To the Editor:
Re “Bargain Hunting, and Feeling Sheepish About It” (Week in Review, Dec. 28):
David Streitfeld faces a moral quandary of biblical (or Seinfeldian) proportions when considering whether to buy a book on the Internet at less than face value.
To those who have read a letter to an ethics columnist from a wayward tax filer or one paralyzed by the thought of undertipping his barista, it is clear that America has lost its moral compass.
For those of us without money to burn (our ranks swell by the hour), finding a book on the Web for less than a buck induces a feeling less like nausea and more like relief!
Perhaps Mr. Streitfeld should think of the Internet as one big garage (or stoop) sale, stretching far into the distance. That way, he might see that invisible seller on the Web less like a publishing industry saboteur and more like a friendly neighbor unloading a few volumes to make room for new ones.
Jason G. Barton
Astoria, Queens, Dec. 29, 2008
