Thursday, July 26, 2007

Uh-Oh

Man's love of reading costs him his home: "WILKES-BARRE, Pa., July 25 A bookstore owner's obsession with the written word has cost him his Pennsylvania home after local officials deemed his book collection a fire hazard.

Authorities in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., condemned John Puchniak's apartment this year when a routine inspection raised concern the bookstore owner's collection of nearly 3,000 texts could cause a fire, The (Wilkes-Barre) Times Leader reported Wednesday.

Puchniak now resides in a local hotel, while attempting to limit the stacks upon stacks of books that decorate his condemned apartment.

But even if he can restore the apartment to acceptable living standards, Puchniak has said he cannot afford to appeal the city to reopen his home.

Attorney Jim Hayward has become a champion for the troubled literary fan, attempting to convince local officials to let the 59-year-old store his growing collection as he sees fit.

'Their (the city's) priorities are wrong. This is not the guy they should be going after,' he told the newspaper. 'The average person may not agree with how John stores his books, but does that mean it's wrong?'"

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. Wilkes-Barre is my wife's hometown. Bill, I guess they'd never let you within 50 miles of the city limits.

Unknown said...

They wouldn't even want me in the same state!

Randy Johnson said...

God help me if they ever came into my home.

Anonymous said...

We all need t-shirts that read: "BIBLIOMANIA: It's not a crime, it's a DISEASE!"

Brent McKee said...

This is just so wrong! I wonder who ratted him out?

Peter Rozovsky said...

Criminy, I live in Pennsylvania. I'm in big trouble. And guess which Pennsylvania town one of the owners of my local used bookstore/cafe is from.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I was born in Wilkes-Barre and my parents still live there. Nice to know that their taxes are going towards promoting the cause of illiteracy. Actually, my current landlord (in Philadelphia) is horrified by all my books and tells me that they constitute a fire hazard. I told her that the most flammable and flame-spreading substances are those found in cleaning solutions, and that piles of books do not spread fire. Small town mentality spreads even faster.

Peter Rozovsky said...

I never knew cleaning solutions were so dangerous. Good thing I don't use them much.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/