I love books, all kinds of books in any condition, but especially old books with that old book smell.
I don't even want to count how many books I own or how many I need to photograph to resell on etsy.
I know the books in these photos are mostly old and ratty looking but they are still readable and have wonderful deckle edged pages. One of my neighbors put a crate full of these books and more out for the trash man to pick up the next morning.
SHOCK HORROR NO NO THAT'S JUST WRONG
Why would someone throw away perfectly good books rather than at least donating them to the charity shop that's only a 1/2 mile away?
So I stopped and scooped them up pronto. This is only half of them. There were several on wilderness survival I am keeping and even one from the author I collect that I rarely find here in Texas, Woo Hoo!
The only downside is that where-ever they were kept someone must be a chain smoker. They reeked so badly I didn't really want to bring them in the house. In fact the other half are still in the trunk of my car. I put 4 dryer sheets between pages in each book and sealed 3 each in a ziploc for a week. Seems to have worked fairly well. I will probably continue to let them air out for a while before trying to sell them.
This is right up there with the people who burned a stack of braille books simply because no one was there that read them anymore. Why do people not think about someone else anymore? Why is it so hard for some to stop, on their way to the grocery store, and donate stuff to a charity? I must be getting old, I just don't get how some folks can be so very self centered. At least I saved these books and several already have a nice home - mine. :-)
5 comments:
Interesting question, and don't you wish these books could talk? I have a very old copy of Gone with the Wind that has a nail hole almost clear through it.....and no one to ask why!
You should see the late 1800's giant Bibles I saw at the auction house today...the auction is tomorrow...I should bid on them...but I don't where I would put them!!! They are in rough condition but beautiful!
I have donated, sold and yes, trashed, many books. Some I didn't know I trashed - as I had donated them to a charity place - and some were in NEW condition but I discovered later that some of the charity places end up throwing them out after you leave them.
Libraries will take books for their used book sales too. I gave a few carloads away last year to the local library.
I put charcoal briquets in the cigar boxes I get from Wes and it takes out the cigar smell. You might try that too.
One year after Christmas I was walking around the neighborhood and saw a big stuffed ornate Santa sticking out of a trash can. The same thought came to me--how hard is it to donate something like that? I often garbage pick (if it is easily accessible) and donate the goods. I don't get it either.
Yes, we live in a disposable society. And yes, people are very inconsiderate to the needs and wants of others. On the other hand, thank goodness for those people! Their stupid, self-centered wastefulness is our treasure trove! Dumpster divers unite!
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