Wasted $150 on a bootleg copy of The Satanic Verses from a shady online shop

I bought a supposed banned edition from some random site and the print was so blurry I couldn't even read the first chapter... has anyone found a legit source for censored books without getting ripped off?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_cooper1mo ago

man that sucks so bad honestly. tbh i've been there before with overpriced bootlegs and it's the worst feeling when you realize you just threw money away on something unreadable. ngl your best bet is to hunt around on ebay but only from sellers with a long history and actual photos of the book not stock images. i've had decent luck looking for "import" editions from india or the uk which are usually printed better than the random bootlegs floating around. also check out used bookstores in person if you have any nearby sometimes they'll have old copies sitting on shelves for dirt cheap because nobody knows what they've got. just avoid any site that uses the word "collector's edition" or promises a banned copy for way below market price because it's almost always a scam.

tylerr391mo ago

I wasted $150 on a bootleg copy" - well, there's your first problem right there. You're paying premium money to some shady online shop for a book that normally costs twenty bucks at most. I get wanting a banned edition, but you gotta do some homework first. Check Reddit forums or book collecting sites where people actually review these sellers. Even better, look for university library copies that sometimes have rare editions available through interlibrary loan. You won't own the book but you can read it without getting ripped off. And next time, maybe start with a cheaper proof copy from a known used bookstore before chasing after fancy "banned" editions.