>When hardbacks aren't sold, they're returned to the publisher, or >remaindered. When mass-market paperbacks, like _Taltos_ aren't sold, they >aren't remaindered. The covers are stripped and returned to the >publishing company, but the books themselves are destroyed. Or should be. >Less scrupulous merchent will sell stripped paperbacks. All of which >means that if you're buying a paperback with no front cover, it means >you're likely buying a book that was never sold; hence the author never >received recompense for the sale of that particular book. > Note on stripped paperbacks. It costs the company more to ship the books back to their distributor than the books are worth. The covers are stripped and sent back because that is where the UPC code is. As someone who works in a bookstore (Waldenbooks), I spend a significant amount of time stripping covers each month. It's even worse in the months directly following Christmas. I have no remorse stripping the trashy romance novels, but the sci-fi/fantasy hurts. Having said this, I also have no real problems grabbing a stripped cover book for personal reading. It goes to the trash at home after I have read it. If I liked it, I will see if I can hunt down a covered paperback copy, if not a hardback (employee discounts nicely balances out my eensie-weensie paychecks and I am becoming a book snob). Emily