n. the term or period during which a stored commodity remains effective, useful, or suitable for consumption:
Also called storage life.
Origin: 1925–30
Shelf Life began on July 17th, 2009 after a very hard day of work. The original purpose was to reveal what it was like to work in a bookstore, which was far beyond what I had imagined it to be. I was faced with questions such as "Hey, this book was really good, did Anne Frank write a sequel?" and "My son wants photographs of dinosaurs, not drawn or computer images, real photos of live dinosaurs. You got any?" I only reacted in stunned silence, could this be a joke? No, they were all serious.
Shelf life can describe anything and everything. Tastes change, technology grows, and the printed word is being reformatted. I can only hope that long after I have expired, some of my work will stand the test of time.