Back in Berkeley after a summer as an itinerant book pro, I walk up to the Ave. I've heard that Cody's Books on Telegraph has been turned into a Halloween supply store in my absence and I have to see for myself. It's true. There's even a giant inflatable pumpkin out front.




Luckily, the book trade is still thriving on the sidewalk just outside. I see the 25c book man hard at work taping up pocketbooks (he rescues them from the bins behind Halfassed Books, I'm told, where they rip the covers off rejects so no one can enjoy them for free) and browsers gather around in the late afternoon sun.


I scan the science fiction section -- three vintage Philip K Dick paperbacks, all in a row! There's a nicely taped-up edition of Emily Dickinson and a Henry Miller nearby and I grab those too. I'm so excited by my good luck I accidentally pay double. I take some photos and notice that I've captured an old book thief (not pictured.) It's good to be home.