My New York Souvenir

Question: what souvenir does a lover of colours, books and libraries buy on her New York trip?

Answer: an ex-library book about colours from the Mid-Manhattan Public Library branch (i.e. the famous library you see in so many films). :-)

Tony and I are not interested in shopping when we’re on holiday. We’re not carrying bags full of clothes or accessories back to our accommodation every day. I was actually wondering what, if any, souvenir I’d buy from our trip. I didn’t want some plastic crap that I wouldn’t use. I was thinking maybe I’d buy a book about New York, but that seemed a bit superfluous, I’d read loads before we went there.

So when we visited the NYPL branch on 5th Avenue on the very first day in Manhattan, I was half-heartedly browsing in the souvenir/book shop when in a corner I spotted some shelves with ex-library books. Well, I had to check them out! And I quickly spotted this book about colours. I picked it up and flipped through the pages. Then I put it back on the shelf and wandered off, thinking maybe that was a silly thing to buy.

But then I thought it would actually be a rather lovely and special thing to buy. How many ex-library books from the Mid-Manhattan Public Library branch on 5th Avenue am I ever likely to own?! So I went back and picked it up again and bought it. So now I have this interesting book* about colours which is also a nice reminder of our trip to New York.

It is the perfect souvenir and I am so happy I bought it. :-)

*Roy G. Biv: An Exceedingly Surprising Book About Colour by Jude Stewart.