Vanity

On Sunday last I headed over to Borders with a 40% off coupon.  Normally I only go to the big-box bookstores to see what’s new: like most rational folks, I don’t normally pay retail for books, and usually buy them used or remaindered.  But 40% off ain’t bad – ain’t great, but ain’t bad .  I settled on Larry Tagg’s The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln.  I know I vowed to not buy any more Lincoln books for a while, but this one has intrigued me since I heard about it.  A quick flip through looked promising, but what sold me was the appearance yet again, on the inside rear flap of the jacket, of a snippet of my blurb for Brad Gottfried’s The Maps of First Bull Run.  That’s vanity, pure and simple.

I don’t know when I’ll even get to look at Mr. Tagg’s book.  Over the last few weeks I’ve received four books (including two novels) to review for Bull Runnings, and I’ve got my Six-Pack reviews due on the 15th.  So, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.