Crazy First Edition People!

By tom on August 14, 2009 | Add a Comment

Okay, here's where I offend somebody, but people who obsess over rare books make me crazy.  At SecondRun, our used bookstore, we sell paperbacks for $5 and hardcovers for $7-- good reading copies.  People turning in books are always upset that we don't want to pay them extra for rare first editions, but that's a very specialized industry that has mostly gone online.  We have the used bookstore because we want people to read more books, not to sell artifacts.

That said, I do love to have signed copies of books by my favorite authors.  First Printings if possible.  Its a little dweebish, but it's my way own little way of honoring them.  I have As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem, and I have The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, and I have Anagrams by Lorrie Moore.  And yes, I have a signed first printing of The DaVinci Code which I did not sell even when prices got quite high.

Of all the great authors we have coming to the store and to The Music Hall this fall, I think I'm most excited about Barbara Kingsolver.  It's been quite a while since she's had a new novel, and I'm looking forward to it. It looks like the event is just about sold out, but you can still stop by the store and pick up a voucher for a signed first printing of The Lacuna.  I can't wait to read it.