I thought it would be about the trade just before the advent of Internet sales. While it takes place at that time, it is a memoir of the authors problems when he went off the deep end in searching for high value modern fiction, so much so that his long suffering wife left him. He gets into an altercation at a yard sale that includes the collection of rare books sold by a widow with no idea of their value, the mischances and violence leading the protagonist to be indicted by the state attorney who is seeking higher office.
It is told in an amusing and irreverent style. After haunting the premises of book dealers, our hero starts checking out yard sales. "A mind boggling array of trash. That human beings could ever have owned such abominable furniture and fixtures was almost unthinkable. And discarded clothing which would have been rejected by every beggar in Calcutta. All offered for sale (26)."
It is told in an amusing and irreverent style. After haunting the premises of book dealers, our hero starts checking out yard sales. "A mind boggling array of trash. That human beings could ever have owned such abominable furniture and fixtures was almost unthinkable. And discarded clothing which would have been rejected by every beggar in Calcutta. All offered for sale (26)."
