Thursday, February 23, 2006
Mixed Emotions!
The Literary Editor greeted today's news that after this year the Brandeis used book sale would be no more. As the name implies, this is a "charity" used book sale meant to raise funds for Bradeis Univeristy's library. On one hand, the LE has fond memories of visiting the giant tent set up in the Old Orchard Shopping Center parking lot, surprise encounters with old acquaintances who had volunteered for the project, gawking at the used book bottom feeding sellers (this predates the ebay/amazon era) who would stroll up and down the crowded aisles literally filling shopping carts with used books, and joining with the Monz in mocking the endless and bottomless selection of Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," all hardback with bright yellow covers. On the other hand, the LE resented the amount of effort that went into this sale -- it was the only charitable undertaking for some of these volunteers -- given that the cause was so pathetic: more books for a very well endowed, small school?! Not exactly UNICEF. No, the LE would rather the money had been applied to world hunger, so that everyone could partake in a meal like today's Monz' dittolunch.
The Literary Editor greeted today's news that after this year the Brandeis used book sale would be no more. As the name implies, this is a "charity" used book sale meant to raise funds for Bradeis Univeristy's library. On one hand, the LE has fond memories of visiting the giant tent set up in the Old Orchard Shopping Center parking lot, surprise encounters with old acquaintances who had volunteered for the project, gawking at the used book bottom feeding sellers (this predates the ebay/amazon era) who would stroll up and down the crowded aisles literally filling shopping carts with used books, and joining with the Monz in mocking the endless and bottomless selection of Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," all hardback with bright yellow covers. On the other hand, the LE resented the amount of effort that went into this sale -- it was the only charitable undertaking for some of these volunteers -- given that the cause was so pathetic: more books for a very well endowed, small school?! Not exactly UNICEF. No, the LE would rather the money had been applied to world hunger, so that everyone could partake in a meal like today's Monz' dittolunch.
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