Properly Caring For Books

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My wife has been reading lately. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, really, it is huge. From the time that we started dating way back in August 2007 to this day, I have not known her to finish a single book, excepting children's picture books. She has reportedly been reading some proof-edition of a book called "The 13 1/2 Lives Of Captain Blue Bear" or something like that, but I have never actually seen her with this book, except for when it got packed up, and then again when it got unpacked. Both times closed. She also started reading The Dark Is Rising Sequence (starting with "Over Sea, Under Stone"), but I am pretty certain she is still somewhere in the 20s or 30s of that book.

However, the other day she started reading "Project Mulberry" by Linda Sue Park, and is actually reading it as I type! She's read over 90 pages, which has got to be a record - at least, for the time that we have known each other. The reading has become so intense that there have been numerous times that we have both sat in our reading chairs actually reading instead of watching movies in the basement! We also read individidually before going to bed! All this has given me the opportunity to actually observe her reading habits, and to contemplate my own.

At the same time, I have, in the course of teaching, observed the reading habits of many students, and I have noticed something appalling: there are people out there who do not understand basic principles in the proper care of books! (Fortunately, Gretchen is not one of these people! Huzzah!) So here's my brief list of how to properly care for books:

1) Never put an open book down so that the spine is facing upward. This hurts the spine and will ruin the book. If you cannot remember where you are in the book, try one of the following: 
a) Read more often, or continue reading until done.
b) Use a bookmark!

2) Never "dog-ear" a page. It creates a crease that will eventually cause that corner to fall off. It is quite frustrating to be reading a book that is missing a chunk of a page in the middle of the story.

3) Don't mark in your book (unless it is a book that you are supposed to be marking). Equally frustrating to missing portions is reading somebody else's annotations.

4) Do store your books in a cool, dry place. Use bookcases. When the bookcase is full, you should probably invest in another one.

5) Do share your books with others. Books feel happy when they are shared. Sharing can be done by actually loaning or simply discussing and recommending. Sharing does not include letting pets or small children eat them (although I do have an adorable picture of one of my nephew's perusing "The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich" right before he ripped out several pages).

I am sure that there is more to this list. Feel free to add to it via the comments. And for all those who use bookmarks, properly store your books, and share them with others, I applaud you!

Comments

William Reger said…
Thanks for the very handy and interesting refresher on book care. I have to say, though, I do not know where G-woman got her good habits, because I regularly violate every one of your rules, except number four. I hate loaning books to people because they don't take care of them like I would, and yet, I also regularly mark in them (the more the better to cross-reference), I pile them face down one on top of the other when I'm working on something, and I dog-ear the behoozits out of some books, especially when I need to reference a passage quickly or want to return to the page where I am reading. And I do all of this without an iota of remorse. It's part of the pleasure of owning and using a book. You might add to your list that books should not be used as projectiles to make a point in a disagreement. Books should not be used to prop open doors, windows, or primitive squirrel traps. Books should not be sold back at the end of semesters--or indeed disposed of for any reason because you never know when you will need one. And, most important of all, books should be visited and revisited as often as possible, because the reading experience of a 25 year old is not the same as that of a 50 year old.
February 11, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Chou said…
Ah, another book-o-phile who loves to see books treated well. I agree with William about dog-earing our own, but feeling unhappy when others dog-ear ours.
February 15, 2009 at 9:08 PM
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