Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Save a Book--Burn This Guy!

This is topic Save a Book--Burn This Guy! in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/writers/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003968

Posted by CoriSCapnSkip (Member # 3228) on :

Seriously. I bet he's never written a book in his life.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/28/america/NA-GEN-US-Book-Burning.php

Posted by Marzo (Member # 5495) on :

I think the logic behind burning books to suggest you're upset with a lack of reading going on is a little fuzzy, but part of his motive seemed to be simply taking care of a storage problem.

I wouldn't suggest burning any original, rare, or autographed editions - of course not. But every used bookstore I go into has stuffed their shelves with the big space-hoggers like Tom Clancy, Janet Evanovitch, Lilian Jackson Braun, and Stephen King. Each author has written well over a dozen books, and each book has thousands and thousands of printed copies.

I don't think we're losing anything as a society if he's burning those ones.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

If it's the story I've seen, I think it was just a publicity stunt. The one thing I saw going in the flames looked like a novel, but I didn't see a title. It's unlikely in this day and age that a book out of a bookstore would be the only copy in existence.

I'd say also, in this day and age, most of the books in bookstores are nonfiction.

Posted by Skribent (Member # 5143) on :

What was he thinking? He's now in the company of people like this:

http://www.fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/01622.htm

Posted by Matt Lust (Member # 3031) on :

Well you all do know how merchants "return" Paperbacks right?

They strip the covers and then throw the books away.

So if he stored the books from returns for a year or so he'd have enough books to have fairly decent fire.

Posted by Sunshine (Member # 3701) on :

I hope he doesn't burn them all. There are plenty of people in other countries who would love to fill their libraries with books that he claims our thrift stores don't want.
I have personally never had trouble distributing my overflowing books to charities, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

Posted by MommaMuse (Member # 3622) on :

Hospitals and ER's are always in need of books to keep people from climbing the walls over the wait. People aren't usually there long enough to read the book all the way through, so they take it with them! (I've done it, I'll admit.)

Besides. I don't know about other folks, but my lack of buying has nothing to do with not being a reader. I'm broke, as is true for a shockngly large number of people. I also have WAY too many books for my itty bitty apartment, and I would part with none of them under pain of death. Burning books the likes of which this guy claims to have (I'm refering to the historical and antique books) is just a stupid publicity stunt and just goes to show that he has no real respect for books at all. I could understand if it were just the bestsellers and such, but it sounded like he's burning everything, and that's just plain contemptable.

Posted by PatEsden (Member # 3504) on :

I vote for a publicity stunt--notice he was willing to sell off the pile. But what about the clean air laws in his area?
As part of my husband's antique business he buys out estates and ends up purchasing garages full of books--many of which have mildew or stink and have to be thrown out. I'm not surprised at all that in his warehouse this guy has books he's willing to burn. The word he was thinking about was headlines.

Or he's simply gone nuts.

[This message has been edited by PatEsden (edited May 31, 2007).]

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

He can burn any copy of a book by mine, so long as it's paid for. Alas! the abovementioned paperback returns severely limit payment...

Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :

I don't really see the problem with this story. It sounds a lot like a publicity stunt to me, but other than that he basically couldn't give his books away and decided to burn them. Seems better than filling up landfills with them.

What was sad about this story is that books have become so worthless that you can't even give them away.

Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :

I heard this story while on vacation. And living in Kansas City, I'd be happy to take the books off his hands.

This guy has a collection of about 20,000 books that he's trying to get rid of. He's tried to donate them to libraries and thrift stores to get them off his hands, but no one will take them. So, he has decided it is better to burn the books than to see them go unsaid. Sure, his logic is shakey, but I get his point. How terrible a society when you can't even give a book away.

Here are a few quotes from their site:

quote:
There are worse crimes than burning books, one is not reading them. ~ Joseph Brodsky
The individual who won’t read has nothing over the individual who cannot read. ~ Mark Twain

Their website offers the books they are set to burn in the future for $1 a book, plus postage. It seems you'll get these books at random, but here's the link, if anyone is interested:

http://www.prosperosbookstore.com/

Matt

EDIT FOR PS:
I think a lot of you have looked at this story the wrong way. You say its a publicity stunt (possible). You say he's evil and that he should be grouped with nazi's (doubtful). I say you're missing the point. The fact that he can't GIVE these books away is a sad commentary on our society. Yeah, most of us read. We're writers. We darn well better be reading. But how many of your friends read? How many people do you know whose major goal this year is to buy a book that will be coming out? Yeah, I read, my wife reads, a few of my friends read, but many others don't. Many co-workers have more interest in Paris Hilton's jail term than what a horcrux is, and whether or not Harry Potter is one. So, end of rant.

[This message has been edited by RMatthewWare (edited June 01, 2007).]

Posted by Matt Lust (Member # 3031) on :

but I don't care what a Horcrux is nor whether Harry potter happens to be one.

Am I suddenly illiterate for disliking the Harry Potter series?

and yes I've read some of the books, the first 5 actually and part of 6 then well blah its gotten kind of predictable and rather tedious.

Posted by KayTi (Member # 5137) on :

quote:
but I don't care what a Horcrux is nor whether Harry potter happens to be one.
Am I suddenly illiterate for disliking the Harry Potter series?

Where on earth would you draw this conclusion from?

RMatthewWare was using this as an example of "how many people do you know whose major goal this year is to buy a book that will be coming out?" Presumably he's interested in the HP book, though he doesn't explicitly state that. It's an example. Why take him literally and presume some sort of insult? I am sure there are books you *are* interested in that are coming out this year and can't wait to get your hands on. That, as I understand it, was his point.

Posted by Rommel Fenrir Wolf II (Member # 4199) on :

Well if it will help i have a 30/06 waiting for him.
or he can just disipeer and there will be no way to find any remains..(i get real hungry here) if all fails i have friends..
as for burning books what good dose he think he can do by doing that.. people heve tried that for as long as writing has been around and cheve nothing..
Rommel Fenrir Wolf II

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

quote:
Am I suddenly illiterate for disliking the Harry Potter series?

We're not going to debate that again, are we? Or at least could we do it in a different thread?

Posted by RMatthewWare (Member # 4831) on :

quote:
but I don't care what a Horcrux is nor whether Harry potter happens to be one.
Am I suddenly illiterate for disliking the Harry Potter series?
and yes I've read some of the books, the first 5 actually and part of 6 then well blah its gotten kind of predictable and rather tedious.

Matt Lust, don't take offense where none was intended. If I want to offend you, it will be real obvious like.

Thanks KayTi, that's exactly what I meant by what I said. I don't care if the big book you're excited about is Harry Potter, Stephanie Plumb, or the next edition of the dictionary, but I would hope that reading is more important to people than how a celebrity is living their personal life. I know to a lot of people it isn't, but it should be.

Matt

Posted by Matt Lust (Member # 3031) on :

It really a pity facetiousness does not seep through my posts.