found a book...?

[agentx73]

Hello, everyone, I am a long time lurker, but after today's find, I felt the need to post and ask for advice. I was out at my local park after work with my Minelab Explorer SE. It was my Christmas present to myself, but I haven't had much chance to use it with the ground being frozen lately. Anyway, I got an iffy signal at about 6 inches. I started cursing myself about 5 inches down because the ground was rock hard. I hit something, but sadly, I thought it was a tree root and hacked at it a couple times. It turns out that it was a small book, as I knocked a couple pieces of paper off it! It was buried on top of a kind of flat rock, and I was getting metal signals off either the binding or a clasp on it.

It was about 5 feet from a large pine tree, but the park only dates back to the early 70s. I have not found any clad past about 1960 in the park. Judging by the more or less decent condition of this book, I'm guessing this isn't extremely old. I guess my biggest question is what to do with it? I would love to try to pull the pages apart, but I'm afraid of ruining it. Should I soak it, or dry it? It is fairly damp now. Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: sorry about the huge images, I will fix that.

Edit: ok, better now

 

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[Moonshadow]

Oh dear!! Try resizing those pics first please! :P I want to see your find.

HH,
Moon

 

[buscadero]

I wouldn't worry about "ruining" the Book! Be Gentle, but pry it apart! It's not exactly in Mint Condition! Welcome to TN tho!

HH Joe

 

[agentx73]

Thanks for the welcome, and I know it's in rough shape, but hey, I have never found a book before like this, and didn't want to really screw it up.

 

[Moonshadow]

Much better agentx! Now, Welcome to the forum!! I love that you found a dang book buried in the ground! How many can say they've done that? I would take a butter knife or something similar and GENTLY ease it between the pages and just work with it a bit. Like Joe said....I don't think you can ruin the book! I would make sure it's dry first. Let us know what your result is okay?

Congrats on a neat find and Happy Hunting!!

Moon

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

That is amazing with it being that deep and that much of it left. Would be a real treat to know the title of it.

 

[Montana Jim]

I saw a fella on TV who freeze dries books to perserve them. I hope you post any interesting information you may discover within the mystery book! That's a cool find!

 

[bobinsd]

Does the book still give a signal? It might have been buried to protect something more valuable.

 

[fossis]

Unusual find, Welcome, Fossis...........................

 

[TENNESSEEGAL]

Does the book still give a signal? It might have been buried to protect something more valuable.

Oooh.. good question.

 

[TENNESSEEGAL]

I wonder if it might be a diary?

 

[dugupfinds]

Does the book still give a signal? It might have been buried to protect something more valuable.

Its just a book on 'metal working'

 

[txkickergirl]

my guess is diary too, but to have someone bury it, they must of had some juicy stuff in there.

 

[N.J.THer]

I was thinking along the same lines as BobinSD and TNGal. I would check the book again to see if it still gives off a reading with the metal detector and if not go back and move that flat rock which is 6" deep to see what is under it. I would guess it is a diary or maybe a Bible. I think I remember something in my Catholic up bringing about not throwing away or burning a Bible but burying it if you wanted to get rid of one. Good luck and keep us posted.

NJ

 

[Johnny X]

Nice, let us know the outcome!

xstevenx

 

[agentx73]

Thank you all for the warm welcome, and I wish I had a more interesting story to tell. The signal came off a small metal clasp on the side, like you might find on a diary or journal. While I was able to make out a few scratches of ink on some of the first pages, the majority seemed blank. The pages with ink were deteriorated to the point of blotches and completely illegible. The cover seemed to be thicker, but very moldy, like it might be leather or a similar material. The flat rock was just a rock, and it didn't seem like anything special. I have no idea why someone would bury a book like that, but whatever they wrote is lost to time. Oh well, it was still a fun find.

 

[TreasureTales]

Welcome to the forum. That's a very cool find. Too bad the writing wasn't in permanent ink. LOL Yep, probably a girl's diary and she didn't want her folks to find it. Did you dry to use the low setting of a blowdryer on it?