Mo. man burns books as act of protest

[proud2BlibKansan]

By DAVID TWIDDY
Associated Press Writer

Orlin Wagner
Tom Wayne lights books on fire at Prospero's Books in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, May 27, 2007. The book store owner burned the books to protest the lack of reading in America.
Tom Wayne amassed thousands of books in a warehouse during the 10 years he has run his used book store, Prospero's Books. His collection ranges from best sellers like Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October" and Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities," to obscure titles like a bound report from the Fourth Pan-American Conference held in Buenos Aires in 1910. But wanting to thin out his collection, he found he couldn't even give away books to libraries or thrift shops, which said they were full. So on Sunday, Wayne began burning his books protest what he sees as society's diminishing support for the printed word.

"This is the funeral pyre for thought in America today," Wayne told spectators outside his bookstore as he lit the first batch of books.

The fire blazed for about 50 minutes before the Kansas City Fire Department put it out because Wayne didn't have a permit to burn them.

Wayne said next time he will get a permit. He said he envisions monthly bonfires until his supply - estimated at 20,000 books - is exhausted.

http://www.kansascity.com/407/story/125683.html

[phantom power]

1. He could at least recycle them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. But then the newspaper wouldn't have written about him

:)

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I can't stand that books were burned for any reason.

I'm in tears when I watch on PBS Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 when the books are burned.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Why doesn't he send them to Iraq? Our university is collecting for a library in Tikrit.

http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/1621.htm



Students Collecting Books for Library in Tikrit

After bombs destroyed the library in Tikrit, located 90 miles north of Baghdad, the sergeant in charge of restocking it turned out to be the brother of a student once in the Middle East Studies Program in Fulbright College at the University of Arkansas. Once program director Tom Paradise and students in the Geography Honors Society heard of the effort, they began fund-raising efforts to collect books and the money necessary for shipping them to Iraq. Anyone who is interested in donating either books or money can contact Kristian Underwood at [e-mail] or drop off books in a bin outside of Paradise's office, located in Ozark Hall 112A. Since the books are for non-native English speakers, the group is soliciting for a wide range of books for K-12 students. Textbooks that are suitable for children and young adults are also welcome. By the end of the spring semester, at least 100 books had already been donated. Once they arrive in Iraq, Bravo Company cleans them up and restocks them in a library that is slowly being restored.

[atreides1]

5. Why not contact him and ask?

This seems to be what he's looking for!

[sinkingfeeling]

6. I sent him an email with the article about the book drive. Thanks!

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. That is an excellent idea!!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. An interesting method of attention.

Kind of reminds me of how the proper way to dispose of a flag is to burn it.

[Nickster]

9. Wow, so many more useful ways to get use from those books. Very sad.