The unpublishable memoirs

A. S. W. Rosenbach's "The Unpublishable Memoirs" is an ironic anecdote detailing how a rare book collector's passion led to the demise of his marriage. The narrator's obsession is with a small volume that he coveted so deeply he "even waited for his death [the previous owner's] knowing it would again come upon the market," acquiring it at auction for over three thousand dollars. Upon bringing the book home, his wife, who had seen the headline 'Rare Book brings $3010,' accuses him of being an "ingrate, a dissipater of her fortune, a fool, a heartless villain". In response, the narrator grabs the first thing at hand—the book entitled 'The Fifteen Joys of Marriage,'—and throws it at her, hitting her arm. This act leads to his wife serving him divorce papers, which becomes a 'cause célèbre,' and the narrator concludes with a sense of triumph: "At last I was free!".