From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 03/15/01-12:56:58 AM Z
On Thu, 15 Mar 2001, Randall Webb wrote:
>
> > >>On the subject of books, a friend of mine from Kansas once told me the
> > >>easiest way to remove a page from a library book in a library without
> > the
> > >>librarian noticing it.
> > >>You take with you a length of string and chew it until it it is wet and
> > >>soggy. Then place it between the pages and close the book firmly. The
> > wet
> > >>string softens the fibres of the paper and the page can be removed
> > silently.
Randall, your friend from Kansas is really stupid. In the first place, you
can get germs from chewing string. Who knows where it's been first? In
the 2nd place, that's really disgusting. You bring the string WITH you,
already wet, in a plastic baggie. In the 3rd place, only libraries in
Kansas would have anything worth taking any more, probably because a) they
never had anything except the Farmer's almanac to begin with, or b) nobody
goes to the library in Kansas.
And in the 4th place, in New York City you just slip the book into your
tote bag because the guards at the door are so comatose they don't check
anything unless you absolutely INSIST ! It's possible I just have an
honest face (tho I don't think so), but I have handled some amazing
material there &......
I suppose, by the way, it's all removed now, and photocopies put in
instead. But when I first began looking at old photo material circa 1978,
it was all there... and rapidly melting away. Julia Van Haaften (I
understand) was the one who came in and rescued the stuff..
OK, enough factoids for one night... But Randall, ditch that friend. He's
useless.
Judy
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : 04/02/01-09:55:26 AM Z CST