Among the signs you’re living in a college town: Your local bookseller, in this case the Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square, posts the above sign, to “Please Ask at the Desk for Works by Charles Bukowski, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.” The cause is just as one would expect, shoplifting, an employee confirmed. For some reason, books by these authors just seem to disappear when left out ... like porn near a junior high.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
BEAT IT
Among the signs you’re living in a college town: Your local bookseller, in this case the Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square, posts the above sign, to “Please Ask at the Desk for Works by Charles Bukowski, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.” The cause is just as one would expect, shoplifting, an employee confirmed. For some reason, books by these authors just seem to disappear when left out ... like porn near a junior high.
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Yeah, it's part of the culture among fans of those writers to steal the books. We have to replace them regularly in library-land. And although I understand the spirit of it, I still have a hard time getting how they think it's going to help others come to appreciate these authors' works. Unless they don't *want* anybody new becoming fans, which doesn't make much sense.
Must help sales, though. A library or bookstore can't go around not stocking Beat writers, so whatever gets stolen must also be replaced. Clever.
I guess I'm missing it, though, being familiar only with Burroughs' writing. Is there something in these texts that seems to recommend the thefts? Some sort of meme among the Bukowski/Burroughs/Kerouac cognoscenti? In other words, are even shoppers who could borrow or who can afford to buy the books stealing them instead because that's what they're supposed to do?
Possible — I'll check other local bookstores, including the Harvard Coop. At the moment, I have to assume there's a bunch of people running around having the following conversation:
"I'm bored. What should we do?"
"Wanna go to Harvard and steal some Bukowski?"
This might be of interest...
Great link, Wrecking Ball. Do I owe the debt of gratitude to you as a blogger, though, or librarian?
Perhaps as a blogarian.
"Wanna go to Harvard and steal some Bukowski?"
"Let's go get sushi... and not pay."
There's some good sushi in Harvard Square, too, These people could make a night of it.
Blogger, librarian, bloggarian? I prefer to think of myself as a bliger -- we're bred for our skills in magic.
On the Media is also now available as a podcast, for those with a pod.
This is Carl; It wants me to "log in" and get a "password" in order for me to post under a username.
I don't care for that.
"On the Media", Marc, is that Sunday show on WBUR I keep nagging you to check out, only you keep not because you hate America or something. It's in complete harmony with your media-critic weltaunschaung.
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