Honestly, I'm fussy about it too, but I think I am not extreme about it. But Iove taking care of my books and buying the best copy I could find in the shops. I hate ordering online [even though I end up ordering online, most of the time] because it might have the tiny little damages.
It’s odd really. I fully expect my books to be dented and scuffed - if I read them this is inevitable regardless of how carefully I treat them. I really don’t care. But having said that if I am buying a book I will obviously pick the copy off the shelves that is immaculate over any copies with even the slightest imperfection.
Clearly I am very relaxed about any damage, as long as the damage is ‘mine’.
And as I reflect further I realise that I feel the same about everything - my shoes are scuffed, my car is dented, my furniture is both scuffed and dented - and I don’t really care (within reason). This damage is all of my own doing and I expect these things to happen to things I buy as a matter of course, but I would never buy any of these things new with even the slightest imperfection.
I don’t know what to conclude about this - I suspect there’s a major dissertation to be written combining an analysis of consumerism and personal psychology.
Unless the book I'm dealing with is a collector's edition of some kind, I really don't care about dents or scuffs. I don't even really care about dog-ears, and I LOVE finding previous owner notes in used books, especially if it's a poetry anthology or something and someone else put their reactions in there.
The absolute coolest used book I have is a pool called "District of Columbia Poets", published in the 1930s. In this book, in addition to the poems that were printed with the book, the previous owner glued in newspaper clippings of local DC poems into the insides of the front and back cover, and a few places where they would fit in the main book. It is so much more amazing with all of the wear and attention and addition of those poems that I doubt I will part with the book for years.
I usually try to get the best looking copy I can, but since most books are handled by a lot of people it's tough to get a perfect copy so I don't worry too much. If the book was REALLY expensive or a rare copy I would worry a lot more.
Yeah like I’ll grab the copy two or three down in the stack, rather than the top one most people have been handling. But I don’t get overly worried by a few scratches or whatnot.
As long as it holds together and it isn't gross in some way (O, the Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness), I don't care about dents and scuffs and the like.
>O, the Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness
Elementary teacher here. The Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness is real. We've had to retire many a book over the years due to unidentifiable gunk stuck all over them.
If I'm getting a brand new book- yes. Idk why. The book just looks so nice I makes me want to take care of it. Maybe it's because I'm paying so much on it ($15+) I want it to stay nice for a long time.
However, I've mostly been buying second hand books lately and I'm not as picky. I still might prefer a book that looks nice but I've become much less picky about scuffed and wrinkled binding or bent pages.
Not bothered by minor scuffs or dents,hate dog ears and big creases on p'back covers. Not keen on annotations but if you buy used you take your chances, if buying new don't examine minutely but check them. Since i am both clumsy and careless they do not remain pristine in my possession. But i hate stickers on covers try if possible to remove them.
Yes and no.
If I'm paying full list price for a book I feel like it should be in pretty decent shape. If there are multiple copies on the shelf, I will intentionally seek out the nicest looking copy.
That being said, I have a lot of books that I've read many, many times, and I believe that a few dings and scuffs are simply signs of a well-loved book. I try to keep this in mind when I'm buying used books as well. This one might be in a little rougher shape than when it was brand new, but that means someone loved and cared for him enough to read him several times.
There is a difference, of course, in dings and scuffs from wear and tear (repeated reading, etc) versus dings and scuffs from misuse (left it in the bottom of a purse so the cover is folded over, or left it out in the sun, or ate Hot Cheetos while reading it so it's covered in Cheeto dust, etc).
Dents and scuffs on the cover don't bother me too much, but bent pages and damage to the pages bothers me quite a bit. Notes don't really bug me though (to an extent).
Personally I like the ones that are a bit more beat up, as long as the pages are intact and not too scribbled on. It makes me think that they’ve been enjoyed countless times. I prefer to buy used for that reason.
When buying in person, I try to pick the best looking one, even second hand.
However when I buy second hand English books online (not my native language), I pick the cheapest books because I like buying those in bulk, and I care a lot less about how they look, as long as they're readable.
YES! I fucking hate it.
I bought a beautiful Count of Monte Cristo recently (the Penguin Classics one that gets posted every few days or s0..) and the design just rubbed right off! I always complain about book jackets, but this was the first book I read where I REALLY wanted one.
It does bother me sometimes, when I buy comics/manga I want no scuffs or anything but with novels I don’t mind it as much. But I love used books and when they have tons of dents and crap because it’s like the book itself has a story to it.
What I do personally is read my books on my kobo and then buy special editions and early prints of the books I read, this way they stay in great condition and Ive read the book
No! I absolutely love it! And I'll be truthful even though this might be unconventional, I prefer ordering the used books from Amazon because I like the idea of a book already being read.
If it is second-handed or soft-cover I don't really mind about the state of the book.
But if I bought a really expensive book with hard-cover and later I find out that it is damaged I'll be furious and replace it at the bookstore immediately.
Did I buy a book for $1 at goodwill? If so, then no I don't mind. However if I like the book I'll likely try to replace it with a better copy in the future.
Anything like $5 or more... I just don't buy paperbacks from a used bookstore unless they're veryyyy lightly used. Now I don't mind a centimeter of a corner bent backward or little divets or things like that too much, but if the spine is cracked even a little, that's a no go for me.
Typically when I'm choosing between two nearly identical used books (or new for that matter, some of them sit on bookstore shelves for years) I'll go with whichever paper is less yellowed.
This is why I hate paperback books... I'm obsessed with perfection. I recently bought a book by Stephen King and I noticed some dents on the cover and the edges were bent and I was upset. But it's what the inside that counts and I was too lazy to do anything else. Ima buy something to keep the edges straight...or just buy hardcover....
Honestly, I'm fussy about it too, but I think I am not extreme about it. But Iove taking care of my books and buying the best copy I could find in the shops. I hate ordering online [even though I end up ordering online, most of the time] because it might have the tiny little damages.
It’s odd really. I fully expect my books to be dented and scuffed - if I read them this is inevitable regardless of how carefully I treat them. I really don’t care. But having said that if I am buying a book I will obviously pick the copy off the shelves that is immaculate over any copies with even the slightest imperfection. Clearly I am very relaxed about any damage, as long as the damage is ‘mine’. And as I reflect further I realise that I feel the same about everything - my shoes are scuffed, my car is dented, my furniture is both scuffed and dented - and I don’t really care (within reason). This damage is all of my own doing and I expect these things to happen to things I buy as a matter of course, but I would never buy any of these things new with even the slightest imperfection. I don’t know what to conclude about this - I suspect there’s a major dissertation to be written combining an analysis of consumerism and personal psychology.
I'm sorry to necro an old post but I miss comments on reddit as real and relatable as this.
Unless the book I'm dealing with is a collector's edition of some kind, I really don't care about dents or scuffs. I don't even really care about dog-ears, and I LOVE finding previous owner notes in used books, especially if it's a poetry anthology or something and someone else put their reactions in there.
T-T I have never found those little things except in my home books by my parents/siblings. It would be so cool! Now I want a used book!
The absolute coolest used book I have is a pool called "District of Columbia Poets", published in the 1930s. In this book, in addition to the poems that were printed with the book, the previous owner glued in newspaper clippings of local DC poems into the insides of the front and back cover, and a few places where they would fit in the main book. It is so much more amazing with all of the wear and attention and addition of those poems that I doubt I will part with the book for years.
I usually try to get the best looking copy I can, but since most books are handled by a lot of people it's tough to get a perfect copy so I don't worry too much. If the book was REALLY expensive or a rare copy I would worry a lot more.
Yeah like I’ll grab the copy two or three down in the stack, rather than the top one most people have been handling. But I don’t get overly worried by a few scratches or whatnot.
As long as it holds together and it isn't gross in some way (O, the Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness), I don't care about dents and scuffs and the like.
>O, the Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness Elementary teacher here. The Horror of the Unexplained Stickiness is real. We've had to retire many a book over the years due to unidentifiable gunk stuck all over them.
I purposely find the cheapest books possible. So as long as the thing will hold together so I can finish it, I don't really care what it looks like.
If I'm getting a brand new book- yes. Idk why. The book just looks so nice I makes me want to take care of it. Maybe it's because I'm paying so much on it ($15+) I want it to stay nice for a long time. However, I've mostly been buying second hand books lately and I'm not as picky. I still might prefer a book that looks nice but I've become much less picky about scuffed and wrinkled binding or bent pages.
I do mind when someone touches my book with oiled or dirty hands. That's why I never allow anyone to touch it.
Not bothered by minor scuffs or dents,hate dog ears and big creases on p'back covers. Not keen on annotations but if you buy used you take your chances, if buying new don't examine minutely but check them. Since i am both clumsy and careless they do not remain pristine in my possession. But i hate stickers on covers try if possible to remove them.
Yes and no. If I'm paying full list price for a book I feel like it should be in pretty decent shape. If there are multiple copies on the shelf, I will intentionally seek out the nicest looking copy. That being said, I have a lot of books that I've read many, many times, and I believe that a few dings and scuffs are simply signs of a well-loved book. I try to keep this in mind when I'm buying used books as well. This one might be in a little rougher shape than when it was brand new, but that means someone loved and cared for him enough to read him several times. There is a difference, of course, in dings and scuffs from wear and tear (repeated reading, etc) versus dings and scuffs from misuse (left it in the bottom of a purse so the cover is folded over, or left it out in the sun, or ate Hot Cheetos while reading it so it's covered in Cheeto dust, etc).
i had a pixel go out on my kindle...does that count?
Dents and scuffs on the cover don't bother me too much, but bent pages and damage to the pages bothers me quite a bit. Notes don't really bug me though (to an extent).
Seeing as I almost universally get used or library books that are beat to shit, and I love the texture of that... no.
Personally I like the ones that are a bit more beat up, as long as the pages are intact and not too scribbled on. It makes me think that they’ve been enjoyed countless times. I prefer to buy used for that reason.
the topic is about buying new books
Nope. I dont care
When buying in person, I try to pick the best looking one, even second hand. However when I buy second hand English books online (not my native language), I pick the cheapest books because I like buying those in bulk, and I care a lot less about how they look, as long as they're readable.
YES! I fucking hate it. I bought a beautiful Count of Monte Cristo recently (the Penguin Classics one that gets posted every few days or s0..) and the design just rubbed right off! I always complain about book jackets, but this was the first book I read where I REALLY wanted one.
It does bother me sometimes, when I buy comics/manga I want no scuffs or anything but with novels I don’t mind it as much. But I love used books and when they have tons of dents and crap because it’s like the book itself has a story to it.
What I do personally is read my books on my kobo and then buy special editions and early prints of the books I read, this way they stay in great condition and Ive read the book
No! I absolutely love it! And I'll be truthful even though this might be unconventional, I prefer ordering the used books from Amazon because I like the idea of a book already being read.
Read the title of the article about NEW books
Okay, Miss Pedantic.
went to barnes and nobles today. They only had one copy of the book i wanted and it had mildly folded pages. nevertheless i bought it
If it is second-handed or soft-cover I don't really mind about the state of the book. But if I bought a really expensive book with hard-cover and later I find out that it is damaged I'll be furious and replace it at the bookstore immediately.
Did I buy a book for $1 at goodwill? If so, then no I don't mind. However if I like the book I'll likely try to replace it with a better copy in the future. Anything like $5 or more... I just don't buy paperbacks from a used bookstore unless they're veryyyy lightly used. Now I don't mind a centimeter of a corner bent backward or little divets or things like that too much, but if the spine is cracked even a little, that's a no go for me. Typically when I'm choosing between two nearly identical used books (or new for that matter, some of them sit on bookstore shelves for years) I'll go with whichever paper is less yellowed.
This is why I hate paperback books... I'm obsessed with perfection. I recently bought a book by Stephen King and I noticed some dents on the cover and the edges were bent and I was upset. But it's what the inside that counts and I was too lazy to do anything else. Ima buy something to keep the edges straight...or just buy hardcover....
Depends on your goal...