I like mine all in mint condition, can't stand it when someone borrows my books then folds the corner of the page over instead of using a bookmark!
i try to keep mine in mint condition too, i hate it if the spine is broken or cover creased, tho i do like to pick books up from, charity shops every now and then and you cant always get them mint
I always dog ear and bend the spine, i spend 25% of my day reading on average, and i don't have time for mucking about with bookmarks. I also take a book with me everywhere just about, so mud and stuff is extremely common. unfortunately most of my books are from the library, i must drive them mad!
lol I am terrible with books - generally they are either on my floor, bed or drawers or something like that... Most of them end up in our bookcase but thats like full so now they end up on the bed nxt to it... Latest book i read was actually on the floor under my bed when it fell off and i couldn't be bothered to get it but i picked it up. most of the time i wreck books when i read them cos I like read constantly with a new one so, er... a few stains on it... But I dont tread on them or anything (or use em as kindling) the books i hate are prolly in the best condition and the ones i love will be worst off... Once i read them i dont have use for them anymore so i tend to use the Library and i have to look after them better cos they're not mine and to wreck them would be unfair.
I hate bent spines, too. My mother used to steal all my books and bend every single spine. Id ask her kindly not to. Shed say "ooh i love my books with a bent spine, me, always have them, shows theyre well loved"..."But theyre not your books, mum"...she never listened. I learnt to hide them
I can't stand having the spine bent or pages folded, unless it's the type of book that just looks better if a bit tatty, if you know what I mean.
I've kept pretty much every book I have ever read but unusualy I really could not give a toss about there condition. They all look well read and I think they look better for it.
my books are well read. i have to bend the spine because i mainly read them in bed with my cat. i have one hand holding the book open & one hand straking the cat. if i dont break the spine it pritty much hurts my hand holding the book open. i used to dog ear the corners all the time but i now have an embossed peice of card with the sheffield assey stamp on that i use for a book mark & thats all bent & creased.
I treat my books with respect LOL. I don't want my books to be seen lying around, scattered. -- Europe's largest online contact lens store
I've had a glass of scotch, and I read this as "how do you treat your boobs?" I look after my books, I'm quite anal about it. I lent a mate a book a got for 10p from a church jumble sale and was extremely pissed off when he trashed it. But I also suffer from the "I'll get 'round to reading it someday" syndrome, though I have now stopped buying new books until I've caught up with my bookshelf.
it depends on the book and if i have any bookmarks to hand... they are all loved that's for sure but if i need to fold a corner or break the spine ( i sometimes, well often actually, leave the book open pages facing down, if i'm reading a few at a time)... if i got the book second hand and the spine is already broken or pages corners turned in i will keep up the tradition of what it's used to... if any of my books break completely, i will mend them carefully... but that takes absolutely years for that to happen.... i'm keeping them all anyway so i don't have to worry about whether they hold their price or not... i don't like lending them out because i tend not to get them back... i do however sometimes just give them away if i think someone really needs to read a certain book and I will more often than not replace it at a later date if i think i'll need to refer to it again.... i am addicted to books
I always use a book mark. I have a drawer full and try to choose one that goes with the book. How sad is that? I also like to handle and touch my books. I'm one of those book geeks that goes into a book shop, sits on the floor with possible purchases and stays for hours. At least I always buy something, I'm not in there for a sneaky free read. I want to come back as a bookshop assistant in another life