Chronicles of an Idiot: Vol. 97,243
The things that some people just cannot grasp amaze me. Today I was trying to help a woman buy the collection of Narnia books (C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia). She wanted them in hardback to match one of the books she already had. Sounds simple right? Well we have a whole table dedicated to those books because of the movie (Narnia). I started showing her the different editions, and that's when it all went downhill -- quickly.
She couldn't understand that the book may have different covers, but it's still the same book. I tried to explain to her that they are just different printings of the same book but that was a no go. Though, for some reason, I really wanted to help this woman. So I dumbed it down real far and explained that these books have been out for quite some time and they didn't have enough of them so they printed some more -- and they just gave them a new cover with a picture from the movie. Not only did that not help her to understand, that brought up the topic of the pictures from the movie. Why didn't the other books in the series have pictures from the movie? Well, the movie was only about this book -- it wouldn't make sense to have pictures from book 2 on book 7. She didn't get it. I spent 30 minutes trying to explain that this edition was still the same STORY as that edition. I even stooped as low as to utter the following: "They took the words from this book *holds book in left hand* and put them in THIS book *holds book in right hand* --- the WORDS are the same."
...Then we had the question of why THIS book had more pages. *sigh* And somehow the issue of pictures came up again... And THEN she saw the books that were ABOUT the series and C.S Lewis. I was stupid enough to think she'd understand that these books were not part of the series. Yeah, she didn't. I was literally taking a book from her and saying "Don't buy that." I felt like I was talking to a three-year old.
It was one of those conversations that turn into an argument with both sides deciding that the other is an absolute idiot. Of course I must be CRAZY! This book has a picture of a lion on the cover and that book has a witch on the cover -- there is NO WAY they are the same book!
In the end, she ended up with one of the larger ones that contain the entire series in one book. I swear she probably thinks it's a completely different book though. I wouldn't be surprised if she comes back to return it arguing that I lied to her.
She couldn't understand that the book may have different covers, but it's still the same book. I tried to explain to her that they are just different printings of the same book but that was a no go. Though, for some reason, I really wanted to help this woman. So I dumbed it down real far and explained that these books have been out for quite some time and they didn't have enough of them so they printed some more -- and they just gave them a new cover with a picture from the movie. Not only did that not help her to understand, that brought up the topic of the pictures from the movie. Why didn't the other books in the series have pictures from the movie? Well, the movie was only about this book -- it wouldn't make sense to have pictures from book 2 on book 7. She didn't get it. I spent 30 minutes trying to explain that this edition was still the same STORY as that edition. I even stooped as low as to utter the following: "They took the words from this book *holds book in left hand* and put them in THIS book *holds book in right hand* --- the WORDS are the same."
...Then we had the question of why THIS book had more pages. *sigh* And somehow the issue of pictures came up again... And THEN she saw the books that were ABOUT the series and C.S Lewis. I was stupid enough to think she'd understand that these books were not part of the series. Yeah, she didn't. I was literally taking a book from her and saying "Don't buy that." I felt like I was talking to a three-year old.
It was one of those conversations that turn into an argument with both sides deciding that the other is an absolute idiot. Of course I must be CRAZY! This book has a picture of a lion on the cover and that book has a witch on the cover -- there is NO WAY they are the same book!
In the end, she ended up with one of the larger ones that contain the entire series in one book. I swear she probably thinks it's a completely different book though. I wouldn't be surprised if she comes back to return it arguing that I lied to her.
Sunday, January 22, 2006 12:18 AM | Linky |
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