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Modern morals

By buying a secondhand book via the net, I recycle a book, reduce the need for fresh paper, put money in the pocket of someone who probably needs it, and give work to postmen. But I also fuel the demise of the high-street bookstore (although these sell only new books at prices that benefit nobody but bookstore and publisher). So which is the more ethical place in which to shop?

Well, that’s certainly an interesting way to look at the publishing industry, although it’s not clear why buying secondhand is ethically more noble than just borrowing from a library. And since nobody has time to read the many novels that are published, why not make writers limit their books to a more reader-friendly, and ecologically-considerate,…

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