Cliff’s Dumpster Diving Story

Once in a while, I receive a comment that deserves its own post. Such is the case of the comment left by loyal blog reader, Cliff Aliperti, in response to my post about Al Timen, an LA contractor who filled his house with found objects.

Cliff wrote: "My favorite 'dumpster dive' was more of a reach, and thankfully into a cardboard/recyclables dumpster. This was mid-90s, pre-eBay, and I had long been looking for the item I uncovered. It was a Ty Cobb biography by Charles Alexander which I'd taken out of the library on several occasions, but it was out of print at the time and I'd never been able to find it at any used bookstores. I was in an apartment complex at the time and when I went to take out the garbage one afternoon, I lifted the dumpster lid and there was Cobb staring right at me, in perfect shape inside a clean dust jacket. Thankfully old Tyrus was resting comfortably on top of a stack of cardboard, within arms' reach, or I might not have had the nerve to go after him! Almost 15 years later, Cobb still takes up a cherished space on my personal bookshelf. That's my only "dive" on record. I probably passed up daily opportunity a few years later when I worked inside the same building as Marvel Comics in NYC and passed by overstuffed dumpsters daily to get in through the side entrance--believe me though, I saw those picked clean by others more than once!"

Comments

[Cliff Aliperti]

Thanks, Marty, you definitely made me smile when I saw this post! Want to know what's funny? Look how easy that Cobb book is to get now--thanks Amazon!

Cliff