Snob Upset Little Free Library Offers No First Editions or Rare Manuscripts
Ugh! No National Book Award Finalists?
A local man in Saratoga Springs, NY wants to do something good for his neighborhood and it involves a Little Free Library. No, not to apply to install one, but get each and every one of them removed on the grounds that they reflect no culture or good literary taste.
"I'd be doing my neighborhood a favor," he says with his nose up. "How many more waterlogged paperbacks or outdated test prep books can we stand as a community?"
The man is referring to the Little Free Library, a free-standing book exchange box, on Regent Street. The library is typically managed by local volunteers who often stock them with donations, giveaways, or library discards.
The resident in question is not worried about the free library being an eyesore or potential spot for vandalism, but worried more about unreliable quality of books and lack of oversight by curators.
It seems his biggest concern with LFLs is the quality of the books they contain. Since LFLs are largely reliant on freebies, the selection of books can vary widely. It is not uncommon to find outdated or damaged books in these boxes.
"A Million Little Pieces is no longer an Oprah Book Club selection, people. And this one has a torn spine label. How am I supposed to display this on my bookshelves if I decide to take it?"
“Would it kill someone to leave an original ‘Tale of Peter Rabbit’ or something from the James Merrill Papers?”
His second concern seems to center around collection curation and organization. Since they are managed by volunteers, there is no guarantee that they are being properly managed and maintained.
"How can a copy of ‘Livingstone Mouse’ (which is total trash by the way) go next to book 10 of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club? Two totally different genres, to boot!"
And finally, the quality of the books seems to be something he is most fixated on. There are no books shortlisted for the Booker Prize, nor any National Book Critics Circle Award Nominees.
No rare first-editions, no out-of-prints, no original manuscripts.
“Would it kill someone to leave an original ‘Tale of Peter Rabbit’ or something from the James Merrill Papers?”
There are tons of Goodreads Choice Awards, however.
"Yuck, 90’s comedian memoirs and Colleen Hoover books? No thank you! I only read books that will stimulate me intellectually."
He did take a worn copy of ‘Vampire Academy’ and a cookbook, however.
"What? Vampire Academy is super underrated and the cookbook looked vintage, so it's probably worth something. At least this trip around the corner is somewhat salvageable."