I've mentioned Half Price Books in many of my posts. They have a well-established network of used bookstores and it's hard for me to stay away from them. But one thing they advertise that just hits me wrong is "books by the yard." Half Price says that "Books by the Yard is a unique product that Half Price Books offers to designers, retailers and individuals across the United States."
Basically, you can buy three linear feet of books to make it look like your display, your model home, or your real home includes real books. The object is to fool someone. I don't have a problem with books as a way to dress up a home, make an office look intellectual, whatever. But a collection of books could and should be obtained by buying books that one reads or peruses or at the very least, flips through. Buying a bunch of books that you have no interest in ever reading, books that serve no other purpose than to fool others into thinking you read, or like books? That's just wrong.
The statistic I heard the other day was that 80% of the population reads less than two books a month. At that rate, if you bought everything you read and saved it, it would take you a year or more to accumulate three linear feet of books. Better start reading now so when you do need three feet of books you've got them!
I have to snicker at the claim that books by the yard is a product unique to Half Price Books. This concept has existed for at least a century to my knowledge. My grandfather worked in a bookstore as a teenager before WWI; he selected books for sale by the foot/yard for decorators as part of his duties.
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