by Oronte Churm, an obvious pseudonym

AT HINTERLAND UNIVERSITY, there are three ways to come by examination or desk copies of textbooks. The first is to email our textbook reps., who are unfailingly polite and prompt in filling requests. The second is to attend one of the “book fairs” that take place monthly in the copy room and ask the reps.—in this case, often just young people standing in for more seasoned reps—for free copies. (Some instructors ask for textbooks just to look legitimate; they’re really after the free pizza the reps. provide.) The third is to go to an administrative office in our building and take any of the hundreds of books organized by course, subject, and approach, on shelves to the ceiling. The textbooks will be examined, or not, but all tend to pile up on our desks, floors, windowsills, and bookcases. And increasingly frequently, buyers drop by offices such as mine—once known as the “adjunct ghetto”—asking for “extra books you’re not using.”

It’s like John McPhee says: “the body of a fish tells you how that fish makes a living.” These men—always men—look tired, rumpled. They tend to chatter with their heads sideways to look at titles. One is a lean kid with bad teeth, who has no business card. Other buyers pull large leather cases on wheels and carry computerized inventory guns, but their heels are as worn as Willy Loman’s. The buyer evaluates the books—you weakly protest that this copy is being used or admit that one is old—then he pulls out a roll of cash. Suddenly you have $5 or $40 you didn’t have before; he loads his books into bags or onto a dolly and is gone.

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