When they came to Houston for the first time a few weeks ago, a Columbia couple didn’t expect to go home with a prized addition to their collection of books by a famous 20th century Canadian writer.
But when Drs. Karl and Georgia Nolph accompanied their granddaughter, Shelby Ringdahl – the reining Miss Texas County, who is also from Columbia – their love for books led them to set foot in the Friends of the Library book store on Grand Avenue while exploring the downtown area. When they had picked out a few items to purchase and were preparing to leave, something on a shelf caught their eye: a clean, hardback copy of “The Governor’s Lady” written by Thomas Head Raddall in 1960.
The price: a quarter.
The value: maybe $25 retail to the right buyer, but a whole lot more to the Nolphs in non-monetary terms.
Book lovers find a treasure in a small southern Missouri town.
