Since January, I've made three guest appearances on a web-based show called "The Rare Book Cafe." It's run by a dedicated group of book collectors, where I might be an awkward fit because I write new books. But the reason, I think, they have me on is because I genuinely love books. Not all authors do, strange as it seems. Many authors, most authors, are desperate to become a commodity, and most publishers are willing to turn the lucky few into one. But there are a few who actually fell in love with books and the love affair never stopped. These are my people, who treat books as treasured objects, works of art, valuable additions...and yesterday's discussion led to me wondering why authors began signing books--defacing them--as part of a culture of (undeserved) celebrity. I still don't know the answer. Signing books is both a great honor and a bizarre descent into the trivial--and signed books are not worth as much as unsigned, according to my collector friends, Food for thought.