[Previous entry: "Vowellette"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Zingerman's Deli"]

04/19/2005 Entry: "Pope Attends Book Sale"

Mike Pope describes his experiences at the members preview for last weekend's Friends of the (Seattle) Library Book Sale. "At events like the book sale, where books are ridiculously cheap, I always have the funny experience of seeing a book I already have (lots of them, in fact) and wishing that I hadn't already read it so that I could buy it cheap and have the experience of reading it again for the first time. Is there a name for this phenomenon?"

This isn't the first time he's been there. "Always I find a book or three that I've seen before and thought about buying 'one of these days'; the library book sale is that day. Or you'll find works by an author you've heard about but haven't read. Or you'll find a book that you already own and love, and a copy of which you want to give to someone else. (And at a buck per each, your largesse comes cheap.)"

I haven't been to this book sale, but I did find the crowds at the Arboretum book sale hard to take. The thrill of the hunt is still an incentive! But I've recently been divesting myself of a lot of books, so buying a bunch doesn't seem the smartest move.