Re: RARA-AVIS: Bargains -- Goodwill to all

From: btoomey@mail.javanet.com
Date: 13 Sep 2000


------------------------------------------------- What is the most satisfying hard-boiled bargain you have found? Doesn't have to be first-hand but it should be something you were looking for and would probably have paid more for.
-------------------------------------------------

About a month ago I was checking the local Goodwill -- generally the best used book store in my area -- and saw something that made my little heart go pitter pat. Apparantly someone had just cleaned out the attic, because there on the shelves were hundreds of 50's paperbacks in near mint condition: Gold Medal, Dell, Bantam, etc. All of them hardboiled. I'm talking things like a complete, perfect set of the Chet Drum series, all of my missing Shell Scotts, the complete Ben Gates series by Robert Kyle (only five books, but they're great, and in perfect unread condition), Robert Colby, Neil McNeil (W.T.Ballard), Richard Marsten (Ed McBain), and on and on, including some really obscure stuff like THE MAN OF COLD RAGES by Jordan Park (C. M. Kornbluth, considered by many to be his best novel; been seraching for that one for years), and a paperback of MOSTLY MURDER by Fredric Brown (try and find that one). Well, I filled up a couple of boxes, leaving behind the Kanes (Frank and H! enry) and a ton of Michael Shaynes, and brought them up to the counter. The lady looked at them and said, "These are so old I don't feel right about charging you full price for them." I smiled demurely. Adding it all up -- I'd taken around 150 books -- the average cost per book was around 21 cents. Now that's what I all a good day at the Goodwill.

BobT

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