In looking back on 2001, the state of the pulp and paper market can be best described as volatile. And as the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" fade away, the outlook does not appear to be any more stable for the coming year. In fact, due to the dipping economic outlook that many pundits predicted months ago, paper buying has taken on a renewed set of competitive objectives starting foremost (and not surprisingly) with affordability. Since slower publishing demands contributed to a waning paper market throughout 2001, according to the Labor Department's International Price Program, buying habits have been greatly affected. Coupled with international conflict and national security concerns, the commercial feasibility of a market as traditional as book publishing comes under the gun. Sluggish book sales during the holiday season certainly did not help matters, leaving the future of the paper market in 2002 to much speculation.