Maybooks began as many of my projects do; as an idea. It has grown into a small operation selling some of these discarded books at fair market price, splitting all profits 50-50 with Recycling Services, Inc. of Pottstown, PA. The goal was to find homes for these books, and to allow people to know that they exist (one book was so rare it wasn't listed on any of the most established on-line bookselling sites). They have been sold on Alibris, B&N, Borders, and some will be posted here. Of course, Maybooks has expanded beyond it's original ideas and will soon become a cyberBOOKstore featuring poetry and runs by small presses. As of 11/24/05 I have begun to change the operation, and am ceasing our partnership with RSI. All things change, and so does this.


Brief history: During the summer of 2001, I worked at Recycling Services, I was there the morning of Sept. 11, the day the sky emptied of airplanes and surreality set in among old newspapers and #5 plastic lids. I took the covers off old books and tossed the text into bins to be pulped. Not all books, mind you. The ones that were moldy or already damaged or left out in the rain. Yet, I did that.That's when I began to consider an alternative.

I am a writer(for goodness sake) but during those days I felt more like a murderer. I moved to Philadelphia, I changed gears. I didn't forget about old, unwanted books - and had for a long time attempted to come up with a way of recycling the books, to save these orphans in print, and save them from pulping.

When I approached Jim (Crater), the head of RSI, with the idea I had in mind, I didn't know how it would work out - but I wanted to try. It's been a learning curve for me. I have come to appreciate even more the struggles of printers, authors, and readers. Books, all of them, are among the best things we have to offer of not only our culture, but of civilization itself. That's what I believe.