Back in January, before COVID-19 bolted the doors to my public library, I entered the vestibule and saw that the tiny used bookstore located there, the proceeds from which help support the library, sported a cart in the hallway containing volumes from the classic “War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” with a sign reading “Make An Offer.” Stunned that the library was discarding this magnificent 128-volume resource, and certain that the librarian I knew at a small nearby college would love to own these books, I stepped into the store and offered the volunteer behind the desk a low-ball price of $60. “We can’t do that,” she said. “We’ve been selling the books for $4 to $5 apiece.”
Her answer shocked me. Not only was the library selling off a seminal historical work, but the volunteers in the bookshop were letting it go piecemeal, one or two books at a time.
