Once Belonged to Others
2024
Once Belonged to Others is a book that explores the hidden histories of second-hand books. It examines the marks, notes, and small discoveries left behind by previous owners. Each book tells its own story, revealing layers of personal and physical history.
Content is divided into three chapters: Worn Pages and Torn Covers features well-used books with creases, tears, and faded covers; Messages Between the Lines highlights personal inscriptions, hurried notes, and handwritten messages; and Hidden Treasures uncovers unexpected items like tickets, photographs, or newspaper clippings tucked inside books.
Henk, a passionate book collector, appears throughout Once Belonged to Others, connecting the personal, the physical, and the hidden, showing how books carry not just stories on the page but traces of those who owned them.