Yes, that happened. A local branch of Oregon’s Deschutes County Library system had to call in the bomb squad to ascertain the nature of a Styrofoam box left on its doorstep. As reported in Newsweek (for some reason!?):

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After the authorities and bomb squad arrived, nearby buildings—including City Hall—were told to shelter in place while the Styrofoam container was examined. An X-ray of the container revealed that there were actually books inside.

Sure, we’re living in dangerous, anxiety-ridden times, when the bad actors seem to be everywhere among us, but honestly, it’s not hard to make sure this doesn’t happen! Here’s how:

Step 1
Call the library or bookstore to see if they do, in fact accept book donations: not everyone wants your fervently underlined copy of The Hero’s Journey.

Step 2
Do not put your books in a nasty old Styrofoam cooler: this is where you keep sandwich meat and Coors Lite; nobody ever wants to open a random cooler on the street to see what’s inside.

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Step 3
This one is simple: when you drop off a box of books please label it “books.” Theoretically, at least, you should be able to write this.

Step 4
See step 1.

Jonny Diamond

Jonny Diamond

Jonny Diamond is the Editor in Chief of Literary Hub. He lives in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains with his wife and two sons, and is currently writing a cultural history of the axe for W.W. Norton. @JonnyDiamondJonnyDiamond.me