Pity the poor bookstore workers. They're under seige from digital alternatives and mass merchandisers, and all the while they have to deal with customers who ask crazy questions. The British independent booksellers association ran a contest, "Overheard in a Bookshop," this summer to highlight some unusual questions and comments. We should all read them and hope that none sounds too familiar. Here are some of my favorites:

The customer who bought Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" but returned a half-hour later, demanding her money back. She complained that there wasn't any information about the countries her daughter planned to visit via Eurorail.

The customer who noticed a copy of "Great Expectations" and said: “Look, they bring books out on all the TV programmes now.”

The customer who asked, “Can you tell me if Anne Frank wrote any other books?”

The customer who approached the counter holding a copy of David Copperfield and asked: “Did Charles Dickens write any shorter versions of his books?”