From: Juliet
To: Felix
Subj: Wasted Books?
Felix,
That thing about the books at Monk’s being wasted might not be accurate. Half Price Books has this program called “Books By the yard” in which stores hang onto books that people bring in to sell but which we can’t pay money for because no one else would in turn buy them from us. These are usually books like Reader’s Digest Condensed volumes, or outdated law textbooks and things like that. When we get enough of these things, we box ‘em up and send ‘em to the home office. It’s my understanding that sometimes, companies will contact the home office and ask if they can buy books in bulk, purely for show. TV production companies have done this, and theater companies have too, so they can have a big wall full of books that look good, but that no one will actually read. They pay next to nothing for these books because they’re going to be used purely for decorative purposes.
It’s possible that some arrangement like this is how Monk’s got those sawed-up books in the first place. Judging from the condition of the binding of the book in your picture (or what little I can see of it), it’s possible that that particular copy would have had little value anyway, given its condition before it was chapped to 2/3 its size. I agree that it’s a regrettable way to treat fine literature, but it’s possible that those books might have otherwise been tossed in a dumpster. At least in this condition, people can see these books and say to themselves, “Hey, there’s War and Peace. I’ve never read that. I really should pick up a copy.” Of course, this too is only a possibility, and perhaps the most optimistic one at that. But it may not be all bad.
Your fellow book lover,
–Juliet
