Went outside the city over the weekend to a recycling center I know about and they have a metal trailer on site that is used for books and clothes. I found a handful of things including an 1800's copy of two books in one volume of J. Fenimore Cooper's work. Lionel Lincoln and The Wept of Wish-ton-wish.. The volume had been part of a set of collected novels by Cooper that had been published by Belford, Clarke, and Co. I haven't been able to get an exact read on the publication date but it seems to be 1850's.
To my great disappointment, however, the book has been taped together using clear packing tape. It's "together" but the value of the book is almost nil. There are no markings inside the book. It's an otherwise beautiful object. Otherwise, com'on, be serious, the binding must have broken and the idiot owner or whatever had the genius idea of using packing tape to hold it together. Repaired on the cheap. Christ, why did they bother? I am glad to have it in my possession but I won't expect to make a dime off of it. It's an orphan, a stray, a lost "soul". It's my job to save it.
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