There’s something strangely intimate about buying second-hand goods. You’re not buying an inanimate object that’s box fresh from a warehouse in Milton Keynes; you’re acquiring something that has earned soul. The scuffs, dents and inexplicable modifications all hint at stories you’ll never fully know (but should probably ask about, if only to avoid being fleeced). Once yours the unspoken agreement is simple: don’t waste it - just add a few decent chapters before passing it on again.