A Dialogue With Solitude

During a recent telephone conversation, one of my friends confessed his desire to open a bookstore, but could not avoid the fact that he "hated people." While misanthropy is a definite liability for a bookstore owner, it's not necessarily a disqualification. Our last trip to Chicago confirmed this fact.

My virtual storefront works quite nicely for me, since I don't have to meet and greet the public, keeping a smile on my face while poking through dusty old boxes of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and repeating the "no public restroom" mantra.

Selling rare and esoteric books on the Internet is a great way to meet folks from around the world with similar perspectives and passions. I welcome all inquiries and love to answer questions about condition, provenance and just about anything else. I try to establish a dialogue, even though English is frequently a second- or third-language option.

This week I received a question that topped all others with its Zen-like Beat spontaneity:

"Is there a picture of a painting titled "meat"? It has a monkey holding a stick w/an olive on the end of the stick and he's looking up at a spaceship."

My answer:

"No, but there ARE lots of Monkeys and Olives in this edition."