Amazon.com Wasted My Money
I'm obsessed with secret societies. And while I realize that the Masons are hardly secret, I've been researching their history, organization, and rituals. So I recently bought Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry from Amazon. They even recommended that I also purchase a companion volume, Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor, at a discount along with Duncan's Ritual. So I did.

The tomes arrived in the mail yesterday. And while I should have done a little more poking around before making good on that impulse purchase and cross-sell, Amazon wasted my money. They are the same book. One is hardcover, one is softcover. And while the ISBN's are different -- hardcover and softcover editions differ by a single digit -- the title and author is exactly the same. Despite Amazon's positioning on their site.

Thanks a lot, Amazon. This is why I usually buy books from Powell's or the Harvard Book Store. And why Media Dieticians should do the same.