options for purchasing copies of

Becoming More Authentic:
The Positive Side of Existentialism

for the EXCO seminar


Hello prospective members of the EXCO class called
"Becoming More Authentic: The Positive Side of Existentialism",

    Because I am a very frugal person myself
(see my EXCO class Voluntary Poverty: How to Simplify Your Life),
I am very sympathetic toward all potential members of
our seminar on Authenticity who must spend very carefully.

    Therefore, I offer four different ways for you to read the book.

    (If I can get a library to agree to accept a free gift of this book,
and place it permanently on their shelves,
that will add a fifth way for you to read it.)

    If you want to be reminded of what this book contains,
here is the table of contents, with links to many pages from the book:
Becoming More Authentic.

$5 OPTION—PDF

    Beginning in 2012, Becoming More Authentic: The Positive Side of Existentialism
has been available for reading on computer screens in the Portable Document Format—PDF.
If your computer can receive and store PDF files,
and if you do not mind spending quite a bit of time reading on your screen,
this might be the cheapest option for you.

    The PDF is the fifth edition (2007)—the same as the printed book.
But it does not include anything from the front or back covers.
The complete interior text is sent as one PDF file.

    If you are uncertain whether your e-mail program can accept a PDF file of this size,
send your preferred e-mail address to me first:
parkx032@umn.edu
I will send you a PDF listing all of my books available in PDF.
If you can receive and read this, you will be able to receive and read any of the books.

    The PDF file is about twice as long as the printed book—200 pages—
because the PDF is double-spaced.

    The cost of the PDF of the text is $5, cash or personal check.
If you pay by means of PayPal, add two dollars more
for the cut taken by your credit card company and PayPal.
And, of course, there are no additional charges for postage and handling,
no matter where you live on the planet Earth,
because your copy will arrive on your computer screen
rather than in your physical mail-box with your printed mail.


$8 OPTION—2nd edition

    There are just a few copies of the second edition of this book available for sale. 
The second edition (1990) was published in a paper folder.
There is no printing on this three-prong cover.
The pages were composed on a typewriter and then photocopied.
Only careful readers will notice later improvements in the text.
Later editions were produced by computer and laser printer,
with a better typeface,
which is one reason this early edition is about half the price.

    You should look at both versions of the text before deciding which you want.
There is no provision for selling this edition of the book back to the author.
You may pay by either $8 cash or a personal check for $8.
This is the original price of the book 22 years ago,
even tho the dollar has lost half its value over these two decades.

$10 OPTION—imperfect printed pages with no covers
    Because the cost of toner for each page of laser printing
is actually more than the cost of the paper,
a saving can be passed on to the reader
who is willing to tolerate slightly defective printing.
Older toner cartridges can still produce readable pages,
but they often add some extra gray marks on the edges of the paper.
The quality of this printing is not appropriate for standard printed books.
The pages look more like what a copy machine generally produces.

    Another part of the saving is accounted for by the fact
that this option does not include a printed cover (either front or back).
There is no clear plastic cover over the printed covers.
And there is no binding.
The 96 pages of the text are simply put into a three-prong paper folder,
which has no printing on it at all.
You are encouraged to examine this reduced quality for yourself
before you decide to buy this option.

    This text is the fifth edition (2007), in contrast to the $8 option above.

$15 OPTION—with buy-back of undamaged copies
    The standard bindings for the fifth edition (2007) of  
Becoming More Authentic: The Positive Side of Existentialism
are comb binding and stapled binding.

    You pay $15 to receive your copy of Becoming More Authentic
in whichever binding you prefer.
And you are thereafter free to do with it as you please:
You could keep it for yourself after the class is over.
You could lend or give it to others who might be interested in reading it.
You could even sell it to others who might like to take
this EXCO seminar on Becoming More Authentic
at some later time.

    But here is the offer that might ultimately prove to be the cheapest for you:
If you take good care of your copy,
you can sell it back to the author at the end of the seminar for $10.
(This makes your net cost for reading it just $5.)
This is a willing-seller, willing-buyer agreement.
Neither side is under any contractual obligation.
The book belongs to you once you pay for it.

    But if your book is undamaged after the end of our last class,
I will happily buy it back from you.
And I will sell it to someone in the next class.
The stapled binding is the strongest,
which makes it the best candidate for this kind of buy-back.
However, both bindings will be considered.

    If you plan to sell your copy back at the end of the class,
you should probably keep it in a large envelope,
so that the corners will not be damaged when you put it into your back-pack, etc.

  Under this option, you do have to pay $15 at the beginning of the seminar.
But you can consider $10 of this as a returnable deposit.
This is one of the least expensive option for reading Becoming More Authentic.
And you can always change your mind
and decide to keep the book or pass it on to someone else
instead of selling it back to me.

    You may pay by either $15 cash or a personal check for $15. 

Yours,
James Park,
author of Becoming More Authentic and EXCO facilitator

PS: Mail order option:
It is also possible for anyone in the world
to obtain a copy of Becoming More Authentic
by means of mail order.
Search the Internet for the publisher's website: Existential Books.
But this will cost you $5 more for the postage and handling.
(The cost of shipping and handling for readers outside of the USA is $25.)
And if you pay by credit card, it will cost you yet another $2
to cover the cost of electronic transfer by means of PayPal.

     Mail-order is the only option that allows payment by credit card.
All of the in-person purchases must be either cash or check.
And, of course, anyone can buy a copy by mail-order at any time.

JP


Created 3-17-2009; Revised 3-21-2009; 3-15-2010; 6-14-2012

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