the having vs. the getting in regard to out-of-print books

[wasabi_poptart]

One of my pre-Internet obsessions hobbies was collecting everything by Tanith Lee I could get my hands on. This was a challenge, owing to her carefully-maintained status as perpetually out-of-print cult author, and I would spend hours poking through used bookstores and yard sales and library sales and such to see what I could find. I managed to amass quite a collection, too.

This weekend, while I was at Fluid Movement practice, Maggie got bored (and maybe a titch resentful) and ate the copy of Cyrion I'd foolishly left within her reach on my nightstand.

When I found it at Haslam's in St. Pete eight years ago, it made my whole fucking week. However, on the Alibris website, there are 31 available copies. You can order one, or all 31, in less time than it takes to grab a naughty dog by the collar and haul her out to the backyard.

Don't get me wrong. I think the access to and availability of goods and services provided by the Internet is a miraculous, wonderous thing. But there's a definite trade-off.

Thanks to sites like Alibris, anybody who wants a copy of Cyrion can have it, but there's no fun in the getting anymore.

Comments

[sarahmarvelous.livejournal.com]

I feel this way about concerts: I used to try very hard as an early teen to get a copy of the City Paper (preferably the D.C. CP) and scan all the upcoming shows for my favorite bands' next apperance in town. Now, all I have to do is go online and I can find out their entire tour for the year! And finding obscure or out of print cds is super easy, no more rooting through Goldmine for cool posters that no one else has.