Eleanor and Chauncey's Review of Books

All the unwanted books were gone.  They had been distributed to various places.  Most had gone to the library.  Others to the used bookstore and some to the post office to be shipped to online booksellers.

All the unwanted books were gone.

Eleanor learned by experience that selling used books was about as financially rewarding as selling used clothing.  Much to her surprise, hardback fiction in good condition was worthless.  Paperback fiction was worth slightly more.  Most valuable were paperback books likely to be assigned to high school students, such as, Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and The Hot Zone.  Even then, they brought in only a few dollars.  The online companies offered a few cents more than the used bookstore in town.  The books were worth more if Eleanor accepted store credit over cash. 

One evening during the purge, Eleanor decided to enlist Chauncey’s help.  The task was to identify the most valuable book in their library.  The obvious choice was the 16 volume set of the Arabian Nights which Eleanor had given to Chauncey for his 23^rd birthday.  Opposite the Arabian Nights, on another bookshelf, were 10 volumes of literary masterpieces by such authors as Homer, Plato and Milton.  

Don Quijote with illustrations by Pahissa.

The most intriguing contestant was a thin book bound in gold leather entitled, El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha with illustrations by Pahissa.  The book belonged to Chauncey’s father who died when Chauncey was 17.  Chauncey’s father had also contributed the series of literary masterpieces.

Eleanor was certain they had hit pay dirt with Don Quijote.  During their internet search, she insisted she saw that illustrations by Pahissa were going for $25,000.  They checked out every source they could find, most in Spanish, desperately trying to match the edition of the book they had with photos on the web.

They all kept their places on the shelves.

The Arabian Nights came in first place at around $1,000.  Don Quijote tied with a book of short

novels by James M. Cain each priced at $150.  The literary masterpieces ranged from $60 to $100 each.  They all kept their places on the shelves.

The next day as Eleanor and Chauncey sat outside in the cocktail pit reviewing the day under a once grand but now dying avocado tree, they heard their neighbor’s eight- year old daughter ask her grandfather, “Abuelito, what time they close the library?”  Eleanor knew most of their books had gone to a good home.