Poems written before putting out a five alarm fire

[mjp]

Ouch.

 

[zoom man]

Maybe this particular condition
Fits perfectly with its production
(ouch).

Say no more....

 

[Rekrab]

I like that copy. It has character, as they say. A copy with a story, if only we knew what it is. Perhaps it wasn't alone, and there are other Bukowski books that survived the same fire. I may bid on this one, not that I can afford to be buying anything.

 

[chronic]

See that gray stuff at the top edge of the water stain on the back cover? That's mold. If you do buy it, keep it well away from your other books.

 

[Rekrab]

Chronic -- you're right, that's mold. Not too bad, thought. I had a couple much more moldy books (or was it mildew? -- I don't know the difference) that I treated by wiping down the affected areas with a sponge dampened with bleach and then following that with a "rinse" pass of the sponge damp with water. This removed/bleached much of the stain and seems to have neutralized the mold -- at least it hasn't returned or spread.

Why keep a moldy book? One was a copy of Poe that had belonged to my deceased mother, with a great portrait in it, and I wasn't about to throw it away.

I've heard that if you store a mildewed/moldy book next to one that isn't, that it will spread. I've always wondered if that were true, or if it was some condition paranoia started by ultra fussy collectors. My two mildewed books haven't (apparently) infected any of my other books --yet. I guess to be safe, I could isolate them in plastic bags.

Anyway, good catch on the mold -- I missed that in my poor condition fetishism.

 

[mjp]

Mold will spread if the spores are living, but it needs moisture darkness to thrive. If the book was dried out at some point the mold is probably dead. Having said that, I still wouldn't put it in with non-moldy books.

I'm not sure about mildew. I don't even know what the hell mildew is.