Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
FYI: It seems he doesn't always just give them away:
Controversial Thing
The Baltimore Sun reports that Russell Wattenberg, who runs the city's
Book Thing--which collects used books and gives them away for free by
the thousands--also culls out books of particular value and sells "about
2,000 a year, far more, apparently, than most donors think," through
venues like AbeBooks and Amazon.
All of the proceeds support the non-profit book-spreading venture, and
Wattenberg says "he is also up against a deadline: He has until next
April to pay off the $208,994 mortgage on his 7,000-square-foot store."
The Sun adds, "No one suggests that Wattenberg is using the proceeds for
anything more than supporting The Book Thing. (He lives in a back room.)"
But fellow booksellers "insist that Wattenberg should be more up front
about the growing number of books he creams from donations, how much
money he is getting for them online, and how that money is being spent
at The Book Thing, a charity that has received grants from local
entities such as the Open Society Institute, the Abell Foundation and
Kiwanis."
The newspaper found "more than 4,000 titles for sale by a business
linked to The Book Thing." And "some [booksellers] say they have stopped
donating books to The Book Thing as a result of the increase in online
sales and report strained relations with Wattenberg, who marks his books
with a 'Not for Resale' stamp and threatens those who try to sell the
books with legal action."
Sun
http://click.email-publisher.com/maagiTIabx618a3fP4tbaeQxXH/
----- Original Message -----
From: "William M. Klimon" <wklimon@COX.NET>
To: <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS-L] Book Burning
> > There is a better way. Here in Baltimore, we have someone who just gives
> > them away to whoever wants them.
> >
> > www.bookthing.org
>
>
> Or whoever can pay for them:
>
>
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.books26a
pr26,0,1923860.story?coll=bal-home-headlines>
>
>
> William M. Klimon
> william.m.klimon.c87@alumni.upenn.edu
>
>