Sneaking into Book Expo America

June 3, 2003 7:33 AM

"I don't think I'd be disclosing any trade secrets if I told you that in order to sneak into something you have to have both momentum and an alibi. Momentum because stationery objects such as paintings and people are looked at; an alibi because you may get caught. I don't like to get caught because it forces you to use the alibi. I don't like to use alibis much because they are a variant of begging."
posted by Slagman (13 comments total)

This guy snuck into the Book Expo America, though it's not exactly a how-to. Seems to be a blog devoted to Los Angeles.
Is that incongruous or what? Books in Los Angeles? But I'm a New York City snob. Anyway.
posted by Slagman at 7:37 AM on June 3, 2003

HOPE: a blog written by some kind of literate cat burglar REALITY (best case): plain old writer with a shoplifting problem REALITY (worst case): plain old writer with a shoplifting fantasy

Anyway, this FPP writes a check that the link don't cash.
posted by luser at 7:46 AM on June 3, 2003

riveting. spellbinding. sure to become a hollywood blockbuster. i was sweating bullets during the sneak-past-the-book-fair-guard scene.
posted by quonsar at 7:48 AM on June 3, 2003

Hey, this is an orange alert. Those guns are loaded. Books are dangerous.
posted by Slagman at 8:08 AM on June 3, 2003

Was this trip really necessary?
posted by crunchland at 8:25 AM on June 3, 2003

Don't eat the brown Derrida.
posted by Slagman at 8:39 AM on June 3, 2003

I hope this guy proofread his submissions to publishers better than his blog.
posted by Zurishaddai at 9:05 AM on June 3, 2003

I was transfixed by this to the point where I was .... er, stationery.
posted by Joeforking at 9:31 AM on June 3, 2003

Books in Los Angeles? But I'm a New York City snob.

I'm a NYC snob, too, but BookTV covers the LA Book Fair (this past weekend!) and it has some great stuff. But, yeah, I figure for the average La-La-landian it's books-on-tape while they drive around the corner for milk and bread.
posted by Ayn Marx at 10:11 AM on June 3, 2003

Paintings are stationery objects, but only if you have enough money to afford really really extravagant stationery.
posted by soyjoy at 11:02 AM on June 3, 2003

Since the link isn't worth discussing, who wants to explain the idea of "book TV" to me? I mean, I like the boob tube almost as much as the next boob, but Book TV is like eating to starve, or something.
posted by norm at 11:52 AM on June 3, 2003

People who like Book TV don't like TV. They like books, but not enough to read them. They are the sort of people who go to lectures and poetry readings. I bet the guy in the link LOVES Book TV, just a hunch.
posted by Slagman at 4:36 PM on June 3, 2003

Lousy link, a third of the comments by the poster, most of the rest pointing out what a lousy link it was. "I snuck into a book fair, looked at books, and chatted up publishers!" Remind me to post a link about the time I got into a crafts fair for free and looked at paintings. Slagman will love it, because it happened right here in NYC!
posted by languagehat at 6:59 AM on June 4, 2003