An Email to a Bookseller

This sort of thing embarrasses the crap out of my children! I can't help myself.

A Quick Note

I received a used book (that is like new), ordered from Half Price Books via Amazon.  Thank you for dealing in

used books, for having a business that trades in books, new and used, and for making them available to anyone

anywhere.

I am soon to be 71 years old, and I have read thousands of books in my life so far.  I love books even though

there are audible recordings, digital editions, and other access to the stories that first came to earth as books

(movies/plays/paintings/sculpture etc).  Nothing is as wonderful as a book - one you can hold in your hand,

tote around for days, make notes in, put on a shelf, take down years later to look for a particular passage.   

I do not know how many people work for your business but please tell them all "thank you" from an old woman -

from the janitor to the manager to the owner and everyone in between.  They may be young folks who take the digital

world for granted, or think they are wasting their time working in an "unimportant" job, being of the opinion that printed

books are not important.  If they only knew how important books are to human beings, to the greater good for this

world, they would come to work with pride, as they should anyway.  People willing to work and make their own way

are the true treasure of any civilization.  People trading in real books are providing a genuine service to the rest

of the world, and me in particular.

I have read books that are considered great works of literature and I have read books that are considered trashy

by some, but regardless, I learned something from every book I have ever read.  Now, in America, we have people

censoring books, as if they can stop the truths contained in books!  One damned good thing about the internet:

burn the books in my school, I will read them online!!!

I started working at age 14 for 65 cents an hour, worked minimum wage jobs until I finally got through school,

then I worked for 39 years.  I know how easy it is to view a job as a soulless grind, or a low paying waste

of time, and everything in between.  Maybe you can share my sincere appreciation for the employees of your

business and thank them for a wonderfully valuable  service.

Most sincerely,

An old woman