I've witnessed death and destruction without (much) flinching . . . but seeing someone mistreat a book makes me grind my teeth. I'm not capable of damaging, much less destroying, a book, not matter how old and beat up and lacking in monetary value it may be. When I retired a couple of years ago and moved to a different state, I knew I'd have to dispose of about half of my personal library, which had been built up over many years and had truthfully become too large. I sold several thousand volumes (which got them back into circulation with new owners), gave away some to friends whose reading tastes I knew (readers are very proselytic), and kept more than I should have. The big problem was what to do with the "junk" novels in paperback of which I'd accumulated several hundred. My neighbor (who was not a reading sort of person) recommended I just toss them in the trash. A friend who was helping me box books said I looked at the guy like he'd suggested I drown my cat. All those old, worn-out paperbacks went to Salvation Army and Disabled Veterans, by the way.
I also collect quotations (there's a whole Taglines Page here),
and there are many having to do with
writers, books, and publishing.
Please direct comments and inquiries to: Michael K. Smith
©1999-2002 Michael K. Smith
All rights reserved
Last revised 06/10/2002
![[Return to Main Site Index Page]](images/up_arrow.gif){kind=icon}