« Hot Spots of the 50s and 60s | Main | A working theory of youth music preferences »
February 17, 2009
How to sell old books inside the law
Have you read about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, passed to keep us safe from lead paint on toys and such? Talk about unintended consequences! Evidently book dealers - both those selling used books for children to read or collectibles for grown ups to hoard - are supposed to test their wares for lead. Here's a reasonably detailed explanation.
No one can afford to do that!
Jeff Sypeck points out a Canon Law precedent for evading this bit of congressional whimsy.
Years ago, while researching a now-dated piece for Salon, I learned that even though the sale of first-class relics--i.e., actual bits of saints' bodies--is prohibited by canon law, it's fine to sell a reliquary and then throw in the relic as a "gift."The charming dishonesty of this loophole notwithstanding, rare book dealers can learn a few tricks from latter-day simoniacs. If, for example, I were selling a $4,800 signed, first-edition set of The Chronicles of Prydain, I'd update my listing to reflect post-CPSIA reality: that the lucky buyer who agrees to pay $4,800 for a lovely (if slightly used) cardstock Amazon.com bookmark will also receive a rare set of autographed novels--an elaborate bookmark-holder offered purely as a gift.
I like the idea!
Posted by CrankyProfessor at February 17, 2009 7:15 AM