Found II: More of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World

by Davy Rothbart

A second collection of discarded notes, to-do lists, homework assignments, and more is culled from the popular magazine and Web site and offers no-holds-barred, offbeat insight into the personal lives of everyday people. By the author of The Lone Surfer of Montana. Original. 85,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Art, Adult, Sociology, Anthologies, Collections

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2006

About the author

Davy Rothbart's magazine Found is dedicated to discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found and sent in by readers. The magazine spawned a best-selling book, Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World, published in April 2004. A second collection was published in May 2006. The magazine is published annually and co-edited by Rothbart's friend Jason Bitner.

Rothbart, a former Chicago Bulls ticket scalper, often tours the country to share finds and invite others to share their finds with him. His brother, musician Peter Rothbart, often accompanies him on these tours.

The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas, a collection of Rothbart's short-stories, was published in August 2005 by Simon & Schuster. A shorter version of the same book was previously self-published by Rothbart's own production company, 21 Balloons Productions (named after Rothbart's favorite book, The 21 Balloons, by William Pène du Bois). An Italian edition, Il Surfista Solitario del Montana, was published in 2007 by Coniglio Editore. In 2008, actor Steve Buscemi optioned the book for film adaption, to be developed by Olive Productions; Buscemi has written the screenplay and plans to direct.

Reviews

[Malbadeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is a great distraction. somethings found items make you feel sad, some make you laugh, some horrify you
but to thoroughly enjoy this book I suggest you do the following:

1. fly your kids to California
2. wait for your ex-husband to pick them at baggage claim
3. be polite to your ex-husbands girlfriend when she pulls up in the car you let your ex-husband borrow.
4. move the ex-husbands surf boards over,ignore the kids books he's ruined by dropping wet suits and fast food wrappers on, load up your kids and kiss them good bye as they head of for Disneyland with their dad and his girlfriend in your car.
5. go back into the airport and try to catch an early flight home
6.don't catch that flight.
7. read the whole fucking thing cover to cover to distract yourself from #'s 1-5 while waiting to board

If you follow these steps you should enjoy the book immensly and appreciate the vicodin-ish effect it has on your current reality.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more of a downer than I had anticipated, but it was still fascinating, just a tad depressing.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugar free *fucking* syrup!

[Sarah AK · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a collector of things found in used books, this was a mandatory thrift store buy this morning. Coincidentally, about two minutes before spotting this book on the shelf, I actually found a heartbroken email printed out in a different book I was getting. I have a Treasure Island book box (also thrifted, obviously), and all my finds live in there. There are plane tickets to London, post-it notes in Chinese, epic tic-tac-toe battles, school photos, and so much more. It's all been left in library books or books at the thrift store (things like checkout receipts and blank scraps of paper obviously don't make the cut). The silly little things I find make me genuinely happy, so I expected this book would do the same. Instead, it left me surprisingly sullen. It’s a fascinating look at humanity, designed in a rad zine format, but aside from a handful of truly hilarious finds, it’s not really a "feel-good" read. At times, I even found it downright disturbing (there's one specific thing in here that I'm worried I'll never be able to eject from my mind... OOOF). Now if you'll excuse me, I’m gonna go look at my own collection to cheer myself up...

[Pug · Rating 3 out of 5]

As so frequently happens, the sequel was not quite as good as the first. But in the same vein, so I'll just reuse my review from "Found":

Not quite as thrilling as PostSecret (perhaps due to the B&W photocopied pics of the random found objects, as opposed to the pretty artsy postcards), but still fun and fascinating! I kept coming back to see what was coming up next! Most of them left me with more questions than answers (Who? Why? What happened? What's going to happen? And occasionally: is there any possible explanation to these items other than pure insanity?). I especially looked forward to the love letters. Each unique, but ultimately all the same.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this magazine!

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literally the same as the first book just different letters. Still funny and crazy.

[Jarrodtrainque]

Discarded valentines. Ransom notes. To-do lists. Diaries. Homework assignments. A break-up letter written on the back of an airsickness bag. Whether they are found on buses, at stores, in restaurants, waiting rooms, parking lots, or even prison yards, these items give readers an uncensored, poignant, and often hilarious peek into other people's lives. By collecting them in his hit magazine, Found (and its companion website, www.foundmagazine.com), Davy Rothbart has bewitched the nation with a surprising window into its heart and soul and turned his many readers into an army of sharp-eyed finders./ Found is chock-full of the latest and greatest of these finds, arranged in the style of the magazine, laying bare the tantalizing tales to be discovered in the trash we toss. By turns heartbreaking and hysterically funny, Found is a mesmerizing tribute to everyday life and our eternal curiosity about our fellow human beings./ /

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Found is an enjoyable concept, this volume is missing some of the winsome innocence that made the first volume--a five-star experience--so charismatic and its formula successful: (1) Far more of the submissions are given explanations, putting an increased emphasis on the finder. When emphasis is put on the finder, exhibitionism and self-congratulation starts to permeate. (2) A large portion of the submissions have been given clever names, rather than simple names. This both puts an emphasis on the finder and is condescending toward the person who lost the item. (3) There are more items that are "found" in dubious, sometimes invasive, ways. When a "found" item seems stolen or less-than-innocently shared, I find it harder to enjoy the item's content. (4) There are certain items whose content is so dark and cruel that publishing them (albeit anonymously as a found item) only makes them seem more cruel.

All this being said, the big takeaway is still positive.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this book is on par with the first Found book, and I have similar feelings toward it. I still wish the book was in colour (though I'm sure that would make it more expensive), and I still wonder if I should be concerned about the "integrity" of the found objects. There are traces of scotch tape and scissors all over the place. On the one hand, most of the stuff was tossed away, so the owner probably doesn't care if his letter got cut up and edited, right? And most of these edits are made to protect the identities of the original authors and recipients, which is very considerate of Rothbart. Yet, something still bothers me about it. I suppose this is the trade off–I wouldn't have access to these "finds" any other way.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really cool idea! Wish I thought of it! Keeping what people have tossed away. It also make you think that you really need to shred things that you don't want other people to see.Such as old love letters or ugly pictures of yourself. It might just make it into a book. There is one part of the book that has stuff that people found from Hurrican Katrina . That was interesting and sad at the same time. I loved the part with the letters to Adam Sandler.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When i heard my grandma died I sat down and cried. I never wanted her to but she did. She also got hit in the head with a lid. That was kind of funny. It even tickled my tummy. But anyways I still feel bad. My brother was so sad. But it's O.K. We got other grandma's anyway."

The book has A LOT of content, so I think it is one of those books that the more you read it the more you will find in it.

[Oriana]

The guys who run Found Magazine did a great show in NYC this weekend, which made me remember that I want to read these books. They were hilarious and fun, which is exactly how I expect the books to be. They're going on a national tour right now, so if they're coming to your city (Check http://www.foundmagazine.com to find out), go see them!

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

As long as people are writing notes and letters on scraps of paper and losing them, there will be a “Found” empire. Here’s the second collection of “the best lost and tossed” items, in book form.

This is one of those books that you never really get tired of looking at. Plus: there’s a comic strip featuring my beloved “Loss Cat”!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, but often sad look at found objects. If you are a people watcher, this is an eccentric collection of ephemera that makes you wonder about the lives everyday people. The book can sometimes be crass, but I guess so can life too! Worth a look.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, "Found" collections are always worth reading. These books are a collection of everything found, from the scribblings of "Everyday Jane" to truly rare works of art and emotion. Found books are great selections for the bathroom bookshelf.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than the first Found book. Seemed a bit more organized, but maybe I had just gotten used to the messy layout =/ Still not that great, but it gave me a few laughs. I also enjoyed the section that featured most popular found items by librarians!...slice of raw bacon anyone? =O

[Jennifer Gooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Notes, pictures, drawings, letters, to-do lists, etc. found by random people from all over the world provide the reader with genuine and touching glimpses into the human mind and its many experiences and emotions.

[Emily M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this for my birthday, almost a year ago, and I keep finding new things in it. We humans are an interesting thing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

just as good as the first...

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can look at my review for Found I - this one is just as good. I just love eavesdropping on stranger's lives and finding similiarities and differences - what can I say.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As funny and touching as the first one.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it.

[Freedom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better 'n fiction.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating

[linnea]

such a fun book!

[Chrissy Bessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better than Found I.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jimbo Kelly is a Christian Scientist?

*GASP*

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta see this stuff!

[lucy black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forget which ones of these I have read and I haven't, they are kind of same same. I still think my finds are the best, but that's cos I found them.