A reader in upstate New York: “Dear Mr. Derbyshire—Just a quick FYI, I

was browsing at Barnes & Nobles on Wednesday night and had the urge to take

a look at your book Prime Obsession (I am a bit of a freeloader, I like to

read the books in the bookstore, since I graduated from college last May the

first job does not pay all that well). I had trouble locating it in the math

section so I asked one of the helpful Marxist clerks if he could help me

find it. He looked around and could not seem to find it, and then he

consulted the computer and said that the computer records indicate that they

should have seventeen copies in the store. We went back to the math section

and then the science section but to no avail. The clerk said that the last

name Derbyshire sounded familiar and I mentioned you write for National

Review and NRO and he kind of chuckled. In closing, I think either your

books are being shoplifted at an alarming rate OR your books are stowed away

in the History of Feminism section.”

General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, used to ask: “Why should the

Devil have all the best tunes?” Looks like Old Nick has all the bookstore

clerks, too. Grrrrr.