Do you do your best to keep your books in good shape or do you like it when it shows its been read alot?

Submitted by DevilMasterKING t3_z8rz3y in books

Im in the middle with this, I make sure my books are in good condition but I like seeing the little things that show they've been read. Like how the edges of the pages loose that pure white over time, how the corners of the pages crease when I have to hold it down to turn the pages, or how the spine becomes less stiff each time its been opened unless its a floppy paperback

7

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Naive-Mechanic4683 t1_iycze2s wrote

I have some books that I keep in pristine condition (full set of Goethe, last gift from my grandfather, signed copies)

Everything else is to be used, I will do anything with it including, but not limited to;

  1. read in the bath
  2. dirty fingers
  3. earmarks
  4. take on holidays
  5. lent out to idiots
  6. use them to squash mosqiouto

I like reading and I like being a person that reads. Any rule that stops me from reading gets thrown out of the window. Worst case scenario I could always rebuy a book, I love donating to a good cause

10

ApocalypticPages t1_iyd4hm6 wrote

I buy most of my books used, mainly because I'm skint haha, so a good portion of them have signs of wear.

Keeping them in as good a condition as I can is my goal. I don't go to extreme lengths though. If I really like a book I'll probably buy a display hardback.

5

DevilMasterKING OP t1_iyd4sce wrote

Hardbacks are more sturdy and from what i see, never really get that same wear and tear paper backs do

2

jamesdsulin t1_iycx1p0 wrote

I prefer a worn copy of a book, I akin it to battle scars. My copy of "The Stand" is held together with clear packing tape and I love it. I make this next statement knowing it's going to enrage but I like dog earing pages instead of using bookmarks.

3

unlovelyladybartleby t1_iyd2wma wrote

I have a paperback copy of Shogun in 8 pieces and I've been rereading the pieces for probably 15 years

I don't dig ear pages, I just use whatever I'm holding as a bookmark. It's fun finding old business cards and notes years later although I admit it was less pleasant the time I opened a book to find a dried up slice of ancient cheese lol

2

DevilMasterKING OP t1_iycxazp wrote

I dont dog ear cuz I personally down like the look of it but yeah I dont care if people dog ear their books as long as its a book they own and not one that they borrow

1

sarah280590 t1_iydc0y0 wrote

I don't really like books with creases in the spine but I don't do anything to prevent them. I just read and accept that it will happen 🤷🏻‍♀️

3

mrburnttoast79 t1_iycy7sn wrote

I read mostly on Kindle. When I do read a physical book, I don’t ever fully open it to keep it in the best condition possible. I guess I just never liked the look of creases in a book.

2

FeralCJ7 t1_iycyfkx wrote

I've pretty much switched to Kindle exclusively because i don't typically get rid of books, ever. I have books that are almost 30 years old and held together with tape. My wife is not amused by the fact that it's hard for me to declutter my books.

2

glugolly t1_iycz5ty wrote

I’m known by my friends for the uh… transformation that my books go through when I read them. To me it’s a sign of love. Annotations, highlights, bent pages, cracked spines, dog eared pages, crunchy from being in the room while I shower, knicks or pieces of tape on the cover from being in my back pocket or my purse.

Im gonna die one day and I’m taking my books with me lol.

I used to care when I was younger, like really care to keep my books pristine. Then I got into grad school and whoooo boy is that not an option anymore. I buy 95% used books and lots of them in foreign languages that are source materials for my research so. Can’t be too precious anymore.

2

kelci1995 t1_iyd04yd wrote

I love a good tattered book

2

Leramar89 t1_iyd0kdw wrote

I try to keep my books in good condition but I'm not going to lose sleep over a few scuffs and creases.

2

gardenomette t1_iydaabz wrote

I don't have a preference. If it looks good, good. If it looks bad, also good. It's just a book.

2

DevilMasterKING OP t1_iydkc0o wrote

yeah, I used to be really picky bout how good a book looked but over time I realized its the enjoyment that matters most. Plus its just an object, I'm not gonna treat it like sacred texts

1

minimalist_coach t1_iydrgp0 wrote

I grew up using the library, so I learned to do my best to keep books in the best condition possible. When studying I've underlined and highlighted, but those were all books I planned to refer back to often.

I will say that I was ready to rip the Wheel of Time books in half. They are so large, the print is so small and it hurt my hands to hold them open for so long. I bought the first in the series new and there are several creases in the spine now.

2

MuchMethod7039 t1_iye8lx4 wrote

I like my books to look as perfect as I do, pristine sometimes and other times a hot mess.

2

casualroadtrip t1_iyfbtsl wrote

I love books that look read!

I have some books I like to keep looking nice. They are special editions or nice hardbacks.

But anything else is fair game to me. I don’t want my shelves to look like a book store. I love it when my books look owned because it makes them unique.

2

penguin-47284 t1_iyd49w3 wrote

I definitely highlight and write in and dog ear my books and I don’t really mind them in that state after.

1

unlovelyladybartleby t1_iyd36s3 wrote

I'm dreadfully hard on books (and on ereaders - I'm on number five right now although number two was run over by a car so that one wasn't my fault).

I drop them in baths, get food on them, use garbage for bookmarks, rip out the extra pages to use as note paper

For some reason the library has never worked for me. Idk why lol

0