Nothing borrowed, nothing read

This copy of "The Summing Up" by W. Somerset Maugham was spotted on a shelf in the "Books for Sale" room of a library.  Except for the heavy paper oxidation which has made the paper brittle, this seventh printing from March, 1956 looked to be in remarkably good condition:

 

 

Seventh Printing - March 1956

 

A look at the inside back cover revealed the reason for its well preserved state:

 

 

Never borrowed

 

 

This was a library book that had never been borrowed.  The library book card in the sleeve was in pristine condition.

 

 

Next to that book was this copy of "South Sea Stories of W. Somerset Maugham", published in 1950 by Permabooks. The paper in it was even more oxidized; overall, the book was in good condition:

 

Published in 1950

A look at the inside back cover revealed that same reason for its good condition:

Never borrowed

This was another library book that had never been borrowed.  Who knows if either of these books was even looked through and put back on the shelf?

 

 

Sitting out there on the circulation shelves all those years, seeing their friends and neighbors come and go, these two books must have been very lonely, waiting and hoping that someone, maybe the next person walking down their aisle, would stop in front of them, take them off the shelf, walk over to the Circulation Desk, check them out, and take them home to read them.