Banning Books

Well, sort of. Not directly in the way that the phrase usually makes people think. However, there is a cause for concern and depending on your viewpoint - action.

The CPSC's ban on the sale of children's books printed prior to 1985 went into effect on Feb 10th. On the surface this has an admirable goal - keeping children from being exposed to lead. A side effect is that many children's classics that are out of print can no longer legally be sold in used book stores, thrift shops or any retail establishment. Public libraries also seem required to comply.

There don't seem to be any documented cases of lead poisoning via books on the web. The CDC doesn't even list books as a source of lead exposure on their web site. So how did books get included? They don't flake off edible chips like the old lead paint. They aren't "tasted" in the same manner or frequency as toys manufactured in developing nations can be. Its difficult to say. There is plenty of room for conspiracy theories, but I'm not interested in going there.

There are some efforts underway to modify (but not eliminate) the problems this will cause. The American Library Association, which raised an early warning on this issue, is staking out a position that "distribution" applies only to sales. Senator Jim DeMint has stated his intent to reform the CPSIA. There may be other efforts to mitigate the effect of this act, but in the meantime the danger to many classics is real as shop owners can't afford to risk the penalties they might face. Some might feel compelled to destroy the books rather than be fined.

So if you want to preserve classic children's books, many with a decidedly different religious, social, political value than those being produced today, you may want to consider purchasing a few of your old favorites while you still can. When and if you do, please don't treat them as museum pieces, loan them to others. They only have value if they're read.