All this talk about the Clean Reader app reminds me of a copy of Timeline I found in the damaged bin at the used book store back in 2003.
I had this book at home–it’s one of my all-time favorites–but I was curious about this particular copy. It was in near perfect condition. Even the dust jacket, which I barfed on years ago and had to throw out, looked brand new. Not the kind of book you’d expect to find in the damaged bin.
Things started to make sense when I opened to the title page.
Spy code? Poorly encrypted Swiss bank account number?
Nope. Just a list of all the pages containing the fuck word.
Fuck words which someone took upon themselves to white out and strikethrough.
You know, just in case.
Lest you think this person a prude, s/he apparently did not take issue with the word asshole.
Or I guess more accurately s/he only takes issue with fucking ones?
Regardless, this book has become one of my favorite books, probably because it reminds me so much of the time my grandmother confiscated a romance novel I was reading because it had the word nipple in it, and how grateful I am she never thought to buy a bottle of Wite-Out.
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