Expensive bathroom reading

Good morning bookies!

It's cloudy, wet and cool here in West Tennessee. One would think it's November or something.

Bathroom reading...when one thinks of reading in the lavatory, one thinks of joke books, The Guinness Book of World Records, the newspaper, perhaps a magazine. Rarely does one think 'hmmm...what to read while taking care of business? Oh, I know! I'll read that first edition The Origin of Species I've been meaning to get to." A family in southern England, however, seemed to think that was just the ticket.

Until they discovered its value, that is.

Christie's has auctioned off a copy of said classic, one of about 1,250 printed in 1859, for a cool $170,000. Now, I realize the dollar ain't what it used to be, but still, 170 grand will buy a nice dinner these days. One wonders whether the atmosphere in the loo devalued the book.

Darwin is finally let out of the bathroom