Algebra and Trigonometry
David Cohen, 1986
West Publishing Company, US, second edition 1989

Using Advanced Algebra
Kenneth J. Travers, Leroy C. Dalton, Vincent F. Brunner, and Alan R. Taylor, 1977
Doubleday Canada Ltd., CA, 1977 re-issue
“school discard” (in quotes because fact is I just never returned it.) Stamp on first leaf “Cowichan Senior Secondary School / 2652 James St. / Duncan, B.C. V9L 2X2” and handwritten “Michael Barrick / Div 21”. Marks noting assignments, working, and comments throughout in several different pens and pencils in various people’s handwriting from multiple years of use.

I inherited this this old thing (over 50 years old, probably close to 60) along with many other old tools from my dad when he died in 1993. And for the entirety of those 29 years it was broken. It had become covered in greasy gunk from languishing in the bottom various tool boxes in that time. I never threw it out because it was dad’s and when I was four years old I had a particular fascination with using it to put staples in bits of scrap vinyl — something to play with to keep me out of the way and out of trouble as I hung around in my dad’s upholstery shop. Last week, while I was sick, I passed some time cleaning it and repairing it. I ordered a box of the unusual staples it uses that arrived today, and now my old “toy” is working again.

Random things I found wedged in books today:
Left: A couple more index cards in my first wife’s handwriting
Right: A dot-matrix print-out of an e-mail of a math assignment from January 21, 1994 from a math class I took in my “semester of random shit.” Because of some bureaucratic bullshit I had the course requirements for my Visual Arts B.A., but not enough credit-hours. So I had to take a semester of whatever basket-weaving I felt like to get enough credit-hours to graduate.

The Development of Western Civilization
Part I: G. K. Tull, 1970
Part II: Nigel Heard, 1970
Copp Clark Publishing, CA, 1970
School discard. Ex libris stamp on first leaf and edges: “Alexander School”
Marks and doodles throughout