Horns, dilemma and ting
Resolved not to go into allbooks today (again). Failed (again). Then went to Vinnies and failed even moar. Oo what a lovely haul. But: problem.
Not sure how ethical using allbooks is. $5 for everything is great, especially when the very same (new, current) books are being flogged for $30 or $40 three shops down the road.
As a reader/collector and officially declared Low Income Earner, when [cost of six books I really want but have been Not Buying For Budgetary Reasons] <= [cost of one book I would have bought anyway], there's no reason not to embrace it, right? I'd normally wait six months and hope to find them second-hand for twice or three times the price.
HOWEVER.
I can't help feeling one should absolutely not be encouraging the devaluation of books-as-artefacts in this way; in the long term, surely it'll do more harm than good? Isn't it just furthering the perception that [perfectly reasonable amount] is routinely "too much just for a book" - that books should be understood as (a) commodity and (b) almost literally worthless?
What do/would you do, flist? *torn*
Not sure how ethical using allbooks is. $5 for everything is great, especially when the very same (new, current) books are being flogged for $30 or $40 three shops down the road.
As a reader/collector and officially declared Low Income Earner, when [cost of six books I really want but have been Not Buying For Budgetary Reasons] <= [cost of one book I would have bought anyway], there's no reason not to embrace it, right? I'd normally wait six months and hope to find them second-hand for twice or three times the price.
HOWEVER.
I can't help feeling one should absolutely not be encouraging the devaluation of books-as-artefacts in this way; in the long term, surely it'll do more harm than good? Isn't it just furthering the perception that [perfectly reasonable amount] is routinely "too much just for a book" - that books should be understood as (a) commodity and (b) almost literally worthless?
What do/would you do, flist? *torn*