"A Secret too Terrible to Know"

"As history confirms, people will change their minds about almost anything, from which god they worship to how they style their hair. But when it comes to existential judgments, human beings in general have an unfalteringly good opinion of themselves and their condition in this world and are steadfastly confident they are not a collection of self-conscious nothings."

From Thomas Ligotti's new "Introduction" to the Penguin edition of The Conspiracy against the Human Race.  Read the full Introduction here.

The Pleasure of a Used Bookstore in an Airport

Yes, an airport.  Specifically the Milwaukee airport.  I have fond memories of browsing there, and of the books that I found, since the mid-1980s.  I would even stop in at the airport when driving up to Milwaukee so that I could visit the bookstore. Back then it was a secondary location for a huge multi-floored bookstore in a dilapidated downtown building (since condemned and destroyed).  Now only the airport location remains.  Here's a link to a news story about it, including some pictures that bring such memories.