Alan Scherstuhl writes the terrific Studies In Crap column for the SF Weekly and other papers, in which he posts about his fabulous finds as a craphound who specializes in the weirdest books relegated to thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets. Collectors Weekly interviewed Scherstuhl about his hobby:
I am a book fiend, and I've always been drawn to weird, old books. Over the years, I started purchasing them at thrift stores because I found them so amusing. One day, I realized, "Well, I love looking at these crazy, old books, and maybe other people would, too. I should start writing about them." I had a book from around 1966 with Dustin Hoffman on the cover, called "Someone You May Know," and it purported to be a study of homosexuals. I thought, "The world needs to see this." That was summer of 2008. Since then, I've had at least one column every week.Back in a high school, a friend gave me "A Guide to Being a Catholic School Girl," which has an astonishing chapter about "bad" habits. It recommends that if you are a girl, you never use a bar of soap in the bathtub or itchy washcloth because those might inflame your passions. It also suggests that you always sleep with your hands outside the bedsheets and that your clothes always be very loose. I've never written it up in "Studies in Crap." That's a testament to how many strange books I've found, that I still haven't gotten around to writing about the worst one I've ever collected.
"Digging Up the Weirdest Old Books and Comics From the Thrift-Store Bargain Bins"
