THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411110258
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
L.W. Bradshaw receives a desperate call early in the morning. She fires off questions: When did you last see it? How much are you willing to pay? How will I recognize it?
The search is on.
Bradshaw takes notes as she gathers clues. Although she doesn't wear a trenchcoat or employ a bloodhound (her two cats don't share Bradshaw's passion), interrogation, deduction and reasoning are part of her modus operandi.
From her soundside home on Roanoke Island, she is L.W. Bradshaw: Book Detective. And Bradshaw almost always gets her book.
Bradshaw is part of a small network of people who perform searches for individuals looking for out-of-print books. L.W. (Lois) has been in the book-search business since arriving on the Outer Banks in l985.
Before that, she was in Pittsburgh and working with books in a library. Not just any library, Carnegie Library. Bradshaw, who holds a master's degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh, worked in the reference department.
She learned the book-search business from Esther Tucker, who owned an antiquarian bookstore in Pittsburgh. Bradshaw worked part-time for Tucker and saw firsthand the satisfaction of finding an out-of-print book for someone.
After her husband retired, the Bradshaws landed on Roanoke Island. As a slight case of boredom set in, Bradshaw decided to start the book-search business. After all, there was nothing like that on the Outer Banks.
Bradshaw charges $8 to find a book. Although most of her business comes from word-of-mouth, she now advertises in a trade publication. She also gets referrals from local bookstores.
The work is painstaking and sometimes frustrating, but finding a long-lost book for someone makes the job worthwhile. Bradshaw also spends a lot of time browsing at yard sales, Goodwill and Salvation Army stores and estate sales.
``I don't consider a trip successful unless I pick up a book,'' she says.
Most of Bradshaw's searches start with a book's title and author, but not always. Sometimes, customers describe the book's cover, or they may know the publisher's name. Bradshaw claims a success rate of 75 percent. Sometimes, a search may take two years.
What kind of books are in demand?
``Raggedy Ann and Andy,'' ``The Wizard of Oz'' and other children's books from the l930s and 1940s are always popular, Bradshaw says.
Most collectors, who want books that are in good shape with original covers, look for ``first edition'' books, not reprints found in new bookstores. Other customers are not as picky. Often, they request books that bring back special feelings and memories.
``Most people want to buy books to read, not to collect,'' Bradshaw says.
Bradshaw finds about 100 books a year. She says it's possible to find almost any book, and for a small price. Most are a fraction of the original price.
Bradshaw most often finds books through her contacts with other ``detectives.'' But not always. Sometimes Bradshaw happens to find the book at a sale and then finds a seller.
Although book searching is technically a business, Bradshaw considers it more of a hobby. ``I've never made a profit,'' she says.
Maybe not a profit in the monetary sense, but Bradshaw says there is a reward.
``I've had people cry when I told them I had found a book they thought was long lost,'' says Bradshaw. ``That makes it all worthwhile.'' MEMO: L.W. Bradshaw finds rare books for $8. Her number is 473-5639. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
From her soundside home, L.W. Bradshaw hunts down out-of-print
books.
by CNB