This isn't true, right? It's just an unsubstantiated blog post, right?

[conuly]

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<a href-"http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-it-true-are-40-of-books-printed.html">Because there's no way I can believe that 40% of books printed are pulped - right?</a>

Is there a Snopes article on this one?

Comments

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

your html is showing

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Far as we know it's true. Read Nicholas Sparks' Double Fold for more about this. It gets worse. Archival newspapers, even those in good shape, are routinely trashed every year.

Awhile back, we managed to lay hands on some Japanese manga from the late 1960s, Shogaku Ninensei and Sannensei to be exact, and a Bessatsu Margaret from 1970. We mentioned this in a Usenet discussion group on shoujo, and were told "You can't possibly have what you say you have. Either you're lying, or the person you bought them from was lying to you. Those were printed on very cheap paper and have long since crumbled into dust." And there the fucking things sit on our shelf!

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

So far as I know (from my experiences "stripping" paperbacks at the bookstore I worked for), that sounds about right. Once a month, one of us would sit down in the back and spend most of an 8-hour shift ripping covers off paperbacks (rendering them unsellable) and boxing them up to haul off. It's kind of horrible. We couldn't even take home ones we liked ourselves because it was still considered theft to take a stripped book, even though it couldn't be sold and was being pitched.

[rachelkachel]

Hence the "if you have purchased this book without a cover" thingy in the front of most books?

That's sad.

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it sucks. I confess, I have both "stolen" stripped books from the trash and bought books specifically for the purpose of keeping them from being stripped. I still die a little inside every time I have to destroy a Newberry book.

[conuly]

Eh, the dog dies in every last one of 'em. Newberries can be soooo overrated.

[rootedinsong.livejournal.com]

That makes me very sad. :(

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

*cringe* I'd have put it at closer to 30%, but yeah... I must admit, that's one of the worst parts of my job. What really sucks is how often those books end up in the landfill. I try to at least get them into the recycling bin whenever possible... but it isn't often.

BTW, did you get my email earlier this week? Haven't heard from you in a few days...

[conuly]

The one with the pics? Yeah, and I posted them!

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

ok, I'm just way behind on LJ, as usual.

Also, in case I forgot, please tell your mother "thank you" again for having me over to dinner!

[conuly]

Will do :)

And it's all right. Did you know you took a TON of pictures? It's a wonder your camera didn't weigh more or something :P

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

*grins* Are you kidding? That's the fewest number of pictures I've ever taken on an outing!! Check out some of my other photo albums.

Oh! I also have a few short video clips-- one of the girls in the lorikeet cage /before/ Ana got spooked, and the rest of the baby cheetahs. I'll try to upload them on, um... facebook or something, so you can see them. They may be too big to email. But they sure are cute!