Knowing my interest in Germany, Karen recently bought me a tiny little German-English dictionary that she found at an estate sale: a self-described “midget dictionary” published by Burgess & Bowes in London. It’s got to be at least 60 years old (unfortunately, there’s no publication date), and it’s a mere 2 x 3 inches in size. But what makes it really special is the inscription I found in the back. “Dies gehört zu Franz,” it reads—this belongs to Franz, though I can’t make out the last name. After which someone else added, in a different hand, “der ein moron ist” (who’s a moron). There’s a little cartoon drawing on the other side of the page that depicts a bald man in a tie with a red nose and a really thick moustache.

Thanks, Karen!