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StarbrightBaby says: |
I thought that books before 1985 were considered collectors items not intended for children anyway so they could still be sold. It's up to the buyer to decide whether to give them to their kids or not (I choose yes!)
Your photos are just heartbreaking! I love all my old childrens books... :( |
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Posted at 5:10 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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VintageEmbellishment says: |
StarbrightBaby,
No where in the new CPSIA rules does it say that it would consider books prior to 1985 to be collector's items.
It says vintage or antique items that because of their rarity or value would no longer be considered for children, can be sold. There is a huge amount of vintage and even antique items that would not meet this description. Those items can no longer be sold. |
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Posted at 5:37 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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retrorugrats says: |
Books Deserve Respect!
fenrislorsrai, I am terribly saddened to read your post and see your pictures posted on Flickr.
After reading countless forums and posts regarding CPSIA’s law to ban books prior to 1985, I am utterly disgusted and in dismay. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I have never heard of a child being poisoned or suffocated from lead or staples in a book. Books deserve more respect than to be tossed aside. A former elementary school teacher, books were the cornerstone of my everyday curriculum and as a mother of three today my children and I have come to value and respect “the book”.
Politicians and special interest groups, please explain to parents and teachers the exact dangers and risks these innocent books pose? Do you have scientific proof they are toxic? Do you have evidence to suggest that books have harmed a child? Do you plan on raising our taxes to replace the books that are being dumped? Did you realize the environmental impact the dumping of these books would pose? It is quite obvious the benefits of books OUTWEIGH any potential risks.
As a parent, I teach my children to respect all books whether we like what is inside them or not. We take great care of our books. We have a 2 year old in the house who does not yet understand that he cannot tear, rip, eat, chew or draw on his books whether they come from his own collection or the public library down the road. When I read to this little one, he sits in my lap supervised so that he might be trained how to turn the pages and how to best treat the book. He is not left alone to pull out staples and swallow them or to lick the lead laden pages. I would not hesitate to take any of these “so-called poisonous books” into my home for my children to enjoy because I know that I have trained them how to respect the book. |
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Posted at 5:40 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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KarrieWelbornPhotos says: |
Ugh. So depressing, and senseless.
I have a (very small) shop on Amazon's Marketplace, and removed most of my children's books. (Thankfully I did not have anything of real value.)
I'm so sorry you're in this position. |
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Posted at 5:40 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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loblollystudio says: |
Why 1984?
anyone read the book, 1984, by george orwell? very interesting...... |
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Posted at 5:42 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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KarrieWelbornPhotos says: |
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And obviously p*ssed off at how senseless all of this is. (My 4 year-old tossed a train, which is probably loaded with leas and phalates, at my head when I was typing.) |
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Posted at 5:42 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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RugBugBoutique says: |
Brave New World here we come. Only new things are good, out with the old...
I was just wondering about the used bookstores in my area the other day. I haven't visited them yet and I find this whole thing to be so negative. People had the idea to do something good and make things safer, but WOW did they go overboard.
By the way, I have in fact been injured by the aforementioned deadly staples as a child :) and yet I still exist to tell the tale... |
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Posted at 5:52 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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DeputyHeadmistress says: |
Guidelines from the CPSC on vintage books:
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/smbus/sbguide.pdf
"Question 17: Can I sell vintage children’s books and other children’s products that are collectibles?
Yes. Used vintage children’s books and other children’s products sold as collector’s items would not be primarily intended for children. Because of their value and age, they would not be expected to be used by children. Therefore, they do not fall into the definition of children’s product and do not need to comply with
the lead limits."
Read that carefully and notice:
VALUE + AGE + NOT EXPECTED TO BE USED BY CHILDREN = VINTAGE
Most pre-1985 books are not that valuable, they aren't really that old, and they are expected to be used by children.
Consider also CPSC Commissioner Thomas Moore's letter to Congress (Moore is the Commissioner that Congress does NOT want to fire, and he's not on 'our' side):
http://www.cpsc.gov/pr/moore020309.pdf
In the letter, here's a bunch of politicking as he seeks to retain his job (Congress is calling for his boss to go). Then he tells Congress he is pleased to announce that his staff has found a"
"'bright line' to guide libraries as to what books we will deem not to pose a problem and which ones should be sequestered"
pending further scientific evidence proving that the books are safe. He finds himself unable to wriggle out of admitting that there isn't much they can legally do about the books.
Fenrislorsai, your pictures just about rip out pieces of my heart, but thank-you for sharing them. |
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Posted at 6:29 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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fenrislorsrai says: |
Yes, but I suspect you were POKED by the deadly staples, not that you got lead poisoning from them.
I think everybody has been poked by a staple a few times. It vaguely hurts, doesn't kill you. You learn not to poke sharp things with your fingers.
As to "has any child ever gotten lead poisoning from a book?" NO. Nor have they been seriously injured by them. The most serious injury most people have every suffered from a book is a sibling smacking them in the head with one. Which really, if your kids are in the "wildly waving items around" stage, they could easily hit their sib with a shoe, rock, or apple as a book. |
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Posted at 6:34 pm, February 14 2009 EST - Report this post
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