or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
Sorry!
More Buying Choices
99 used & new from $2.71

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World (Paperback)

~ (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)

List Price: $15.99
Price: $10.87 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.12 (32%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 10? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
36 new from $6.79 63 used from $2.71

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  School & Library Binding, April 30, 2004 $23.70 $23.70 $31.39
  Paperback, April 26, 2004 $10.87 $6.79 $2.71

Frequently Bought Together

Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World + Found II: More of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World + Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings
Price For All Three: $33.31

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

FOUND #5: The Crime Issue

FOUND #5: The Crime Issue

by Davy Rothbart
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  $6.00
Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings

Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings

by Kerry Miller
4.1 out of 5 stars (27)  $9.84
Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic.

Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic.

by David Nadelberg
4.2 out of 5 stars (30)  $11.66
Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World (Found Anthology)

Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World (Found Anthology)

by Davy Rothbart
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  $10.87
Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See

Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See

by Bill Shapiro
4.2 out of 5 stars (21)  $15.30
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of NPR's National Story Project comes this funky collection of letters, flyers and other miscellany from the pages of Found magazine. Rothbart, the magazine's editor and founder, has pulled together the funniest, weirdest and most moving items found by himself and his readers over the years. Fairly typical is the note left on a car's windshield, intended for a wayward boyfriend named Mario: "You said you had to work then whys your car here at HER place?.... I hate you..." piling invective upon invective until concluding: "p.s. Page me later." Rothbart and company find stuff just about everywhere: on buses, taped to trees, underneath Coke machines, in the recycling bin at Kinko's. Some items are heartbreaking (a missing person poster found in Manhattan after September 11), some hilarious (an algebra test, flunked with creativity and panache) and some just plain odd (a note directing residents to lock a door in order to "prevent unauthorized people from entering the building and defecating in the washing machine"). There are some explanations, but mostly, the trash speaks for itself, reproduced with Rothbart's particular punk-collagist aesthetic. At times, reading the notes and letters feels uncomfortably voyeuristic, and inevitably, readers are left wanting more, wishing for details about these lives beyond what the sketchy fragments provide (did that scoundrel Mario ever change his wanton ways?). A provocative and original book, Rothbart's collection manages to pull laughter and drama from the flotsam and jetsam of society.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Since elementary school, Rothbart has been collecting things he finds–in the trash, on the bus, on the ground. When he decided that others might be interested in them, he cut and pasted the best ones into a fanzine called Found. Other people quickly began sending him items, and the magazine grew into this "best of" collection. It contains predominantly handwritten notes, but there are also photos, drawings, e-mails, grocery lists, and even a picture of a kitten that was found in a library book drop. Many of the finds are compelling on their own, but what really entertains is the imagined possible backgrounds. One must wonder about the story behind the note, "Don't take matress. Leanne died on it. Shame on you. Apt. 306." There is also an interview with cartoonist Lynda Barry, and a poignant one with a man who found a message in a bottle 19 years after it was sent to sea. Though many of the items will bring laughs, there are also sad ones–lots of breakup notes and those written by children to their estranged parents, and some moving flyers from the World Trade Center collapse. Some of the pieces were obviously written by high-school students and passed in class. Reluctant readers will enjoy browsing through the silly, the sexy, and the scatological, but this book will appeal to anyone's inner eavesdropper and packrat instincts.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Fireside (April 27, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743251148
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743251143
  • Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,344 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #87 in  Books > Entertainment > Pop Culture > Popular Culture

More About the Author

Davy Rothbart
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Davy Rothbart Page

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(6)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

56 Reviews
5 star:
 (34)
4 star:
 (12)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (56 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
87 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Sociology Of Trash, September 14, 2004
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Davy Rothbart and the gang at "Found" magazine have turned out a truly original gem. The concept is simple: people find things that they were not intended to find, and send it in to Davy, who sorts the wheat from the chaff and comes up with a pithy book of insight on the American psyche. Some of the things that have been found are unreal. I am particularly fond of the love letters and notes left on double parked cars. Others are simply too bizarre to try to contextualize, such as notes reading "Warning: The iguana is loose on the porch...", and "If the ball is too loud take it up when you sleep and put it back down when you get up", for instance. But my all time favorites are the lost pet flyers. Now I love animals, and I think it is a real tragedy when someone loses a pet, but these flyers made me laugh so hard I almost fell off my chair (you really need to see them for the full effect): "Loss Cat: Speckles, Does not call when come, Dirty, Not tag, Reward needs medicines. Foam. Call Ward." Best of all is "Lost Cobra Color: brown, black, yellow, red (on teeth), blue (color of tongue) Snake has been known to bite off heads. Snake is not house trained. Answers to "Psycho". Length: 7' Weight: 45 lbs Warning, snake is deadly. Will bite if provoked. Psycho has a strong scottish accent." As hard as I try, I could never make up something that funny.

Some of the things are genuinely touching, and some are quite old. A few are from outside the US, but largely this is a peek into the collective subconscious of America. This book is a national treasure.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not "found" but truly reborn..., May 18, 2004
By Barbara Brodsky (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
I laughed and cried my way through this book, couldn't put it down. It mixes the ludicrous, the joyful and the heartbreaking, offering a clear view into human nature. I see myself and those around me on every page, but with a loving heart fostered by Davy's sense of humor. I find myself wanting to know these people, actually seeing I DO know them, for they are me!

What I love most is that Davy had the wisdom to take these scraps we all see as trash and recognize them as rich compost, ready to be reborn into a fascinating source of wisdom, to delight us, surprise us, and to foster our ability to laugh at ourselves and our world. They show us at our best, worst and most vulnerable, show all our loves and fears. The book is a true teacher of compassion!

While Davy says there's no special order, the book fit together perfectly for me, leading me from one insight to another, one laugh to another. The layout that looks like a collection of scraps is perfect for the contents.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars the perfect coffee table book, October 1, 2004
Rothbart has taken a brilliant idea and executed it to a tee. I first heard of this book through www.foundmagazine.com. The randomness and unintentional comedy carries tremendous appeal.

The author, with the help of a volunteer army of trash hunters, find the treasure of others' trash. My personal favorite was a sign that said simply "Steve" with a bunch of vertical tearaway "Steve"s on the bottom. (Done in the style of a laundrymat ad.) Others have found evidence of epic battles, heartwrenching breakups and untold mysteries. The greatest outcome -- you begin to wonder who these people are, what context the note was in, and how their various conflicts have since resolved. The imagination runs wild with the possibilities. In that way, the book almost functions as one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, with you the reader filling in the empty spaces.

A great "find," pun definitely intended.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I love all the Found books.
I have already read the Found II book and I was looking for this one. I was so excited to find it on Amazon. I love both of these books, they are so entertaining and funny. Read more
Published 3 months ago by T. Messer

4.0 out of 5 stars Found book
Good delivery time. A great read on a road trip to share with friends. Also makes a great conversation starter. Perfect coffee table book!
Published 5 months ago by ALO

5.0 out of 5 stars A PEEK INTO OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES....
I love this book. I did wish that it was in color, but the pictures and the notes are so voyeristic, I almost felt guilty for reading them! Read more
Published 14 months ago by T. Sullivan

2.0 out of 5 stars Eh, not worth the buy
There were some really good ones, but most were totally boring. Again, read at Barnes & Noble
Published 16 months ago by Lauren

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Idea, BAD Execution
This book would be great if it simply presented the finds and allowed the viewer to think for himself. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Jesse M. Dunlap

3.0 out of 5 stars Not in color
The book is, of course, funny and interesting, but I was disappointed when I opened it and found that there was no color inside.
Published 22 months ago by Princess Fancy Hen

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh.
Davy Rothbart, Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World (Fireside, 2004)

Rothbart speculates, in his preface to Found, that the reason... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Robert P. Beveridge

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot Put it Down
Addicting book full of humor and sadness. Great look into people's lives sometimes understanding the story sometimes not.
Published on October 2, 2007 by Mint910

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Finds!
This book of "found" writings just fires my imagination. It's like getting the middle of the story without the beginning or the end. It's addictive. Read more
Published on September 21, 2007 by Sue DeNym

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasures That Touch Your Heart
I think that this book is such a wonderful way of respecting those things and people that deserve dignity. I am certainly glad that I 'FOUND' it.
Published on August 29, 2007 by Bhavani Brown

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:










i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.