience-breaks-down-a-block-from-the-car-lot/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More by Cath Crowley > [“Get up, Henry,' he says. 'You're fermenting. Tell him he's fermenting, George.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/get-up-henry-he-says-you-re-fermenting-tell-him-he-s-fermenting-george/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Secondhand books are haunted, according to him. Ghosts in the pages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/secondhand-books-are-haunted-according-to-him-ghosts-in-the-pages/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Serial killer aren't creative." "Watch a little Dexter and get back to me on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/serial-killer-aren-t-creative-watch-a-little-dexter-and-get-back-to/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“I made you collapsible. I put you in and raised you with string and made you stay there with putty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-made-you-collapsible-i-put-you-in-and-raised-you-with-string-and/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“I’ve been reading a heap too—not swimming. I don’t swim. I like baths, though, and they allow the added bonus of being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-ve-been-reading-a-heap-too-not-swimming-i-don-t-swim-i-like-baths/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“I spray the sky fast. Eyes ahead and behind. Looking for cops. Looking for anyone I don't want to be here. Paint sails and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-spray-the-sky-fast-eyes-ahead-and-behind-looking-for-cops-looking/) [cath crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Words matter, in fact. They're not pointless, as you've suggested. If they were pointless, then they couldn't start revolutions and they wouldn't change history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/words-matter-in-fact-they-re-not-pointless-as-you-ve-suggested-if/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Sometimes a memory is a thing that can't be explained using words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/sometimes-a-memory-is-a-thing-that-can-t-be-explained-using-words/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“I stopped doubting her predication after she told me I'd be allergic to guava juice, which was something I'd never tried. I drank a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-stopped-doubting-her-predication-after-she-told-me-i-d-be-allergic/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“If my like for you was a footy crowd, you'd be deaf cos of the roar. And if my like for you were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/if-my-like-for-you-was-a-footy-crowd-you-d-be-deaf-cos-of-the-roar/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Ellipses," according to Henry, are "fucking excellent." The exclamation mark is just a weird guy who talks too loudly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/ellipses-according-to-henry-are-fucking-excellent-the-exclamation/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“Humans are strong, but if you hit them at the right point, they destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/humans-are-strong-but-if-you-hit-them-at-the-right-point-they-destruct/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“He's one of the good guys,' she always said.'Just sometimes he's working undercover”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/he-s-one-of-the-good-guys-she-always-said-just-sometimes-he-s-working/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“What are you reading?’ he asks this afternoon. ‘Kafka’s Metamorphosis,’ George says, without looking up. ‘And what’s it about?’ ‘Guy turns into a giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/what-are-you-reading-he-asks-this-afternoon-kafka-s-metamorphosis/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“We've got secrets coming out our arses and you want to take them to a clairvoyant?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/we-ve-got-secrets-coming-out-our-arses-and-you-want-to-take-them-to-a/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) [Explore all 256 Cath Crowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I like them. 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