where my books went to, and for how much
02.26.05 (2:38 am) [edit]For it has been too long since the last time that I tended books no longer in use, I brought some of those newly unneeded books to a used book store. I had a place that I had kept in mind for a while, so it goes without saying that I rushed there with my arms occupied with those books.
What blew me this time was how little the buyer in the sotre cared values of the books that I brought in; all he took notice was how 'new' they looked. I almost cracked up as I learned that all he welcomed was a book in the good condition. When I say the good condition, it solidly means the shape on surface. You might think it is silly to get worked up for books that no longer belong to you except the monetary value you end up getting for them. There might be no point of brooding on how educated the buyer could be, or not. I was unhappy for the matter as well as just seeing books that I value undervalued, which could literally be translated into a word such as 'degradation', by certain unforgivable ignorance. I wound up selling those books, on which I once spent a whole lot of money, for $4.10 today. I note that this was not even sufficient to get another book that I wanted from the store. How could I not to be offended by this sort of ignorance, or very debased form of business? It is thoroughly acceptable if somebody who sells ham to you was illiterate. But if somebody who determines the market price of cultural material was an idiot, he would absolutely deteriorate the quality of the whole book business, given how big and indispensable the used book business could be.