Vasulka scratched his head. “I don’t get this stuff.  The whole right wing of the country has locked into this.  Acolytica is just a small part.  Cade’s preaching it, Spengler’s enforcing it, and the President of the United States is completely on board with it.  Look at all of us in this room.  We get along, right?  McKean, you’re Jewish, Case, you’re Catholic.”

Combes twisted her head and wagged a finger toward Vasulka. “Non-practicing.”

Vasulka shrugged, “well, duh.  The only practicing Catholic I ever met was Father Frank at St. Andrew’s.  The Driscolls over there, I’m sure they’re something and Shaughnessy, well he’s a dog.”

Honor Driscoll raised her hand,  then shook it in the air like an eager fifth-grader. “Ooh, me, ooh, me.”

Vasulka pointed at her. “The floor recognizes Ms. Driscoll.”

“Shaughnessy’s a non-practicing dog.  He thinks he’s human.”

“Point well taken.  But, as I was saying–”

Combes stood, hands on hips and towered over Vasulka. “What are you, Vaz?”

“Me, I’m a musician.  Still the point is – it’s going on all over the world. Everyplace you look, they’re mixing religion into the government.  We had a first amendment.  We were supposed to be safe.  Now look at the way it works.  There is no more separation and it’s beginning to get nasty, and I think it’s all about the collection plate.  Imagine if Ford could get away with burning people at the stake for buying Chevys – the same damn thing.”

“The human being is one of the few species, if not the only species where the parasites can be found at the top of the food chain.  There are those who produce nothing, who contribute nothing, yet continue to drain the resources and vitality of those who are productive, and who contribute greatly.  The largest mosquito in the known universe may be the dealmaker… the acquisition specialist who destroys companies and livelihoods in a clouded flurry of unregulated, uncontrollable, and untaxed cash.”

Leo Wolski, Metro Editor, Boulder-Springs Journal.

“But you hit him with a car,” Andrea replied flatly.

“But it was only one time.”

“It was a very big car.”

“He was a big man.”

“How did it feel when you hit him.”

“Kind of squishy.”

At this, Andrea was somewhat taken aback.  She struggled slightly to retain a cool, calm, and emotionless façade.

“I meant how did you feel when you hit him?”

“Like I wanted to hit him again.”

- conversation between Psychologist Andrea Bellows, and Henry Lighthead

When I look on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many of the on-line bookstores, I see a book for $15.95.  Sounds good to me until I see that it says “Paperback”.

How can people charge $15.95 or more for a paperback book when I can get them by the truckload at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, and my Supermarket for $5.99 to $8.99.  Is this some kind of ripoff?

The answer to this question is no, emphatically NO.  It is not a ripoff.  There are basically TWO kinds of paperback books in the marketplace (more than two when we compare subtle differences)… Trade Paperbacks and Mass Market Paperbacks.

The books you see for $5.99 in a discount store, at the airport, or nearly every bookstore in the world are the Mass Market paperbacks.  They are normally smaller and thicker, than what is called a Trade Paperback.  In addition to the difference in size, there is usually a substantial difference in the quality of the cover materials, the inks used, and the paper that the books are printed on.

A Trade Paperback is normally somewhere between 6″ x 9″ and 8 1/2″ x 11″ in size. The cover material is heavy, sturdy, and usually a glossy finish.  Inside, the papers are a heavier weight, usually a cream or white, and with many printers, acid-free for long shelf life.  A very large percentage of the books sold today in the major bookstores, and many department stores are Trade Paperbacks… priced anywhere from $10 to $30.  Specialized books in Trade Paperback can be priced from $50 to well over $100.

So a short answer to the question is… the $5.99 Paperback (Mass Market) is designed to be read a few times, then likely discarded.  The Trade Paperback is designed to be read, owned, and enjoyed for a long time.

ttfn,  rlc

- Perseus Cade, Founder of Acolytica, to billionaire businessman Damien Grade, and Geoffrey Fynch, CEO of BeriCraft Aviation