I broke down and ordered a second edition off of Amazon for $250. I found one for $195, but I didn't trust the seller. Buying collectible books on the 'net is a new adventure, let me tell you. (At least a new adventure for me, anyway) There are people called "bookjackers" that re-list someone else's merchandise at a higher price. Usually, they re-list on another site, such as Alibris to Amazon, but not always. The hope is that your search will not find the original item. Some of these guys never touch the book, having it shipped from the original seller straight to you. As you can imagine, there are numerous ways for this to go wrong, from sketchy descriptions to messed up shipping. The whole deal sounds deceptive to me, but some of these guys are more crooked than others, and it seems some people never get their items. hell, at least the guys who dismantle rifles and sell the parts do SOME work!
One of the worst seems to be a guy in Richmond, Texas, having multiple business names, etc. Turns out he came over from India, and he has real skills with a MS in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M Kingsville. He is giving my state a bad name, and I would like to run him out on a rail.
On a better note, I stopped by a Half Price books looking for Rule's book and found a nice copy of "The Golden Crescent." This is a book more popular in Texas than anywhere else. It is a really nice collaboration between a great writer, Bob Brister, and an even better artist, Jack Cowan, both now deceased.
Hope my copy of Rule's book turns out OK.
