Yeah, Plagiarism Is "Completely Unacceptable"

The single most important thing my parents did for me as a child was turn me loose with an unlimited charge account at a local book store. You may remember the type -- part new books, part used books, part rare and collector's books.

It had that smell . . . and a resident cat or two.

It was the perfect book store, and the kind that doesn't exist anymore outside of major cities.

My father set it up, in all honesty, because he simply didn't want to be bothered with me and my mother had gone to bed for a couple of years.

I had no supervision in my selections at all, other than the friendly neighborhood book lady, who was quite frankly interested in selling as many books as possible.

I was probably her best customer.

My only restriction was that I had to turn in a book report to my father within one week of a book's purchase, and it had to reference at least one other book. He never commented on the reports, and they were never seen again, so I have my doubts that he actually read them.

It didn't matter.

I was voracious.

I read everything.

Still do.

And because I still read with a tendency to write book reports for my father in my head, most of the things I read stay with me.

Imagine my surprise when I read about The Bad Book.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered South Australian lawmaker Vickie Chapman wants the book withdrawn, not because it blatantly plagiarizes Slovenly Peter, but because she is shocked and horrified by the contents.

The Virginia Commonwealth University link is the exact version I read as a child.

I imagine The Bad Book is wildly popular with kids -- I was completely fascinated with Slovenly Peter.

And I wonder if Mark Twain also once defended his work as a "hilarious and irreverent collection of cautionary tales and violent demonstrations that serves as a warning to children and their parents everywhere."

And if you suffer the same degree of censure as the source author, is it plagiarism or brothers-in-arms?

I think The Boy and I need this book.

Do you suppose my in-laws could possibly hate me any more than they already do if I bought one for the nieces and nephews, as well?