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Bookstore Owner Burns Books

Posted by kdawson on from the you'll-never-see-this-book-alive-again dept.

Several readers sent us links to an AP story about a pair of Kansas City booksellers who staged a book bonfire, claiming to protest declining literacy. The story doesn't convey a sure sense of the booksellers' motives for what could, in fact, be a PR stunt or a subtle act of extortion against book lovers — it does mention that people were buying books out of the piles awaiting immolation. The bookstore's own site tries to sound sincere, but it offers visitors a chance to save books from the flames for $1 each plus postage.

9 of 371 comments (clear)

  1. won't RTFA by digitalderbs · · Score: 5, Funny

    I couldn't be bothered to read TFA... what's this about?

    1. Re:won't RTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Disposal issues with legacy media platforms.

    2. Re:won't RTFA by setirw · · Score: 5, Funny

      lol i dunno sumting abot pore liturcy in the us lol!!1

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  2. Wonder what books they burned... by setirw · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd guess Fahrenheit 451.

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    This message printed on 100% post-consumer recycled electrons.
  3. Did he buy his carbon offsets? by Ngarrang · · Score: 5, Funny

    Did he buy his carbon offsets for the burning of these books?

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    Bearded Dragon
  4. Re:So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    i just got done righting a book you insensitive moran

  5. Re:Books are re-usable commodities. by samwichse · · Score: 5, Funny

    Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code

    Now there is a book I'd like to read!

    Sam
  6. Re:So what? by Bugs42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    i just got done righting a book you insensitive moran My last name is Moran, you insensitive clod!
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    Programmer: an ingenious device that converts caffeine into code.
  7. Re:Triad of Inquisition by zeroduck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Theres a great way to save old books--BookMooch. People list their unwanted books to give away to other users of the website. It's pretty simple--list your books for 1/10th point each, receive 1 point for giving a book away, and spend 1 point to get a book from another member.

    ...and thats my pimping BookMooch speech.

    I'd doubt that there is enough profit at $1 a book to organize and store the books--you're talking about a lot of books. Most older books just don't have much of a market value; I assure you that nothing you would want to read was destroyed (although, I still cringe on the thought of burning books).