I read this article in today’s Globe on how 2 books that Bellow inscribed for his sons right before he died got lost in the mail. You know some asshole is eBaying them right now.

When a parcel and its contents become separated, the empty package is sent to the addressee, said Bob Cannon, a spokesman for the Postal Service. The orphaned item would be sent to the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta. “‘It’s not a hopeless situation,’ he said. ‘The good news is that it’s a specific unique item, not something generic like a fruitcake.'”

No, they are most definitely not fruitcakes. I hope these books are recovered and given to Bellow’s sons. In a nice world that would happen.