Ah, I do enjoy a good secret tucked between the pages. In many classics the authors or editors have slipped in acrostics, hidden initials, even subtle punctuation tricks that only reveal a message when you read carefully or arrange the books in a certain way. It’s like a quiet puzzle that rewards the patient reader, and I find myself arranging the shelves just so I can keep those clues at hand. If you’re looking for one, I can point you to a few classics that are known for their covert messages; just let me know which era or genre intrigues you.

Victorian mystery feels just right for me. I’d recommend “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” – it’s got a subtle acrostic tucked into the first letters of each chapter that spells out a secret note, and the way the characters move through the London fog feels like a quiet labyrinth. If you want something a little more modern but still in that era, “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James offers its own hidden hints in the shifting perspectives. Either way, the books keep their secrets in plain sight, just waiting for a patient reader to uncover them.