A Rare Book 06/21/24
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I was in a thrift shop this morning, looking at books, when I came
across a volume that looked interesting.
Tree of Codes, by Jonathan Safran Foer
I picked it up, of course, and read the back cover--which revealed
absolutely nothing. I flipped through it and noticed it was not a
normal book... this book was a die-cut wonder, with words peeking
through seemingly randomly cut panels to reveal a sort of story (or
part of one).
My first thought was, "Ah, this is a pretentious piece of so-called
art." Then I thought perhaps it would be fascinating to attempt to
read... maybe it had something hidden that I would enjoy.
I wandered around the store with it, planning to buy it (they sell
paperbacks for $0.10 there, what could I lose?). After a while, my
internal debate ended with the thought, "Nah, I don't need some
bizarre book laying around. If it can't even tell me what it's about,
why should I bother? I have better things to do." I walked back to the
shelf to return it.
Standing in front of the bookshelf, I turned the volume over once more
in my hands, and noticed that the original price for the book was $40.
That's a lot for a paperback, even in today's world. Then I wondered,
"How much might these sell for on eBay?"
(I still find it amazing that I have the internet in my pocket all the
time. The first phone I had with internet was the Nokia 3650. That
thing was a wacky beast, but I was amazed at what I could do with it.
But I digress.)
Within seconds, I could see that this volume in my hands was listed
for anywhere between $220-$400 dollars. It was A Rare Book.
Of course I bought the volume, and read about it a little. While it is
interesting in its own way, I don't have a place for it in my life.
But I do have an eBay account. And so, there is now a bargain copy of
Tree of Codes for only $175, for interested collectors everywhere :)
Whether it is, in fact, a pretentious piece of so-called art I will
leave up to the buyer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335452245705