mutterings and ravings no. 69
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 00:09:16 -0800
Sender: Bibliofind News and Views <NEWS@BIBLIO.BIBLIOFIND.COM>
From: Harry Nudel <nudel-soho@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: m&r...ethics...
1)...The Chagall Litho..no. 1...gets to Prague...1,500..money wire
transfer..i insure it, pack, repack bubble wrap, plastic popcorn well, for
$95...the v.a.t. on it in Czech Repub...prob..from 20 to 40 per
cent...would the customer have bought an paid an extra 500....perhaps,
perhaps no..2)....The Guy before me.. 'bout a month ago....i was having
coffee..bought the Chagall Litho 1 for 20 cash on the barrell...."Sir, Can
I see the book you just bought,"...i followed him a couple of feet..."I
just want to look at it," look 'em up and down 'em...um complete..."Do you
want to sell it".....'How Much'...I waver whether to ask how much HE WANTS
for it...I look at his shoes...compute the 20 dollars he paid..times the
6:30 in the morning...times just how much money means to him...subtract a
hundred from the 300 i'm going to offer just on the principle I should make
more money.."200 cash"...Takes the 2 hundreds out of my hand like feeding a
lion cub...ethics..Hey Joe Spinoza..3)....My daughter asks me how I figure what i'm going to offer for a
book...a little psych...a little greed tempered by a little fairness
tempered by a lot of desire to have the book..tho it's as ever just a
book...J. is moving and the Landlord/Neighbor has been after me for 2 yrs
to tell him about his books..the usual mass of garage Junk cum some
inherited stuff and what is this anyway...I'm just being neighborly...this
is barn raising help thy neighbor territory...I finally find one and say
this is worth something...an illus. book by Leon Underwood..ANIMALIA..which
I see is signed..not in the greatest of shape...i.e. not locked in a glass
or museum case lo 80 yrs....What's it Worth...I go thru my mental
arith..and say it's 'WORTH 30 TO ME'...for you ethicists out there..the key
words are TO ME...capital Mmmmmm...anyway..this rather rich man grabs the
30 out of my hand like feeding a hungry crock...The book turns out to be 1
of 26 with 20 or so hand pulled proofs...better than Ward I write as i put
it on..Influenced by African Sculpture and the German Express...rare as can
be 4 GRAND...In 30 yrs of doing this I've had one insurance appraisal that
actually pd...I have 30 years In and a Doc. Degree where else can you get
somebody to do something for you for less than 150 an hour..NO TAKERS
YET..High heat runs around 100 mil for 6 years..The Monet sold yesteday for
22.5 mil...The disrepute that any intellectual activity runs in America is
certainly compounded by Academic No-Nothingness..I know nothing I keep
lecturing...by Pop Psych..I know nothing I keep advising....By Hip New Age
and Hardened Old Age Real Docs...lots of money not for the common good...It's a living...just the facts ma'am...how much is it worth..it's
worth the stars times the moon times the dust of imagination and if you'll
buy that..buy a book from Drn...
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