When a man who had purchased a used children’s book about a secret agent realised that it was the same one he had as a youngster, he was shocked.
Tom Tolson, 49, recently spent £2.80 on an internet purchase after seeing the coming-of-age film Belfast, which triggered a strong feeling of nostalgia.
When he was ten years old and lived in County Durham, he loved to read The Secret Agent’s Handbook, which inspired him to want to be a spy. However, over time, he completely forgot about it.
It was a manual for aspiring sleuths, spies, and private investigators and included trade secrets including code phrases, invisible writing, and possible hiding spots.
Due to a secret note he had scrawled on the first page as a little child, he knew right away once his purchase came that it was the same edition he owned 39 years before.
In Newton Aycliffe, where he grew up, he initially purchased his copy from a book club at Woodham Burn Junior School for 45p.
The now-resident of Nottingham, Mr. Tolson, said, “At the time, I absolutely enjoyed it.” James Bond and other secret agents fare truly captured my mind when I was a child.
In the Kenneth Branagh film Belfast, he said that a scene depicting a young boy buddy joining a gang brought back memories of his youth.
It just set off something, he said.
“I recalled that when I was a child, I wanted to create a little undercover agent gang with camps, false identities, and things of that kind.”
After doing some research online, he located a used edition of the book on Amazon for £2.80, and he made the decision to purchase it.
When the copy finally came, he opened it up and saw his own handwriting on the inside cover, just below the lines “This book belongs to…”
Instead of writing his own name there, he had put a coded message that said, “Top secret.”
It was my genuine book with my writing inside, according to Mr. Tolson.
I could see my own handwriting within, and I recalled writing “top secret.” I was astounded.
The musician, Mr. Tolson, is sad that the book hasn’t been as helpful in real life as he had hoped it would be when he was younger, but he won’t be giving it up this time.
As you age, you want to hold on to the memories of the past, and things like this now mean a lot to you, he added.
“I’m absolutely keeping it,” she said.