free books

I got a call from an old friend who asked if I was interested in working with him and his brother for a day or two to get a project done.  I've known these guys for 40 years and when they ask me for help it means they need help.  I said, sure.  They'd do the same if I asked them.  It seems they work for a guy who flips houses and he just got one that needs to be made ready, pronto.  So, Friday and Saturday I worked on this house with these guys.  I didn't know what I was getting into. 

The first floor was knee deep in crap from the previous owner and everything had to go.  The basement was worse and had mold problems so all the drywall had to go, along with all the crap.  We filled up a 40 yard dumpster in two days and we'll need another on Monday.  I'm committed to see this thing through so it looks like I'll be busting ass Monday, too.  The good part is I managed to get a bunch of hard cover books.  The previous owner was into scale model trains and history and his books reflected that.  Lots of stuff in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and a bunch of biographies on Hitlers hangman, Rommel, Caligula, The Borgias, a pictorial edition of The Kama Sutra, medieval life, and tons more.  I grabbed about twenty of these books and set aside a whole bunch more to give to a library.  I just couldn't bring myself to toss these books in a dumpster.  I can't get over the total tonnage of CDs, DVDs, toys, personal effects, and family pictures that was left.  The exercise equipment alone must have cost 4 grand and all of it is going to a landfill.  I found the guy's pay stubs from his job, the PFA  his wife put on him, and the divorce settlement and a family portrait during happier times.  This poor guy completely remodeled this house before everything went to shit.  His kids had the most expensive toys I've ever seen.  We found a Christmas card from his wife saying the most wonderful things about her husband and how he was her whole world.  A month later she put a PFA on him, got a divorce, kept the kids, and got everything he had.  All this stuff was left there.  This guy was suddenly locked out of his own home and everything he worked for and collected and stirred his soul was gone for good.  At least I got some good books out of it.  

Anyone interested in acquiring any books, just pay the postage and their yours.