"I hope you will enjoy reading about these enchanted waters"

Oh, look! It's another thing you can't do with an e-book.

I discovered this inscription from August 1988 on the inside front cover of a copy of Shipwrecks and Legends 'Round Cape May by David J. Seibold and Charles J. Adams III.

Obviously, it was nice for the family to get Pappie a book as a gift — books are the best gifts. But the inscription, which is perhaps turning into a lost art, was the sweetest touch.

Pappie probably also liked that he didn't get a dull book. This small volume has tales of lost treasure, pirates, sunken vessels, World War II, maritime disasters and more. Topics discussed include Cape May diamonds, the capture of a German U-boat off Cape May's shore, and the eventual fate of the hull of the PS General Slocum.