Lost and bound

Good books inspired by second-hand finds

• The Golden Flea by Michael Rips (Daunt Books) Who wouldn’t want a rummage in a New York flea market right now? This memoir explores the idiosyncratic people and objects populating Chelsea’s flea markets.

• The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel (HarperCollins) Koppel found this diary in a skip outside her apartment and set out to track down its former owner, a young socialite in the 1920s and 30s.

• Rummage by Emily Cockayne (Profile) The fascinating history of what we’ve chosen to keep, throw away or rework, including everything from kites made from religious parchments to the Wombles.

• Important Artifacts by Leanne Shapton (Bloomsbury) Designed like an auction catalogue, this quirky book uses the belongings of a couple, from the valuable to the ephemeral, to trace their love story.

• The Vintage & Antiques Fairs of England by Sandy Price (Frances Lincoln) A pretty (and pretty handy) guide to English antique fairs, so you can start unearthing your own discoveries.