I am dutifully cleaning the office as Gerry put together my DVD shelf rather than making me do it. I secretly think he has a fear, not unfounded, of me combined with tools. My enthusiasm severely outstrips my ability. This is not a good combo.
Anyway, we have a $1500 office that has been functioning as a catch-all computer cemetary/ book repository/ school office overflow for a while now, and I'm spending a way-too-pretty Sunday fixing it up. To be fair, Gerry had to drive to the in-laws to put in a toilet seat, so I'm still the luckiest girl at the prom here. Gerry does not believe, as I do, that when books overpower the furniture you get rid of the sofa and make the books INTO furniture, so before he unceremoniously dumps me and my literary tidal wave out onto the mean streets of Milford, I'm cleaning house.
Still, I'm me, and me cannot just toss books without trying to find them homes. I'm sort of like DogTown but for Books. Won't you help these misunderstood tomes find their forever home? I won't even ask for a donation or show you pitiful pictures of them with three legs and sewn up eyes!
Anyway, I have a lot of readers that are one to two versions behind the current one (seriously, the ninth edition of Ways of Reading was JUST FINE, thanks much) or that have been sent to me by publishers unasked for. They might be useful to someone, and it feels like pooping in my house of worship to just throw them away, but there's, literally, no room in the office if I don't pass them along.
Free to you no matter where you are. I'll even ship them in exchange for you buying me a beer the next time I'm in your town. You know, media mail. Let's not go crazy.
- The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, 2nd edition (brand new -- nice gift for a graduating senior who WILL have to buy one next year, and it isn't a complementary copy but a real one).
- Ways of Reading, 9th edition (wicked marked up. This was my Northeastern text until this fall. They took out almost every essay I had used, so it's worthless for me now, but still interesting. It won't be a cheat sheet for new NU freshmen).
- The Bedford Guide for College Writers with Reader, Research Manual, and Handbook (I dislike the Bedford Reader very much, but I used to have to use it. This is their new edition, and it is brand new. I don't care for Bedford because they put out a new edition every 2 years with maybe one swapped article. It's hard on my students who can't afford a new book. So I quit them.)
- Reading America, 4th Edition (Typical Pop Culture reader; nothing too long or too hard. I'll stick with Signs of the Times, thank you very much)
- Literature: The Human Experience, Shorter 5th edition with essays (There were 1000 of these in the hall at NU; I never found anything I wanted to use in it, but you might. Typical lit based reader, but I don't teach lit).
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th edition (I don't require my students to buy a handbook; they can use online Guidebooks) Might be helpful for hs teachers.
- Educating Exceptional Children, 10th Edition (I think this one is actually Amanda's, but I don't think she needs it back)
There will be more as the excavation of the office continues. Also, if one of these is yours, and I took it and never gave it back, I'm sorry. Let me know and I'll have it back to you toot sweet!
