Slog - Comments on Conversation With a Book Thief

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:47:34 -0800

If he just does it for the pleasure of reading, where does this pleasure of amassing a huge collection come into it? There goes one sociopathic motherfucker who needs to spend some time in the company of his peers. In a prison.

Seriously: what is it about Bukowski that attracts these doodlebugs so much? Is it the fantasy rebel aspect?

Comment by stunk

stunk — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:48:35 -0800

does the thief read anyone besides bukowski?

Comment by Hernandez

Hernandez — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:49:47 -0800

What a douche. Talk about moral relativity run amok.

"I'm poor so it's okay to steal shit" - no, it's not.

Comment by Anon

Anon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:51:36 -0800

�to poor to buy book thieves�

It's too poor. Too. Clinton is the new Nader.

Comment by

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:51:41 -0800

You want to keep the books you read? Then buy them, asshole. Just because you're stealing from "the big guys" doesn't make you any less of a prick.

Comment by Jason Josephes

Jason Josephes — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:55:36 -0800

What a jerk.

Comment by elenchos

elenchos — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:01:08 -0800

Mmmmmm. Troll? Troll.

The article even provides a prefab character sketch of the type of person Paul Constant hates. That's the thing about making a troll persona: 9 times out of 10, the biter actually does all the characterization work for you. You just toss off something the character would say and then stand back and enjoy the flamage.

Comment by Dougsf

Dougsf — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:10:01 -0800

That person isn't stealing books because they like reading them, they like STEALING them.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:12:08 -0800

So how is this different from tagging?

Both do bad things to other people because they think what they care about is more important than what anyone else cares about ... just like ECB does.

Comment by Aislinn

Aislinn — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:13:06 -0800

People like that don't deserve to read.

Comment by don't break the oath

don't break the oath — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:19:09 -0800

Man, I don't know who's worse, bukowski or bukowski fans.

Comment by Mr. Poe

Mr. Poe — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:20:27 -0800

What a fucking loser.

Comment by D

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:24:26 -0800

Hmmmm, GET A JOB! Hey I know, Get a job at a bookstore so you can have that nice lil discount. What an ass.

Comment by the bloop

the bloop — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:26:47 -0800

What a fucktard.
And University Book Store is an independent bookstore.

Comment by Book Store Boy

Book Store Boy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:31:08 -0800

Those of us who currently work at University Book Store got quite a kick out of seeing Dude follow "[I]occasionally [steal from] the UW Bookstore" with "I�ve never lifted anything from an independent shop."

Pruf that reeding lotz of buks wil maik yoo smarder, huh?

Comment by Greg

Greg — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:36:27 -0800

I don't think this guy's bad, exactly, but he should be boiled with a little extra pepper and garlic powder just in case.

Comment by bma

bma — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:38:45 -0800

What an asshole.

Comment by Mr.Designer

Mr.Designer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:39:11 -0800

This person is so full of SH*T. I'd like to see Judge Judy deal with him. I've gone to my little local library and put in a book request to get books from other libraries if they are unavailable at my library. He doesn't have to steal. Grumble Grumble Grumble.

Comment by Mr.Designer

Mr.Designer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:43:06 -0800

Also, this person was stupid enough to write and say what he likes to steal. Hopefully he will be identified next time he tries to take his Bukowski book. (i never heard of this author, should I have?)

Comment by Katelyn

Katelyn — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:50:51 -0800

Mr. Designer, sign up on the library waitlist for Bukowski.

I thought this was funny. It's a great example of someone justifying his annoying and immoral actions, and actually convincing himself that he's IN THE RIGHT about it.

Comment by Reverse Polarity

Reverse Polarity — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:52:03 -0800

If you're poor and you steel food to survive, I can have a little sympathy.

If you're poor, and you steel books because you're too lazy to go on the wait list at the library, and/or you want to add to your private book collection, you're nothing but a self-indulgent asswipe.

Comment by the shelver

the shelver — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:55:16 -0800

Mad that we kicked you out when you came in just to use the bathroom to wash up, dude?

Or are you one of these people?

Comment by Phred Meijer

Phred Meijer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:58:55 -0800

see, this is why I steal cars- I value the bus too much
(I see it as a friend of the community, and you don't steal from friends) to steal it when I need to take a joy ride. Plus it's so damn hard to parallel park them.

Comment by Gabe Global

Gabe Global — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:00:39 -0800

Capitalism is a system built on absolute self-interest. Citizens of every class exploit or steel from others. Every big company cuts corners to steel wages out of the pockets of their workers. He�s just using his competitive advantage of being a good book thief with about as much CSR as he can muster. Fuck the big companies, they�ll be fine.

Comment by Jerod

Jerod — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:01:02 -0800

This is obviously a joke.

"You have to ask the clerk to get it from the back before you run out the door with it."

Nobody does this.

Comment by Mr.Designer

Mr.Designer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:07:12 -0800

25, you obviously haven't worked in retail.

Comment by rtm

rtm — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:28:25 -0800

Oh FFS. If you really read, you have 10-40 items on hold at the library at any given time - and when your precious Bukowski is in, you'll get it. Perhaps until then you can busy yourself with The Zen of Fish, Straw Dogs, or any of the other 60-80 books I have checked out over the last 9 months.

And when I just can't wait - as with the new William Gibson a few months - I shell out. At an independent bookstore. But I quit stealing books when I was 17.

Comment by M

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:32:33 -0800

I think it's sweet he won't steal from the library. Everybody else sure does.

Comment by Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:40:41 -0800

A roommate of mine used to steal loads of books (he would fill up backpacks full of them) from the local chain book stores & sell them on Amazon. Considering how easy it is to steal them, you have to think that a large portion of the Amazon marketplace books sold are stolen.

Comment by the bloop

the bloop — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:44:17 -0800

Kind off topic, but my house was robbed and all our stuff ended up on Craigslist. I am very skeptical of Amazon, Craiglist, et al.

Comment by blanchard

blanchard — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:26:26 -0800

There is a terrific book about this very subject. One of the protagonists, a radical hiding out here, works in an independent book store. Everyone is stealing from them in 1999 too. It's called "Eat The Document" by Dana Spiotta. Lots of Seattle atmosphere.

Regarding Bukowski� "Post Office" is mind blowing. His exit interview after 14 years of working there is second only to Henry Miller's Demonic Telegraph Company riff. Hilarious and working class gold!

BTW... Bukowski always worked for a living... he didn't steal.

Comment by PA Native

PA Native — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:21:13 -0800

Ditto @3.

Sidebar: There's lots or Bukowski available at King County Library and I'd like to see why its worth stealing. Which book should I start with?

Comment by whatanidiot

whatanidiot — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:42:35 -0800

What an idiot, now every bookstore in town is going to go stick those metal alarm thingies in every Bukowski book they own.

Comment by peachum

peachum — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:52:38 -0800

"first comes the food, morals follow on."

Comment by curious

curious — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:56:47 -0800

So, how many of the above commenters slamming the guy for stealing books have some mp3s or dvd rips or tv shows they've downloaded and never bought the actual cd/dvd? Hmmm? Not saying he's right, or the commenters are wrong, but I'd be willing to bet a healthy chunk of change more than half of the commenters on here have a few mp3s or other media that they never paid for.

Comment by Chris in Tampa

Chris in Tampa — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:00:52 -0800

Reading about this sort of thing really makes me want to steal a book. It's bad enough I have to pass by the book racks that are just sitting outside Borders where nobody would be able to catch me even if they wanted to.

Comment by Geneva

Geneva — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:54:31 -0800

Hmm, guess this means I can rip on him with impunity, because every single MP3 I have (and every movie) is a legal copy for which I own the CD (or is an actual DVD since I don't really need to mix a playlist of multiple movies).

All of my books are legal copies which I purchased myself using my own money, or was given them as a gift from family members.

I did once shoplift a can of cat food though... exigent circumstances involving one very hungry cat and being totally broke... and the recycling center was closed for a holiday or I'd of had enough money to get cat food to last to the next paycheck.

What this guy is doing is being a complete and total fuckwad... unless of course he's just a random troll, in which case what he's doing is being a jackass.

Comment by adrian

adrian — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:12:01 -0800

the only thing i ever stole was books...and a lot of them. i had to. i was po'. and voracious. and the library is germy.

Comment by Charity

Charity — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:50:21 -0800

The wait list isn't short for Bukowski? Check again. Even last year's collection of new poems has a wait list of 0 at the moment.

Comment by Gurldoggie

Gurldoggie — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:16:10 -0800

You're right Charity, the waiting list for Bukowski at SPL hardly exists. Not that I have anything against media thieves, but "long lines at the library" is a piss poor justification.

BTW, there are many good places to start w/Bukowski. He's a neglected treasure in this country. My recommendations:

Novel: "Post Office." Current library wait list: 0

Short Pieces: "Notes of a Dirty Old Man." Current wait list: 0

Poems: "Love is a Dog From Hell." Current wait list: 0

Comment by Baxter

Baxter — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:30:56 -0800

Not to mention the fact that the library has annual book sales and many books go for 25 cents. Surely these guys can scrape together some change to not be assholes.

Also, Half Price Books. There are options.

Comment by Terry

Terry — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:53:01 -0800

Stupid fuck just gets off on stealing. I'm waitlisted at the library for a dozen books right now, and never ever get to read popular hardcovers when everyone else is talking about them, because I'm still waitlisted. But - that's my choice. I spend money. Could spend the money on the book, if I chose to.

Comment by STG

STG — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:06:09 -0800

Irc.undernet.org, channel #bookz, has more scanned and proofed ebooks up for free than you can shake a stick at; we're talking hundreds of thousands, nearly everything you could want in raw text or html. Get a Nokia 770 and FBreader ($120 on ebay) and a memory card, and load it up. The 800x480 screen is a joy to use, and the device is smaller than a paperback. I carry my entire library in my pocket, and I love it.

In the event I can't find something on the net, hell, I live in PDX - all I have to do is go to Powell's and pay for it. It's like mp3s; I only ever steal digital copies of stuff i already own or wouldn't buy anyway.

Comment by RDM

RDM — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:01:45 -0800

I used to shoplift. And I used to rationalize.

Still, I knew I was wrong. As does this guy.

Comment by M

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:55:31 -0800

Adrian! You have no fucking idea how germy the library is.... especially the Bukowski section.