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Creasy Spines

“Every crease is a story.”

Illustration of the kind of find described. We don't reproduce press photographs.
Letter· 1860s

A Civil War soldier’s letter, and his death date in the same Bible

By the Editors · As reported by Orange Coast Magazine, 4 December 2025

FoundOrange, California, United States

Tucked inside a family Bible

David Hess has run the Bookman, a used bookstore in Orange, California, since 1990 and posts a weekly video series about things he finds in donated books. His most memorable find came from an old family Bible: a soldier’s letter home describing camp life and naming generals. Cross-checking the Bible’s family records, Hess found the writer’s birth and then his death, recorded at nineteen, on a date matching one of the major battles around Atlanta.

This is our summary of a find reported in the press. For the full story, photographs and any updates, read the original report in Orange Coast Magazine.

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