Four things to know about one woman’ s treasure hunt
Emma Smreker collects second- hand books,
but not to read. She forages through resale bookstores and thrift shops, hoping to uncover
treasures between the pages. She then searches to find the people and return their items. Here’s her story.
1
Connection to the past
The 30-year- old Oklahoma City French teacher often finds plane tickets, receipts, dried flowers, business cards and newspaper clippings. Smreker has also found — to her alarm — used tissues. But on occasion she unearths misplaced gems. “Although you don’t know who these people are,” she says, “finding their things brings you closer to the person that once held the
book before you.”
2
C’est charmant
Smreker’s captivation with used books and the relics within started when her husband gifted her a vin
tage French book.
In it was a crinkled receipt from a café in Montreal. She wondered how the book got from Quebec to Oklahoma City, and whose
hands had turned the pages. “Did they buy this book and then stop by the café and have a snack while they read?” As a French teacher, “I also wondered if their first language was French, or if, like me, it was
their second language.”
3
Persistence pays
After more than a year of searching, Smreker found
a father and daughter, pictured in a photo- booth strip from 13 years ago that was left in a book. Smreker had asked local news stations to cover her search, and one did. A few days later, the girl’s mother got in touch. When the photo was taken, Sofia, four, was with her father at an amusement park. Sofia,
now 17, said “it brought back so many memories.” Dad agreed: “Seeing Sofia so young brought a tear to my eye.” Smreker mailed them the photo strip, which they’ll frame. “It was a very nice treat in such a dark
time,” mom said.
4
Poem from the past
Smreker owns the popular Instagram account In Used Books. She also found a 127-year- old handwritten letter in a book of poetry. The letter was addressed to the Lancaster Gazette, a newspaper in Ohio; it contained a poem called Spring, Goodbye. It was signed by Ed Ruffner.
Smreker found his descendants within a day and sent them the poem. She also contacted the paper, which published it
on the front page.