Back in 2001, I bought a copy of Kurt Weidemann’s massive (and massively-awesome) Wo der Buchstabe das Wort führt: Ansichten über Schrift und Typographie for 56 Marks. That was only about $25 at the time; the dollar had yet to fall against the Euro. Shortly, thereafter, I moved back to the United States. I shipped this book, and about 20 others, to my parent’s house in Baltimore with Deutsche Post. The super-retarded Deutsche Post Päckchen boxes that they sell in the post office broke apart somewhere bewteen Germany and the American coast, and only four book ever made it to their destination. I tried to file a complaint with Deutsche Post, but Deutsche Post refused to pay for the replacement of any of the books, claiming that the damage had been caused by the United States Postal Service. Of course, the USPS blamed the accident on the Germans. I never got any money from either of them. Today I see that the cheapest copies of Wo der Buchstabe das Wort führt sell for 85 euros, well over $100. New York investors should ignore mortgages, and start buying German design books instead.