Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?I usually use bookmarks. I am not above dog-earing (actually Russell caught me at this the other day and was horrified), but I really only do it to certain types of books: books I receive from my dad who is a dog-earer, BookCrossing books that are already pretty beat-up. If I'm reading a clean/new/nice copy of a book and I don't have a bookmark handy, I just try to remember what page I was on (or what chapter or section I was beginning).
I'm very careful with library books (nothing annoys me more than getting a book from the library and seeing it marked up with someone's underlining and notes) and books loaned to me by others. I think you should treat other people's books with respect.
I remove the dust jackets before read hardcovers (unless the book in question is a library book with the dust jacket firmly attached). I find that dust jackets get in the way when I'm reading and they just end up getting banged up.
Books I buy for classes get marked up as necessary while I am reading, underlining, some marginalia. For me they are working copies and I treat them as such.
I'm more disrespectful with mass markets. Sometimes you just have to break the spine in other to read them (and, honestly, they aren't made to last). I hate reading borrowed copies of mass markets for just this reason. I'm fine if the owner has already broken the spine, otherwise I go crazy trying to read while keeping the book in good condition.
I'm a selective dog-earer too!
ReplyDeleteI cant stand reading books that other people have marked/written in. And I sometimes take the dust jacket off, but not always.
ReplyDeleteI use Post-its to keep my place. They're much handier than bookmarks because they don't slide out.
ReplyDeleteI remove the dust jackets from hard covers too, I have ended up spoiling 2 jackets so I prefer not keeping them on.
ReplyDeleteI always take the dust jacket off (unless it's a library book with it covered and taped on) because, as you said, they just get in the way and get jacked up while I'm reading. I also concur (I hadn't really thought about it) that it's nearly impossible to read a mass market without breaking the spine: the length-to-width ratio doesn't allow for reading without doing so.
ReplyDeleteGreat answer! I do agree with keeping library books nice, and borrowed books too.
ReplyDeleteHappy BTT!!!
Another book jacket remover here!
ReplyDeleteI avoid acquiring mass markets for my collection anymore because no matter how careful I am with them, the spines always crack (sometimes you can't even open the book far enough to read it without doing so!) and then eventually they just fall to pieces.
ReplyDeleteI meant to respond on this when I first read it but I was too busy at the time. However, I thought you'd get a laugh out of the fact that I actually color coordinate my bookmark to whatever book I'm reading! LOL
ReplyDelete