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A
BOOK STORE ADVENTURE
The used-book shop on
Auburn Boulevard no longer exists. The woman who ran it spoke with a British
accent. I hope she is all right wherever she is now.
Several years ago, I was frustrated with trying to complete my Nero Wolfe
collection, but I hadn’t given up. There were three or four used-book stores
that I frequented in search of the elusive tomes. I decided to check up on the
British woman’s shop. I had found some hard-to-find John Dickson Carr novels
there and always enjoyed my visits.
Although frustrating at the time, in hindsight, I’m glad all the Wolfe
books weren’t easily available. It stretched out my reading and each volume
seemed like a treasure.
I entered the small shop. The mystery section was on the right wall and I
walked toward it. Mmmm. The Silent Speaker—got
it. Where There’s a Will, The Doorbell Rang, The
Mother Hunt—I had them already. From a pocket I pulled out a wrinkled
piece of paper. There were six titles on it. Only six left. They were the most
elusive.
“Are you finding what you want?” asked the British woman.
“I’m still on my quest to find all the Nero Wolfe novels. I’ve got
all of these...”
The British woman smiled conspiratorially. “I think I might be able to
help you. Come this way.” She crooked her finger and led me behind the tall
checkout counter.
“You’ve got more Rex Stout? I asked eagerly.
She nodded and pulled open a huge drawer. In it was at least fifty
paperbacks. All Wolfe. The mother lode! “Wow. Where did you get these?” I
asked.
“An old man died. His widow brought them in.”
It was good fortune for me. Not so fortunate for the old man. I suddenly
realized why it was so hard to find some titles. You give them up only when you
die. I felt a kinship for this deceased mystery fan. I too will probably clutch
these old paperbacks till the end. After that, some fanatic collector will
rummage through a drawer looking for those elusive volumes.
“Do you see any that you need?”
“Yes,” I replied. “All the missing ones are here. Some
Buried Caesar, Gambit, Trio For Blunt Instruments, Plot
it Yourself, The Father Hunt, Three
Men Out...that’s it. I don’t believe it. My quest is complete.”
I was happy and sad. Not just for the unknown old man. The mission was
over. In a few days I would read a new Nero Wolfe novel for the last time.