When I was a young man with limited spending money at my disposal, I remember riffling through bins of discounted vinyl albums known as cut-outs - marked by snipped or notched corners - searching for overlooked little gems of music that fell under the radar and out of general circulation for one reason or another. Before the days of digital streaming, one had to rely on instinct and intuition while attempting to discern what might resonate most. Cover art, song titles and musician credits were about all one had to rely while taking a chance on a little known artist or group, hoping to find at least a song or two or three that might justify the purchase and transcend the unrealized expectations of the artists.

I recalled that experience recently when I received a small bank deposit from Amazon for a little book of photographs I released in 2010. Produced on a slight budget and tight schedule, it was a minor homage to a community where I was wrapping up an 18 year photojournalism career at. “Common Ground” sold a few copies at the time, through a local bookstore and online, and was mostly intended as a remembrance of the place that offered me many images over the years.

While checking the title recently through Amazon, I was surprised to see the retailer has discounted the paperback 73% to $4.02. Cutout status! Never did read the fine print of that publishing arrangement, but no matter, it wasn’t really intended as a revenue-generator anyways. Still, the experience harkened back to that time in my life where the bargain bin was a place where small treasures might be found. So, if you ever thought about obtaining copy of the book that’s currently ranked #9,428,165 in Amazon’s catalog - here’s your chance. Or, if you’re looking to save even more, I believe I may still have a box of them in a closet somewhere!