Tag: Book CSI

Photo Catch-up

In my state of blogging lethargy, I’ve accumulated a number of miscellaneous photos that haven’t found a post of their own. Here’s a big photo-dump to bring myself up to date.

One for my Book CSI series analysing book abuse, neglect…and here just ineffectual good intentions:

This message was jotted–with the enthusiasm of a 10-year-old girl–on the outside of a package that was folded in half in my mail box. You can’t rile a postman like that. In the time it took to write this cutesy and pathetic plea, the seller could have cut a piece of cardboard and reinforced the book so that it would actually be inconvenient to pound it into taco shape.

Here’s one of my favorite grafitti tags (after “Neckface” and “Backfat”) that appeared near my subway stop on the Q train:


An edifying message, diluted a bit by the appearance of the classic “upsk*rt”, but still I’d like to see this one go city-wide. Really curious what kind of crap this building is stuffed with. Didn’t notice the mountain of clutter until I processed the photo.

My folk art, big rig toy chest in its new home:

That’s Mego Spock riding shotgun, with Scotty at the wheel. I found this at a stoop sale back in June and I couldn’t part with it. I think I’ll use the trailer as my time capsule for stashing hi-grade books that’ll be rare in 10 years.

Jug City:

We pass this establishment every year on the way to camp. I love a “Postal Outlet” with signage like an off-brand Hooters. Last time I saw Jug City, some other–relatively jugless–business had taken over the space but thankfully they kept the name. One day I hope to retire to Canada and open “Jug City Books” and the window display at least will be up to snuff.

…keeping to the theme. My favorite bad break (one of the quiet joys of proofreading) in recent memory:

Amazon suggested this “pay phrase” to my demure wife (“…embly” was after the break). She passed on that one for some reason. Previous to this my favorite BB I discovered in a book catalog I was proofing was:

The most feared weapon in Hitler’s arse-
nal

And lastly a haul from a month or so back that I forgot to post:

All from the GOB sale of an estate/storage liquidator. My best one-time cartridge score until the World’s Largest Garage Sale earlier this month. This photo is part of the “Junk in Your Trunk” photoset on Flickr documenting garage sale and thrift finds.

All right, caught up. And until I replace my scanner the Hang Fire Blog will likely be a bit image light. So does anyone have any particular aspect of bookselling, pulp fiction (or whatever) they’d like to see me write on? The brain is a bit scattered lately and I wouldn’t mind some outside imposed direction.

Book CSI: Dumbass Killfile

I recently listed a first paperback edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train and–in the process of pricing my copy–I noticed one on ABE that was underpriced and restorable so I bought it up.

This is what I received in the mail:


Transparent plastic baggy, no padding or stiffeners whatsoever and–if that wasn’t bad enough– the bookseller had stuck an inventory label directly on the spine of a delicate 58-year-old paperback.


After a careful 10-minute application of sticker removal the best I could do was this…


I recovered and readherred the chip, but what a pain in the ass.

It’s true that I was deliberately buying a low-grade book from someone who doesn’t know how to catalog or price a book but do they have to suck at their trade so badly that they damage books more than they already are (and more than is described in their listing)?

I was so livid that I ended up spending 45-minutes restoring a maybe $25 dollar book.

As of now I’m officially starting my dumbass killfile of booksellers that I will never buy from again. Does anyone have such a list going already? Want to share info?

BOOK CSI: Tastiest Book Ever and Porno Proof-Reading

I saw a box of 100+ British Dr. Who pbs for sale this past weekend. I was waffling about trying them on eBay when I picked one up and noticed the telltale 1/8″ bore-holes indicating bookworms. Looking further I found this one which has the highest number of holes I’ve seen on a single book: 13!



3-4 holes in a text block is not uncommon in titles from the 40s and earlier but this book is from 1982! This leads me to conclude that the Doctor Who Crossword book is the most delicious confection ever printed.

Next up a batch of sleaze paperbacks that showed up in the mail. The covers were nice and the bindings were solid but fanning the pages I noticed heavy ink underlining and marginalia. On further investigation I discovered the previous owner had developed an elaborate system to annotate his porn using multi-colored ink, pictograms for particular sex acts and indexes on the inside back cover.

and more (NWS): 1, 2, 3

When reading this type of literature, you’re already reduced to one hand. But when the other hand contains a multicolor hi-lighting pen, it seems you’re missing the point.

Book CSI is a continuing record of the sins against books committed by readers, the elements and time. I’m posting interesting cases as I find them. Please report any noteworthy crimes to our desk man.

Homemade X-Rated Book Cover

I found this copy of Mauel Puig’s Betrayed by Rita Hayworth with a painstakingly hand-crafted nudey cover.

I find a lot of altered erotica PBs, but usually they’re going the other way and de-emphasizing the sleaze.

This book is up for grabs. Email me if you want it (for cost of postage).

Also in the book was this bookstore record-keeping slip from the “Loreen Inventory Control System” dated 1976.
Any bookstore veterans ever encounter this? Looks like you fill in a number for the initial order and then mark how many are sold in each successive month. I’d don’t envy the poor clerk who had to fill these things out.

Book CSI: Permanent Stickers and Huge boxes

Don’t you love it when you find a book that has struggled through almost 80 years of existence and–against-all-odds–held onto it’s delicate DJ only to have a dumbass thrift store employee slap a non-removeable price sticker on it?


Is it that hard to find a f***ing pencil?

Or how about when you receive a long awaited package only to discover your books have been rattling around like beans in a maraca?


On the flip side I received a vintage paperback packed with a very clever use of recycled materials. The seller used an old clamshell VHS case.


I was a little afraid the book would have been dented by the reel sprockets but they were thoughtful enough to wrap the book in plastic and crumpled paper.


Gold Star! Next time I see a case of these things by the curb I’m going to grab them.

All right, to continue my tradition of doing tedious, arduous things on my birthday (and prove that I’m the worst boss I’ve ever had) I’m off to pack and ship books.

Seeing the new Werner Herzog South Pole movie tonight though and getting salt-baked fish and black sesame ice cream in China town. That’ll make up for it.

Book CSI: Crunchy Goodness

I’ve been a champion for the use of recycled packing materials for a while now. As long as it’s clean and provide the necessary protection, I appreciate thrift and resourcefulness in packaging.

It had to happen though…I just received books in the proverbial cereal box



While undoubtedly nutritious “Go Lean CRUNCH!” provides little to no impact or crush protection.

Thankfully when I buy books I usually only want one or two of them and the rest of the lot is padding by proxy.

BOOK CSI: Love in the Burn Ward


The color beneath the cover laminate of this copy of Her Private Passions, aka: The Glass Heart by Marty Holland (Avon 181) has bled in such a way that it looks like the cover models had some kind of disfiguring rash.

I’m glad they found each other.

Book CSI is a continuing record of the sins against books committed by readers, the elements and time. I’m posting interesting cases as I find them. Please report any noteworthy crimes to our desk man.

Hard-boiled Deja Vu

The Rap Sheet–a great crime-fiction blog–has done a series of posts on “Copycat Covers”–stock images that have been recycled in multiple designs.

These book to book comparisons offer a fascinating insight into the design process and there are numerous examples of both laziness and of extremely creative photo-manipulation.

Check them out here and if you discover any new ones, submit them to Rap Sheet.

Book CSI: Stealth Smut

A while back I promised I would start posting on egregious sins committed against books. So here’s the first in my series of Book CSI cases.

I recently picked up a large lot of vintage paperback smut and about 2/3 of them had the spines completely blacked out.


Looks like the owner lined them up and hit ’em with the spray can. I guess he didn’t want to broadcast his reading taste to the world…like people are going to assume blacked-out mass markets are Remembrance of Things Past or something.

I’ve seen a lot of interesting things done to these books. Necklines raised with magic marker, pasties drawn on, 3/4 inch staples through the open edge, it’s a shame but the varied attempts at censorship are fascinating.

So if anyone finds unique examples of book destruction, take some photos and send them in. If we keep quiet about these crimes they’re just going to keep happening.

Shop my Vintage Sleaze Paperback catalog.