Find

Another deluge yesterday afternoon and last night, people of all stripes hopefully wheeling in their boxes of books to sell, most of the books lousy, not because people have crap taste but most people all want to get rid of the same books, the same books your neighbors want to get rid of and don't want to buy. You can think of a more neutral word than lousy if you like. Lots of arcania, inania, and busted spine-ia. Always a full course of what I sometimes call Mike & the Mechanics, or Phil Collins titles: books that had once been popular, whether anyone admits it or not, and now are only popular in that ever one urgently is dying to part with them.

So it's a happy, rare jolt to find something wondrous, particularly among a very odd assortment of seemingly found volumes or picked-over rejects. For example last night, finding Trimmings by Harryette Mullen in a box of books that looked like it had come directly from a table at the Goodwill — scattered hardcover Stephen King novels, almanacs and travel guides from the 80s, etc.

Update 08/10: Sold to a lightly stunned, heavily delighted customer for $12.