Cool Books Arrive By Mail

I've received a lot of books in the mail over the past few months. I guess people like me are part of the reason Borders is folding. This is too bad.

But what are you going to do when you jump on-line and find a book for $4.17 that was written by the namesake of your blog? Don't answer that...

Yeah, I need to tell you that it's also autographed.

Yes, for $4.17 I received an autographed hard cover copy of Jack Murphy's Abe and Me. It is a collection of Murphy's columns referencing his dog, Abe of Spoon River, written during his time at the San Diego Union. If you've paid attention to Jack  Murphy's statue at The Q then you've noticed a bronzed dog by his side. That's Abe.

When the statue was dedicated back in 2003 the San Diego Union-Tribune ran an Old Murphy article from February 20th, 1977 that commemorated the passing of his trusty Black Lab, Abe of Spoon River. I'm pretty sure that article is a part of Abe and Me. But I just got it today so I can't tell you much. I imagine I'll talk about some of the books I have read this year including Abe and Me. I'll let you know.

I'm disappointed about the fate of Borders but one can hardly argue with a $4 buck hard cover carrying the inscription of a legend. I won't argue.

Disclaimer #1: I paid $4.00 for shipping so, to be precise, the book cost me $8.17. Still...
Disclaimer #2: Joe Posnanski made a similar comment on the fate of book stores... except what he said was epic and really long... and fantastic because what he wrote had a point. The Posnanski post, in a long ramble about the various oddities found on a store bookshelf, circuitously found its way back to Negro Leaguer Buck O'Neil. Buck O'Neil was the subject of Joe Posnanski's fantastic book titled, The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America. Definitely a book I'd like to talk about this year. (H/T to Ducksnorts for leading me to that link)