How do you treat your books?

I found this link at another site and thought the article was not only funny, but had some interesting things to say about the different ways we view books.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/books/review/Schott.t.html?pagewanted=1&_r...

Sorry, you'll have to copy and paste if you want to read it, I've lost my note on how to make a link!

For myself, I don't worship books, not even the Bible. I agree that the value is in the contents. However, my grandmother worked in a library, as do I (volunteer), I cannot ever bend the page of a book! I have been known to write in the margins of some books, as stated elsewhere in this group.

How do you treat books? After reading this link, do you resolve to treat them differently?

Last summer, I picked up a book at a Library book sale that looked appealing. After reading the inside of the jacket, I discovered that none of it was bound. The entire thing was still in order despite that the substance used to bind it had been useless. (The book was only two months old.) I was horrified, but placed it in my bag thinking, I will bind you. When I got home, I cleaned the book up of the sticky mess on the cover left behind from the library, and began to research book arts, particularly, book binding.

I'm certain that I don't treat books the best way possible, but find some mistreatments of books outrageous. I fold the pages of my paperback books to mark my place, but never of hardcovers. I highlight my college textbooks with erasable highlighters, and erase the marks on the ones I choose to sell back to my college. (More often, I use see-through post-its.) If I must write in a book, I try to make it be with a pencil. I keep my books open with the face down only if they're my own, and for answering short phone calls or the doorbell. Also, I use bookplates on hardcover books as well as a stamp on paperback books that I feel I will never get rid of.

After reading the article, I don't think there's any less reason to disrespect the leaving open of a book face down. I despise damaged spines. (How ironic, as my own spine was damaged some years ago.) Sometimes, I read with books open only narrowly enough to read the print, so as not to damage the spine of a book that wants to bend in an ill-manner. I always resolve to not fold pages, but haven't gotten to making bookmarks for myself, only for others.

I never write in books, or even use a highlighter in them; it just makes me twitchy. I will, however, leave a book open face-down to mark my place. But I try not to leave it like that for too long, because I don't like how it makes the cover bend and the book naturally want to stay open at that point. I never fold pages to mark my place; I will, however, turn down the corner of a page to mark a passage I particularly like or find especially relevant.

I know someone who doesn't even mind leaving books out in the rain, as long as she's already read them. That really bothers me, but then, I usually reread my books.

> 2
placed it in my bag thinking, I will bind you.

Ha! I know the feeling! I have quite a few "projects" sitting around unfinished on my work table, many of which were picked up under just the circumstances you mention. "Hmm, the binding may be a bit tattered, but I can fix that." "So what if the cover's missing, I can make a new one." Now if I just had the time . . .

I used to dogear the pages of books to mark my place, but I don't anymore. I don't know when or why I stopped. However, I do fold down pages to mark particularly interesting passages occasionally.

I mysteriously lose all bookmarks, so they are useless to me. When I need a bookmark, I use any scrap of paper I can find. For short periods, if I can't find a scrap of paper, I'll use whatever is at hand. If there's no paper for a longer period, I'll lay the book face-down, preferably over some convex surface (the arm of the couch, my clock-radio, my glasses-case, etc) so the spine won't be too terribly bent.

However, I don't really care that much if it is. I tend to press books flat when I'm reading them, anyway. As people have said, the contents is more important than the book, so if it's work to see the text that's near the inner margin (I have bad eyes, I need all the light I can get) then I won't enjoy reading even if the book is pristine.

This is what happened to some of my "old favorites". Those are the extreme ones - mostly they're not that bad, and I've bought new copies of some other damaged ones already. It took years and years for them to get like that, and dozens of rereadings.

I never write in books, though. I find it far too distracting from the text of the book.

Blue- I used to have a problem losing bookmarks, until I switched to sticky notes, now I never lose anything. :)

I never dogear, write in, highlight, leave upside down, or otherwise harm a book.

But for Christmas a couple years ago, I was given a copy of 1000 Places to See Before You Die, and the first time I opened it the spine cracked. Over the years it has continued to fall apart, until pages started falling out. So last month I bought 3 three-ringed binders, and completely took the book apart and hole punched the pages to organize them in my binders. I taped the front and back covers to the front of the first binder and the back of the last binder. Now I don't have to worry about losing any of it.

I try not to damage the binding, but I'll write in the margins and mark the text with pencil usually and pen sometimes. I'll dog-ear the page if I can't find a scrap of paper for a bookmark. I like to make the book mine. To me, a much-read and well-worn book is a beautiful sight.

I'm going to throw a question in here on the off chance some of you may have a better solution than I do at the moment. This is not meant to be offensive to any smokers out there, I just can't abide the smell of cigarette smoke in my home.

Problem: I like to buy used books. Does anyone have a good solution for getting the smoke smell out of books? At present, I have tried the following with moderate success. Leave the book opened up in the fresh air and sunshine for several days, bringing in at night, sprinkle baking soda throughout pages and putting in a box for a week, then leaving in sunshine. As a last resort, I have sprayed a book, inside and out (the spines are the worst for holding smell) with Fabreeze and left in the sunshine to dry, then pressed the book between heavy books to get it back somewhat to flat pages. The Fabreeze seems to work the best, but my instincts scream at spraying a book with liquid.

Usually I don't buy a book that smells, but I inherited a wonderful collection of classics from a heavy smoker, and now and then you find that one book that you don't want to let go by. Anyone have a better solution?

#8
I have a sister that smokes, and when she borrowed my mother's car, it was returned to us smelling just awful. Our solution was buying a car air freshener. I know your book isn't a car, but as its not a piece of clothing either (I like that Fabreeze comment :), perhaps you should try sealing the book in a ziplock bag with an car air freshener. I would choose something that's not floral, and leave the two sealed in a ziplock bag for two days. Hope this is helpful!

MrsLee > there is a thread in the Rare old or off beat group dealing with this I couldn't find it right off.

The suggestions where to take some 'clean' cat litter or activated charcoal, put it into a container put the book (on a stand or something) in the container and close the lid. They said it could take a couple days to a couple months depending.

MrsLee (#8) Can't help you with your problem but when I buy a used ('pre-read' as some people say) I like to take it with all its associations. Better than a Folio Society book (common in UK second-hand bookshops) that is in mint condition because no-one has ever looked at, let alone read, it. I like the scrawled inscriptions, dedications, bookplates and so on. Too many notes in the margins or underlinings put me off and I don't buy. I like to think I take care of my books - in fact when I came home from Spain and deposited a good number of books at my parents before departing to Brazil I was later told that they were in such good condition that they seemed to be unread.

Make yourself a stink box.

I've got a fairly large one, made exclusively from items I picked up at the container store.

The main box measures 23x13x12 (inches) inside it, I've got a double rack and 2 sealable containers (long, flat). One contains charcoal; the other contains chlorophyl-laden cat litter.

The main container sits on the edge of the table; one opened container goes in the bottom; the other sits on the bottom rack. The book sits open, pages fanned out, on the upper rack.

Time passes... it could take a week or two.

I used a dime-store batttery-operated fan to circulate air once. It worked very well, but the thought of spending batteries every time I de-stank a book bothered me, so I'm looking for an alternative without poking holes in the main box. Currently looking at solar cells, but there are logistics considerations.

>12 WholeHouseLibrary: but the thought of spending batteries every time I de-stank a book bothered me

Rechargeable batteries seem like they'd be just the ticket here, and much easier than trying to rig up solar cell wiring to a fan inside a box.

I don't agree with the author's last point, where he says that those who mistreat or put their books through all kinds of abuse are usually the ones that love their books best. I'm actually the opposite. =) Because I love my books so, I try to take extra care of how I treat them. I never dogear the pages, write in my books, or bend the cover. I'm really particular, I like keeping my books in good shape. My books are like new.

Even when the book is not mine I do the same, for instance, when I'm reading a library book or when I happen to settle down in a chair at Borders to read a book I haven't bought. At the bookstore I've seen instances where some books on the shelves are definitely not new, but very well-used. I've even seen people reading books in the store like it was their own book (bending the cover back or really creasing the spine as they read), so I'm assuming that could account for those well-read books on the shelves. =/

The best way to preserve a book?

Read it regularly.

Thank you for the great ideas on the smoke issue! #12 Wow! That's taking care of business! I might do that on a smaller scale, minus the technicalities of solar panels. :)

#14 - I agree. I think part of the reason I'm so careful with my books, is that I was raised in a family where nothing was disposable. We simply didn't have money to replace things and books were meant to be handed down as treasures. I'm not beyond an occasional note in the margin, but only in a book that really moves me and almost compels me to dialog with the author, Gift From the Sea was one of those. Very few books have moved me to do that, but I don't intend to get rid of it until I die, then my daughter will have it and can add her own thoughts.

#15 The problem with your method of preservation, is that some of my most read books, as careful as I have been, are falling apart. Paperbacks especially, which is why I'm thinking of hardbacks, except for the space issue. If this is the hardest thing I ever have to decide, I'll be blessed indeed. :)

I treat my books the way I treat all of my valued possessions. I don't break the spine, dogear the pages, write in them, or otherwise mar them.

Okay, this is too funny. I did a presentation in sixth grade on "How to take care of your books." Can we say everyone was bored but me? It was ten minutes long!!

I also dog ear my pages. I love bookmarks, but with three small kiddos, they are not usually in the book when I get back to it. Trying to put my books up high, is just a joke. My two girls would swing from the ceiling fan blades and jump to the top shelf to get to it. Very curious creatures who've done that many times and "experimented" with Mommy's make-up. I need to harness just some of their energy!

Anne Fadiman has a wonderful essay in her book Ex Libris: on book care :)

Kieran, I'm curious about your clear Post-its - they sound really useful. In general, I only highlight textbooks I've bought, but never any book (as a history major) I'd consider reading for 'fun'. It's a strange distinction. I attempt to use nice nice metal bookmarks on occasion, but I either use them or they're too thick for my book. I do want to look into cord ones though. When I was a bit younger, I used playing cards from incomplete decks, and try to make up a reason why the card figured into the book - like the Queen of Diamonds for The Three Musketeers. It does have the advantage of an almost unlimited supply.

I use the cord bookmarks--book thongs. They tend to wear out after 6 months to a year, but they mark your place nicely, stay in the book without getting in your way, and they're very pretty. You can make them very inexpensively--some waxed linen cord and a few beads.

#19 - Some one on the other forum, where I found the above link, said that the author of the article stole Anne Fadiman's ideas and plagiarized her book Ex Libris. I've not read her book, what do you think, is it that serious, or was that other person just being grumpy that day?

MrsLee,
Could you be more specific? I've read all 3 of Anne's books, and have pre-ordered her next one, due out in May I believe. Anne reads like you're having good conversation with an old friend -- I absolute love her style.

I'd like to see that article. Perhaps he was merely quoting her.

#19, 21 In her essay in Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (full title added so it won't show the wrong book), Anne Fadiman contrasts carnal and courtly lovers (of books).

#22, Thanks for letting us know there's a new Anne Fadiman book coming out -- I would read anything she writes.

I didn't read the article before posting - but Anne Fadiman entitled her essay on book care 'Sir You Must Never Do That to a Book' with almost the exact situation seen in the openning of the quoted article happening to Fadiman's younger brother with a Danish chambermaid while they were growing up.

Maybe they stayed at the same hotel....

#19 parelle

Actually, its "Kerian" (no biggie, I've just noticed people are frequently spelling it wrong on LibraryThing). Think of its pronunciation as "Kerry Anne."

I first discovered clear post-its in my college bookstore. They're thin sheets of see-through plastic that, like regular post-its, come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Typically, the color is bold or bright. Shapes and sizes that I've seen so far include flags, arrows, conversation bubbles, rectangles, and squares. While the underside is too smooth to write on, the non-sticky side can handle some pens just fine (other smear easily).

These things are very useful, especially for people who dislike writing or highlighting directly in their books. Instead, you place the clear post-it where you want it, and are able to see the text through the plastic sheet. Because of the cost, I don't generally use them simply as "highlighters" but write on these sheets as well. I've found them made by the brands Redi-Tag and Post-It. When I want to sell my books back to the campus bookstore, I simply remove the clear post-its. So far, using these have not damaged any of my books.

19, 27> The post-it brand ones are called "post-it flags" and they are AWESOME. I use them in a lot of books myself. My favorite thing about them is that they're small enough that you can position them on a page to pick out 1-3 specific lines in an obvious way, rather than just folding a corner and wondering what you cared about when you flip back to it.

Personally, I am obsessive, to a fault, about the way my books are treated. I will only lend books to one person in the whole world, and only because I know she's the same way - and I still have to give her a speech every time.

About a year ago, my boyfriend's mum came to visit us and asked for something to read while she was there. She's a very serious lady, a professor who even writes books, and she reads a ton and has about a million books in the house, so I thought it would be safe - but when I lent her a paperback she broke the spine in over a dozen places! I didn't mind too much because it was something I'd already read, and I'd bought it used myself, but I was awfully surprised.

Kerian, I beg your pardon on misspelling your name!

I've used Post-it flags before, but I was hoping there was something a bit larger - though perhaps I'll stock up on some more before starting grad school...

Hmm. First time I've ever wrote that as a definite statement.

Wheee, parelle, I just noticed our new(?) picture! That's how I treat a book when I am smelling it before I buy. :)