Library Book Sales (which I still refer to as book fairs for some reason) are like the floating craps games of the literary world – except everyone’s a winner.  Despite my arguments against coercive funding of public libraries in general and my problems with my local President of the Morgan Hill Friends of the Library I’ve been haunting library book sales since I was old enough to leave the house on my own.  And I don’t think I’ve ever walked out of a single one without new reading material under my arm.

This afternoon I stopped by the Friends of the Milpitas Library Fall Book Sale and walked out with my wallet $25 lighter, but my bookshelf 13.2 pounds heavier (and those were all paperbacks!)  At a price of $1.50/inch I managed to find 25 new books for my personal library.  Everything from the 1977 In Search of Myths and Monsters by Alan Landsburg (with a foreward by Leonard Nimoy!), to The Analects of Confucius as translated and annoted by Arthur Waley, and from Look and Learn French by Anna Balakian  to help Zaira withe her French lessons which are entirely online) to What’s the Number for 911? America’s Wackiest 911 Calls by Leland H. Gregory III (because Z’s mom used to be a 911 dispatcher).  Not to mention more than a dozen “classics” including To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee which is required reading for Z’s English class this year, but we’ve been unable to find in a half dozen rips to vaious used book stores.

Speaking of used bookstores… I still have that fetish as well, and since I’m home schooling Zaira now we’ve been making more trips then ever.  But the last time we visited Book Buyers in Mountian View we picked up 10 books for  $65.  We regularly have the same experience at my favorite local used book store: Recycle Books in downtown San Jose. As much as I love them, they just can’t even come close to the bargains available at library book sales.

I just today discovered a great new resource for book sale lovers such as myself.  It’s called, simply enough, Book Sale Finder.  They list literally thousands of library and private book sales around the country all organized by location and date.  Best of all is their Sale Mail feature which will send you an email whenever a book sale is coming up in your area (defined by the number of miles from your zip code you’re willing to travel).  I just discovered the site today so can’t provide any feedback on how well Sale Mail works, but the site’s been around for more than 15 years now and was written up in Woman’s Day magazine a few years back so I’m guessing it works pretty well.

Post from: Philaahzophy

Why I Love Library Book Sales!

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As you probably already know, anarchists, libertarians, and freedom lovers are really big on books. In fact, the written word is still, by far, the greatest influence on the vast majority of converts. The problem with this is two-fold: 1) many of the books are dry and boring, and 2) the books aren’t exactly easy to “stumble across” if you’re not looking for them.  Freedom Book Club aims to solve both of these problems and you can help.

Each month four selections are posted at the Freedom Book Club home page.  All you need to do is swing by and vote for your favorite.   Then, during the first week of the next month, everyone interested will buy the selected book.  Voting for a selection does not obligate you to buy the book that is ultimately selected.

So, how does this help further the message of freedom?  It’s simple really.  Bestseller lists (New York Times, Amazon, etc) aren’t actually based on how many copies of a book get purchased.  rather, they’re based on how many books are purchased within a given time frame.  In other words, it’s velocity not volume.  By having hundreds (thousands?) of liberty lovers all purchase a specific book within the same week we can rocket these books up onto the best seller lists and get them much more attention from the general public.

Additionally, since each month’s book is selected by popular vote we can concentrate our efforts on works that are much more palatable to a general audience. For example…

Last month’s selection, Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression by Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, PhD sold out at Amazon.com not once, but twice. Of course, the Freedom Book Club has no way of knowing if they were the direct cause of such a rush on a 5 year old book, but their efforts certainly didn’t hurt! Healing Our World is, quite possibly, the ultimate primer on freedom. Written in an easygoing, friendly style it still manages to tear apart just about every possible reason one could have for remaining a statist despite government’s repeated failures. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you not only put it on your reading list, but that you put it at the very top.

But I’m getting sidetracked again. Just take a few minutes to check out Freedom Book Club.  Not only will you help spread the message of liberty to the masses, but you just might find a few books to enjoy and enlighten at the same time.

Post from: Philaahzophy

Applied Anarchy – Make Freedom A Bestseller

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Do you remember me talking about how Amazon couldn’t sell 100,000 copies of The Tales of Beedle The Bard Collector’s Edition in a week?  Well, that wasmore than three months agao and guess what… it still hasn’t sold out!

Deepening that insult is the fact that Amazon has included this “must have”, “magical treasure” to their annual Customers Vote Super holiday savings event at a discount price of $50.00. When have you ever seen the exclusive marketer of a genuine, in demand collectible drop the price by a full 50% after pre-orders have begun and before release? Isn’t the idea supposed to be that this thing will “skyocket” in value?  It would seem that Amazon, the most knowledgable bookseller in the history of the world, made a huge mistake when determining the continuing marketability of the Harry Potter brand.

Seeing this book on the ‘ultra sale shelf’ reminded me that the latest film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was scheduled for release this past weekend.  Well, for some reason (running away from Twilight, perhaps?) the release date got pushed all the way back to next July despite the film having been completed and “in the can” several months ago.

Yes, things aren’t looking so hot for Eng;and’s favorite boy wizard…

Post from: Philaahzophy

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I was looking for a “rare” horror collection containing a story by F. Paul Wilson this week when I stumbled across a great way to save serious cash. The book is called Heroic Fantasy and it contains (amongst other things) a short story titled Demonsong that is the first tale in F. Paul Wilson’s “Secret History Of The World”. I’m in the process of collecting everything Wilson has ever written so that I can review it for The F. Paul Wilson Project.  But wait, I’m getting off track here…

I googled the book’s ISBN and, of course, Amazon was the first result.  Amazon had four copies available.  Unfortunately their prices ranged from $31.50 to $350.00!  Google’s second result was a site called PaperBackSwap.com.  I’ve heard of various “online book exchange” sites befor, but never used one.  I tend to be a hoarder of books that I’ve read.  But I poked around this one a bit hoping I could swap something for Heroic Fantasy and save myself $30.00 or so.  Here’s how it works…

• Register your email and snail addresses
• Start listing books you have available for swap
• (Optional) Once yo ulist 10 books you receive two free Book Credits (explained below)
• When someone sees a book they want that you have the system sends you an email with the book name and the person’smailing address
• You pack up the book and ship it off to them.
• When they receive the book yu recieve one Book Credit
• You can exchange your Book Credit for any book on the site

It’s a great system as your only expense is shipping off the books that people have requested from you.  When you request a book you pay absolutely nothing!  Considering even used paperbacks are pushing $4 and you can mail off a book media mail for less than $3 it’s quite a bit of savings.

Of course, I didn’t have 10 paperbacks I was ready to part with yet, so I poked around a bit more and discovered that you can buy Book Credits for only $3.45!  I purchased 3 credits and scooped up the ‘rare’ book I was seeking as well as a couple of other treasures.

If you’re a voracious (or even regular) reader and aren’t extremely picky about the condition of your books this site could be a savings godsend. They also have three sister sites SwapaCD, SwapaDVD and SwapaGoat which work on the same system.  So if you’re a music or movie junkie there’s something for you as well.

If you enjoyed this post, and/or found it useful, please take a moment to either Stumble it or add it to your favorite bookmarking site. Thanx!

Post from: Philaahzophy

Save Big on Books with PaperBackSwap

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…to be politicians.
While checking out the new Salvation Army Store in Gilroy (one of the few ways to avoid sales tax) last weekend I came across a mint condition copy of Dr. Fred Schwarz’ You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists, originally published in 1960).  The paperback copy I picked up was printed in 1972, but looks like it just came off the press this morning.  But, my love of ‘new’ old books isn’t the point here.  Instead, I’d like to share a section of the first chapter with y’all. Oh, but I am going to make one minor change-

The statement is frequently heard “you cannot trust the Politicians.” This is incorrect; you can trust the Politicians.

They are extremely trustworthy. You can trust a cancer cell to obey the laws of its lawless growth. You can trust an armed bank robber to take the money and try to escape. Similarly you can trust the Politicians to act in accordance with the laws of their being.

When people operate according to clearly defined principles they are both trustworthy and predictable. While we continue to believe that the Politicians think, feel and believe as we do the Political movement is, as Winston Churchill described [the Communists] “a riddle wrapped in an enigma.” The movements of the heavenly bodies appeared mysterious and unpredictable til Copernicus discovered the governing laws. When we understand the philosophy of Politicians the unified purpose concealed in their frequently chaotic and contradictory conduct is revealed.

Schwarz’ purpose (and mine) in these few paragraphs is to help those interested in defeating Communists (Politicans) to better understand their enemy.  As long as you remind yourself that Politicians are trustworthy – in the sense that they will always act in their own self-interest – their actions are vastly more understandable.

If you already consider yourself an anarchist, Libertarian, or freedom lover than this is probably obvious to you.  You’ve also probably encountered many a person who simply can’t understand your views.  This, may well be the reason why.  They have not yet come to realize that politicians always act i ntheir own self-interest. Bring them to that understanding and the rest will most likely fall in place.

Post from: Philaahzophy

Applied Anarchy: You CAN Trust Politicians…

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I’ve seen each of the Harry Potter films as they came out.  Not because I’m a Potter fan, but because I’m a movie fan. I see just about every major Hollywood release. I haven’t read a single one of the books, though I did try listening to the audio book of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The only problem was it couldn’t hold my attention – I’d either fall asleep or find my mind wandering. In other words, I suppose I’m a muggle. I don’t particularly dislike Harry Potter, he just doesn’t really register on my radar, or on that of my 12 year old daughter.

I am, however, a collector of many things and understand the mania that collectors have for all things related to their field of interest. I’m also enough of an iconoclast to love news reports about the downfall of hugely popular topics. Which is why I’ve been following the message boards over at Amazon.com relating to the Collector’s Edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

For those unfamiliar with the book, it seems that last year Ms. J.K. Rowling hand-penned a set of seven journal-sized books containing the collected tales of Beedle The Bard, a fictional character in the Harry Potter universe. Six of these hand-created tomes were given to “friends of the Harry Potter series” while the seventh was auctioned for charity accompanied by the assertion that the book would “never be published”. Well, Amazon.com won the auction for roughly $4,000,000 and Rowling announced last week that, despite her earlier promise the bard’s tales would, indeed, be published on December 4th of this year. Which only proves that anything is possible when there’s money to be made

In addition to the traditional US and UK editions, Amazon.com has the exclusive distribution rights to a limited Collector’s Edition of the book which their site describes as follows-

Tucked in its own case disguised as a wizarding textbook found in the Hogwarts library, the Collector’s Edition includes an exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling’s handwritten introduction, as well as 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition or the original. Opening the case reveals a velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature, in which sits the piece de resistance: your very own copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, complete with metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones; and emerald ribbon.

Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling’s legions of readers–as well as Aesop’s wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm–each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling’s new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle’s collection “take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe,” and “that magic causes as much trouble as it cures.”

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard’s-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered “among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives,” the venerable wizard’s ruminations on the Tales allow today’s readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that “Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles” during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led “a certain Beatrix Bloxam” to cleanse the Tales of “much of the darker themes that she found distasteful,” forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump” that “many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead.”

Both a wise and delightful addition to the Harry Potter canon, this new translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is all that fans could hope for and more–and an essential volume for the libraries of Muggles, wizards, and witches, both young and old.

It sounds like an absolutely lovely book. Although the main Amazon listing doesn’t mention how many copies of the Collector’s Edition will be created, several press releases have confirmed the number to be limited to 100,000. Of course, Rowling’s lied to us about the liited nature of her books before, so…

However, what’s so tickled my fancy over the last week has been the gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair in the Amazon message boards over whether those who have pre-ordered their book would actually receive them, given its limited nature. It seems that, despite all evidence to the contrary, Harry Potter fans simply can’t believe that this beautifully crafted replica hasn’t sold out in less than a week. Personally I’m not in the least bit surprised.

Sure, the last Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the seventh and final Harry Potter book) currently holds the pre-order record at Amazon.com with 1.6 million copies pre-ordered, but that book also only cost $18 whereas the Collector’s Edition costs a cool $100. Besides, the Collector’s Edition is competing with the standard edition of the book which is available for a mere $8, and this book doesn’t even mention Harry himself!

Of course, I still ordered one Why? Because the next Harry Potter film (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) releases on November 21st, The Tales of Beedle The Bard releases on December 4th, and Christmas is on December 25th. Which will all add up to big demand on eBay for this Collector’s Edition this holiday season and I have no problem whatsoever profiting off of other people’s collectible needs in order to further fund my own.

Post from: Philaahzophy

Harry Potter and the Marketing Mania Meltdown

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The Stevens Construction Institute has requested that I help spread the news about Matt Stevens’ new book Managing a Construction Firm on Just 24 Hours a Day, which has got to be the best title for a business book (never mind a construction book), in history. If you’re already sold (as I was by the title alone), then simply follow this Link to Book Reviews and Ordering Information. For those who are still with me, I’ll go on…

By the numbers… 406 pages, 130 Best Practices, more than 100 illustrations, 60 Excel templates to set up everything you need, and a CD with 5 e-courses to guide you along.

Richard Korman, Senior Business Editor, Engineering News Record and ENR.com wrote: “It is like talking to your older brother who has clamped a hand on your shoulder and is telling you the blunt honest truth about the costs associated with schedule compression or right-sizing your overhead.” I only wish I could put it as well. Basically, if you’re struggling with your construction firm, wishing you could do better, or even just considering whether or not to start your own, then this book is a must have.

Post from: Philaahzophy

Best Business Book Title, EVER!

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I was VERY interested in reading this book after hearing the author (Lee Stringer) talk about it on NPR. Unfortunately, when I finally tracked it down, I was disappointed.

Mr. Stringer IS an excellent writer and his prose flows freely into the mind while the reader can easily visualize the scenarios being written about. However, as someone who has been homeless for the last half-dozen years I found the book lacking real grit. More time is spent on platitudes, personal quasi-philosophical soundbites and repeated stories then on actual ’stories from the streets’ as promised by the book’s subtitle.

If you’re really interested in reading about what life on the street’s is like then I’d highly recommend the following two books:

Living at the Edge of the World: A Teenager’s Survival in the Tunnels of Grand Central Station by Tina S. and Jamie Pastor Bolnick
ISBN-13: 978-0312200473

The Mole People : Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City
by Jennifer Toth, et al.

Neither of these works have a foreward by Kurt Vonnegut, but the tales in each are far more compelling then those told here.

Grand Central Winter: Stories from the Street

ISBN-13: 978-1888363579

Recommended:
No

Post from: Philaahzophy

Grand Central Winter: Stories from the Street

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