Actually, last year when I was trying to track down a copy of The Da Vinci Code, the Chapters bookstore in downtown Vancouver had a copy without a cover. I have no idea how it happened, but it was brought out to me from the back room when I asked for a copy. The lady at the cash offered me 40% off, but her manager yelled at her in front of me and the whole line, took the book, and offered me nothing in return. So I left.

Sometimes the books are stolen out of large garbage bins as well and then sold on the street. I remember buying several paperbacks two-for-a-dollar as a kid when I lived in New York. To be honest, I loved that man who sold those books. We couldn't really afford to buy new books when i was a kid and being able to buy the coverless copies probably turned me into an avid reader. Sorry, publishers -- but I'm glad that man took the books out of bins.

This how the book business works... the small paperback ("mass market") does not have much value. The profit margins are small, so when a bookstore returns the book to the publisher (such as if it will not sell) it is difficult to justify the price of shipping. Magazines may also be handled in this way. For instance, my (omitted) company has a contract with magazine vendors that we only need to return the magazine covers (with barcode). We may even get full value on the return. Which is why contract violation is such a serious ... offense.

Some booksellers, like the one I work for, allow their employees to strip a book every once in a while (once a week for me, so long as there is another copy available in the store) as part of their discount/benefits. I've never seen it happen, but I'm sure someone, somewhere has tried to sell their free books.

proenhance