5 Comments
тна Return to thread

Will you be offering autographed copies of Cheerfulness?

Expand full comment

Of course. I have a very nice legible signature.

Expand full comment

I've never grasped the meaning of autographs. Are they intended as evidence of physical proximity at some point in time? Or perhaps the ability to stand in a line, or to hand over some cash, or to illustrate devotion to celebrity fascination? Just wondering.

Expand full comment

I can think of a few plausible explanations, but my best guess is that autographs are talismans of human connection.

Expand full comment

People used to stand in long lines for auttographs but this is fading away as the physical book is becoming obsolescent. The woman I love prefers to borrow an e-book from the library. We have enormous shelves of books we're trying to give away, without much success. I'm glad I lived back when people cherished the object, holding it in your hand, turning the pages, the smell of it, the heft.

Expand full comment