Pharyngula

Posted by: gyeong-hwa | September 27, 2009 2:34 PM

They can read?

*sorry to the Texas folks :) Just having fun. You can make fun of Californians any time.

Posted by: Fred The Hun | September 27, 2009 2:37 PM

Heh, I just got my copy, yay! My fundamentalist neighbor had received it in error and was about to send it back and decided to ask me if it was mine before doing so. Darn good thing. I didn't bother to tell her what the book was actually about. I haven't even gotten a chance to look through it because my son grabbed it and is reading it as I type. I'll guess I'll just go and have another beer...

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | September 27, 2009 2:39 PM

Owlmirror:

Better idea: take the "Religious Fiction" shelf-sign and put it above the shelf with the Babbles. (Isn't "religious fiction" redundant anyway?)

Posted by: StarScream | September 27, 2009 2:48 PM

Something similar happened at my local Borders bookstore back when "The God Delusion" was selling high on the NYT bestseller list. The store had a top 15 NYT list display but Dawkins’ book was not there. It was filed away in the small science section near the back of the store.

They were misrepresenting the list in order to not have to display the book in a prominent place.

At least this Texas store is showing his book near the front of the store (I'm guessing that's where any "new arrivals" display will be).

Posted by: Frankosaurus, Cupcake of Death | September 27, 2009 3:00 PM

Can't they be sued for false propaganda?

if this wasn't a POE or some subversive fundie plot, then I think the only real claim would be in contract. For contract - ie bookstore not fulfilling its end of the bargain to the publisher -- you have to prove damages, so I don't think it would be worth it. you might think there might be defamation interests at stake, but I think it wouldn't stick as they are impugning the reputation of a book, not a person.

Posted by: mtgap.wordpress.com | September 27, 2009 3:08 PM

This is rather amusing. But where's the Bible? Or does Religious Fiction get its whole own section?

Posted by: https://openid.org/circusboy | September 27, 2009 3:11 PM

if it will make you feel better, all the bible stories in the Providence, RI Borders are grouped under Inspirational Fiction...

Posted by: jdhuey | September 27, 2009 3:23 PM

I have to confess that I have been a book category vigilante in bookstores. On more than one occasion I have seen books that I felt did not belong in the Science section and moved it to the Philosophy, Religious, New Age, or Fiction section. However, in an example of moral inconsistency, I have not moved science and atheist themed books out of the Devotional sections - I'm not so subversive as to put them there but just enough to leave them.

(Way back when, it used to be common for there to be separate sections for Science Fiction and for Fantasy - I would frequently 'correct' the errors the stock clerks made. Today the two genres are almost always merged together - I think that they did that just to prevent SF purists like me from continually moving books from shelf to shelf.)

Posted by: deadjerusalem | September 27, 2009 3:29 PM

did the store put the book there or did some dumbass customer do it?

Posted by: leepicton | September 27, 2009 3:46 PM

I'm about half way through it too, and though familiar with much of the subject matter, loved the story of the Lenski experiment (still ongoing after 20 years - what a staggering amount of work has been put into it), and the guppy experiment. I plan to reread the guppy experiment until I can explain it to others. Only being halfway through it, I don't know if there is mention of the evolution of nylon-eating bacteria (you would think that would give fundies palpitations, wouldn't you)?
BTW, PZ, I assume you have a publisher lined up. When can I pre-order your book?

Posted by: Pyroclasm | September 27, 2009 4:44 PM

PZ! Where did you get that picture?! Presumably it was sent to you by another godless heathen? Yay! That would mean I'm not alone in this hellish den of holiness!

Okay, so it's not TOO bad on campus, but did you know they've nicknamed the local newspaper the "Jesus Journal"?

Also, PZ, it was stupidly hard to sign up for commenting. But I guess that was the point, right? Stupid spambots, ruining it for the rest of us.

Posted by: Alan | September 27, 2009 5:30 PM

Once of the nicest stories I ever heard about misfiling books was reported in The Times a few years ago. They claimed that a library in Melbourne had placed their TinTin books in the Metallurgy section.

Posted by: ThatGuyFromLubbock | September 27, 2009 5:54 PM

I'm the one who sent PZ the picture, it's from a Hastings in Lubbock, TX (which is freaky considering comment #15). I mentioned it to the clerk when I checked out (yes I still bought the book, I know), I wasn't going to say anything but he asked me the obligatory "Did you find everything all right?" and I informed him one of their genius employee's must have gotten confused. He smiled and mumbled something about "That must have been...." I didn't hear it.

Like I told PZ in the e-mail I sent, I wouldn't have been as bothered if they would have just kept the book in their sciece section and not put it on the front display. It's Lubbock, and I don't want them to lose money because a bunch of Jesus freaks got in a tizzy. But to purposely put it in the fiction section....now that irked me.

I am curious how many other godless heathen's are their in Lubbock? Sometimes I think I'm the only one, and it makes me a sad panda :-(

P.S. If you live here it's the Hastings at 3249 50TH ST

P.P.S PZ! Thanks for this, I feel all special you came down and noticed little ole me. You are my Hero, and I appriciate the post even though you so busy with your book. I'll be sure to buy it once it's published.

Posted by: crusaderforknowledge.myopenid.com | September 27, 2009 6:10 PM

This makes me want to go to my local Waterstones and spend the entire day shifting religious books around... Endless trekking up and down the stairs.

Posted by: ThatGuyFromLubbock | September 27, 2009 6:24 PM

Pyroclasm, you name just links to your vox blog. Are you a Tech student, or have you always lived in Lubbock?

Personally, I've lived here since I was a kid and I can remember how much of a culture shock it was for me when I first got here. My parent's weren't "godless heathens", but they never really cared about church or any of that stuff. So, when I got here I was instantly inundated with Christians trying to convert me. It's been a downhill ride from there. I can't even imagine a place where mentioning evolution in a conversation doesn't require a 30 minute side argument as to whether it's a valid theory. Not to mention I've heard every lame ass argument against evolution you can think of (plus some others...).

But in the end this is my home, and the place my family and friends live. So I'm stuck here, but maybe one day Lubbock could be the kind of place where people aren't bat-shit insane. However, it's not going to get like that if all the heathen's leave.....

Posted by: Scott | September 27, 2009 6:40 PM

Back when I was in Lubbock, I used to move the various anti-evolution books (especially those awful "Politically Incorrect Guides") out of the science section of the local B&N and into the politics section. Damn ignorant booksellers kept moving it back to the science section, too.

I know that Hastings on 50th -- my brother and I used to go there pretty frequently until we heard from a couple different people that their manager had told the local comic shop and used bookstores that he hoped to drive them all out of business.

Posted by: Sastra | September 27, 2009 6:56 PM

Catching misfiled books can be amusing. My personal favorite was an old book store with Dante's Divine Comedy in the "Humor" section.

Posted by: Wayne Robinson | September 27, 2009 7:17 PM

I once saw an economics book in the science section of a bookstore (well, it is the Dismal Science).
I'm about halfway through "the Greatest Show on Earth". It's good, but a little too brief, trying to cover too much in too little space.
And some things I wouldn't have included, such as the section on carbon dating, because that is really only of archaeological interest (mainly). Although, perhaps it was necessary to give it so much prominence because the creationists attack C14 dating in an attempt to discredit all dating methods.
Did anyone notice the embarrassing error Richard Dawkins made in this section? "Carbon has three naturally occurring isotopes. Carbon-12 is the common one, with the same number of neutrons as protons: 6. There's also carbon-13, which is too short-lived to bother with, and carbon-14 which is rare but not too rare to be useful for dating relatively young organic samples, as we shall see."

Posted by: cosmicaug | September 27, 2009 7:28 PM

When I was attending to school at Mankato State University many eons ago, I found The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey (end time prophecy bullshit) in the science section. I corrected it by moving it to the religion section.

Posted by: dWhisper | September 27, 2009 7:39 PM

I would expect nothing less from Tech, given the fact that the entire university seems to be a front for a mediocre football team. I'm willing to bet bookstores in Austin know where to shelve things...

Posted by: ThatGuyFromLubbock | September 27, 2009 8:21 PM

#40

I agree that Tech puts a lot of resources into their football team, and probably at the expense of the academics. Honestly, I'd prefer players paid for their own uniforms/equipment/etc and student's got books for free, but then again this is Texas (*creepy deliverance music plays*). Also, I think this generally applies to most school's, even the Longhorn's probably spend more on their football team than they do their biology department's.

However, I will say that Tech takes their biology course's seriously. There was even an incident a while ago where one of the professor's was sued because he required all student's to understand evolution in order to enter is masters program. He specifically mentioned creationism not being valid in his original requirement's, but changed it to shut up the religious right.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/289682661.html?dids=289682661:289682661&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+16%2C+2003&author=Karin+Brulliard&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=In+Texas%2C+a+Darwinian+Debate%3B+Religious+Student+Protests+Professor%27s+Question+on+Evolution&pqatl=google

He now asks students to "give a scientific answer" to the question: "How do you account for the scientific origin of the human species?"

Also, this was a Hastings book store, not a college operated establishment. Just thought I'd clarify since people in my family have biology degree's from Tech. Dini may be a dick (student's hate him), but he doesn't pander to the religious right....which makes him alright in my book.

Posted by: Alex | September 27, 2009 8:50 PM

Hey ThatguyfromLubbock and Pyroclasm,

My name is Alex and I am vice-president of the brand new Secular Student Society of Texas Tech. I am honestly not surprised to see Dawkin's book in the fiction section. There is a church on every corner and the vast majority of the congregations honestly think evolution is a fiction subject. Luckily enough, there are in fact a plethora of atheists at Tech. We formed an organization last spring, and we are now an "official" organization. Both of you (and any other Lubbock atheists) should come out to our next meeting tomorrow night, Holden Hall 77, 8-9pm. We will be holding a "sell your soul for a cookie event" outside the SUB on Wednesday, which is looking to have quite a turnout. we are growing each week, and at our last meeting we had about 50 people. Hope to see you there tomorrow night.

Posted by: Pyroclasm | September 27, 2009 8:56 PM

Alex:

Hey, awesome! I didn't even know we had a Secular Society branch at Tech! You can count me in! (Assuming I can actually get all my studio work done, that is.)

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, Quel Dommage | September 27, 2009 9:01 PM

ThatGuyFromLubbock,

A little grammatical hint: An apostrophe is not a warning to the reader that there's an "s" coming up at the end of the word. Apostrophes are used for two thing:

1. To denote possession. "Bob's car" is the car belonging to Bob.

2. To signify a contraction. "It's" is a contraction of "it is." "Bob's a guy" is a contraction for "Bob is a guy."

Posted by: Alex | September 27, 2009 10:24 PM

ThatGuyFromLubbock:

You are more than welcome to come, you just can not technically become a member if you are not a student (i.e. not voting rights).

Check us out on facebook, or our website www.secularttu.com

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | September 27, 2009 11:12 PM

When I see things like this, I remind myself that there is no conflict between science and religion. In any case, this is Dawkins own fault for being so militant in his atheism. If only he said nice things about religion people wouldn't call evolution a fairy tale...

Posted by: Socks | September 27, 2009 11:28 PM

Darwin's On the Origin of Species is in both the fiction and science sections in the Books-A-Million store in my town. I guess they wanted everyone regardless of belief (or lack of) to be able to find it. Oh, by the way, I live in the buckle of the Bible Belt (Alabama).

Posted by: Ray Moscow | September 28, 2009 5:12 AM

Ah, Lubbock. Where I bought my first specifically atheist book ("The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You to Read") while visiting some relatives who were in preaching school there.

Despite having a pretty good state university (Texas Tech), that town is run by fundies.

But it is not completely without hope. Did you guys see the documentary "The Education of Shelby Know", filmed there?

Posted by: Jeff | September 28, 2009 8:54 AM

@Fred the Hun, #4:

Heh, I just got my copy, yay! My fundamentalist neighbor had received it in error and was about to send it back and decided to ask me if it was mine before doing so. Darn good thing. I didn't bother to tell her what the book was actually about.

Fred, you missed the opportunity to tell her it was a miracle, that God obviously wanted her to read it!

Posted by: nikhedonia | September 28, 2009 6:01 PM

avsn is a trolling LJ account, 0 entries.

Posted by: avsn | September 28, 2009 9:14 PM

nikhedonia, not a trolling account. I've commented before when no sign in was required. I created an LJ acct so I could comment here again.