Head Scratch of the Day

Worldwide lost the library's copy of Flannery O'Connor.s Everything That Rises Must Converge, and I went to make amends this afternoon, debating whether I should identify her as the culprit--"My Wife lost the book."

I decided not to implicate her, and the librarian reported that there were two ways to proceed: I could order a copy through the library, or place my own order and simply offer it as a substitute. The library could get it for me for $30, $5 more than the new Amazon price and $25 more that a used copy in good condition.

Don't libraries buy lots of books? How can it be that I can get a better price than they can? It doesn't make a lot of sense. And when I asked the librarian if they had considered printing their own copies of material available through Project Gutenberg, she looked at me like I had asked her if she knew when the Mongols ruled China.