Sorrows of an early boomer bookwork

JOA · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 2021

"Early boomer" for the purposes of this post means a date of birth between 1946 and 1950. If you can read, and if you are reading this, then "bookworm" needs no definition. Or it shouldn't.

So what are the sorrows or an early boomer bookworm? They come from the disappearance of books favored from 40 years ago. Or 30. Or even 20. Even if you have access to good libraries, as I do, this is in part the inevitable clash between limited shelf space and each year's flood of new books. But how sad it when old friends go away!

Comedy novels seem to have an especially short shelf life. I cannot find more than a fraction of the P. G. Wodehouse novels that I used to devour. So no more Uncle Fred in the Springtime. And except for the odd copy of The Mouse that Roared, all of Wibberly is gone. Many of these old favorites can be had from amazon.com only at what strike me as prices for collectors, not readers.

It was last night's insomnia that generates this plaint. Instead of counting sheep, I tell myself old stories. Although I didn't achieve sleep, I did bring back enough memories to want to reread Nevil Shute's The Trustee from the Toolroom. Alas, although my local library had this not 10 years ago, now it's gone. Gone, gone.

rbourne3 · Joined: 14 May 2004 Posts: 154 Location: North Florida

A search of books.google.com led me to a review containing this link where it can be purchased for $3-8.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Trustee+toolroom&cid=1079006937438882475&sa=button#ps-sellers

Robert Petruzzelli · Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 55 Location: Cherry Hill, NJ

Dear Early Boomer Bookworm, fret not. It might be a tiny weeney bit more work than moseyin' over to your library and falling into your favorite chair, but give Interlibrary loan a try.

Here in the Great State of South Jersey, I was interested enough in your lament that I logged onto my local library and checked out the interlibrary loan page. Typed in "Uncle Fred in the Springtime" and in a nanosecond located 12 copies, one of which, if I was so inclined to request, would be waiting for me at my little local library in about 2 days.

Yes, shelf space is at a premium in local libraries, but we can't all have the Library of Congress in our neighborhoods now can we. Sharing is the way to go.

BTW found 17 copies of The Trustee from the Toolroom

RP

David Traver · Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 08:46 pm Post subject:

Five copies of the Mouse that Roared in our interlibrary loan though our beloved Alice Baker Library. http://tinyurl.com/nvlo8v

Lament not, look deeper!

JOA · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 2021

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Darn it all, I was too late to snatch up that $3 copy of The Trustee From the Toolroom. Although it was a lesson to me not to depend on amazon.com's network of used book dealers for the lowest price.

I have not used interlibrary loan for quite some time. And when I did, I didn't get anything like a 2-day turnaround. But now that I have the taste set in my mouth for just that one book, I have used interlibrary loan to order a copy of The Trustee From the Toolroom from the next county over. And then I ordered a copy of Prince of Foxes. And then I ordered a copy of Stephem Meador's 1951 young adult classic, now mostly lost, Bulldozer. And then, before I started ordering all the Frank Yerby novels I'd like to read again, it came to me that I shouldn't be such a pig.

BTW, I do in fact own the privilege of being able to mosey over to the local library--not 10 minutes away. This is one of the reasons why Mary and I are not moving until we get too feeble to take care of her garden.

(I'm not a gardener. But if the gardener treats me right, I don't mind a spade. Or a wheelbarrow. Or a rake. Adapting from colonial history, and turning an old aphorism on its head, we could say "she for beauty, and he for beauty through her." Other gardeners who want this kind of willing garden laborer ought to think about what goes in to treating him right. Did I tell you that I now have a motorcyle?)

David Traver · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 02:28 am Post subject:

Books on E-bay are usually dirt cheap. Be sure to check there.

Guest · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 05:28 am Post subject:

If a book is out there, this site will usually pull it up.

http://www.bookfinder.com/