One day, I was rereading it while standing alert duty, and an NCO I knew from the flight line asked to borrow it. I put my name, rank and duty section in the front cover, and let him borrow it.
I didn't see the book again for about four years. I got a phone call one day from someone asking for Airman Bob. I identified myself as Sergeant Bob now. He told me that he was a Colonel, a wing commander, and that he had something of mine he was bringing in from Germany.
Two weeks later, the Colonel shows up at the shop, carrying my copy of The Stand. The book is battered - the back is broken, it's being held together with blast tape, and inside, it's been signed by everyone who had the book after me - Airmen, Sergeants, Lieutenants, even a Brigadier General. There were probably thirty names and duty stations in that book.
That book was a prized possession for many years. I wouldn't have traded it for a book signed by King. The men and women who signed that book meant more to me than an author. Unfortunately, my ex-wife tossed it out one day as garbage (we weren't exes then, and that's not why she's an ex).
Too bad we were all so illiterate.
Dang.
Since 2001, I’ve traveled up the eastern seaboard and halfway across the country to meet friends I got to know on a SK website. (His publisher’s site, not his personal site listed here.) I wouldn’t even be here on THIS site without having first made friends there.
At each of our meetings, we’d have a book signing, just us folks. I always made it a point to have that year’s new SK book signed by my friends - means more to me than, as you say, one signed by him.
I’m sorry yours was lost, Tennesseee_Bob. I’m kinda mourning my own collection sitting here on the shelves, for it’s lost all value to me EXCEPT for the ones my friends signed.
Stupid me, reading IT on the way to bootcamp until it got too dark to read. Pish, who am I kidding? I put it down cauze it dint have no pichers. Sides, mah faingers waz sore from draggin on the flore. Hurt em too much to read.