folding down the corners of a borrowed book

[Thatsnotmypiglet]

I lent a recipe book to a friend and she had it for about two weeks. When I got it back I put it in the cupboard and thought no more about it. I just got it out to bake muffins for ds and several pages have their corners turned down. I don't turn the corners on any of my books and I wouldn't think to do it on a borrowed book. I know it's really not important but AIBU to be a tiny bit peed off?

I re-read my books all the time and the ones that have not been lent all still look new. And, I read in bed and occasionally even put them facedown on the table etc so yes it is possible to have pristine books that have been much read!

(I actually wince when I see people folding a book on itself to break the spine, the poor book!)

I read ad re-read again and gain and I always break the spine of paperbacks (snuggling that way) but
A) never to a hardback
B) never to a library book
C) never on a book I have borrowed.
These are the simple rules all should follow.
(lots of mine are covered in bits of sauce etc as I try to eat and read too)

Hmm I really don't look after my books well at all, fold pages, fold them back, get food all over cookery books etc. BUT if I borrowed a book that was obviously pristine, I would be very careful with it. (Or just give it back unused for fear of damaging it)

I have never folded down the corners of a book, and wouldn't like it if someone folded down the corners of my book! I can just beat it if it's a library book, but still find it annoying and have to unfold all the folds!

My own books get a battering with loving re-reading, but I never fold down a corner. Until lately I didn't use bookmarks, just remembered where I was. Now I cut up the prettier of Christmas and birthday cards, and use those.

I never borrow books, except from the library and no longer lend; I've only had them given back once. Lesson learned.

Life is too short and precious to get wound up over a book.

Personally I only lend what I can afford to lose so I would be pleased I got it back!

I know someone who used to rip the corner of the pages off. Even though they were his own books I couldn't stand it.

I tend to avoid borrowing books for I am a corner folder...

I never borrow books from anyone because I love my books hard. I bend pages with abandon, write notes in margins, dribble food on them and once in a while, leave them on public transport. I don't loan books to anyone either because I don't want to hear their comments on the state of my books.

I think a well-loved, battered, creased and crumpled book is much more of a pleasure to read than a pristine, brand-new one. It has character and soul. A book isn't an object, it's the gateway to another world and I can't get fully immersed in it if I'm worrying about not creasing the spine. I bend them right back so I can see the words properly. I'd very happily turn corners over. Not on a borrowed book though, but probably only since meeting my DH and realising quite how -weird- careful some people are with books.
To my DH, a creased spine is the worst thing in the world. My books and his are not allowed to share shelf space.

I think some of you need to buy two copies of your books - one to read (properly, by you know, opening the book and everything!) and one to look pretty (and unread) on your shelf.

I get lost in books, DH says sometimes I won't say a word for hours at a time. I don't even realise this! I feel like I couldn't fully immerse myself in a book if I was too busy freaking out worrying about opening it too much and creasing the spine.

To me, the more battered a book is, the better it must be! A pristine book looks like it wasn't worth reading.

But some people are readers and some are not, and as a member of the former group, I will forgive eccentricities. And I would treat a borrowed book much more carefully, or not borrow it at all.

I feel like this thread is somewhere I can admit that the best part of doing my OU degree is receiving the box with my textbooks in and getting to smell

smell them! Obvs.

Absolutely Lizzie - yes to everything you said.
The must-keep-the-book-immaculate people are not the real book lovers are they?

I read a lot and always fold down corners to keep my place. I do it without even thinking about it.

When I borrow books from friends I am conscious of it not being polite to do this and always try to use a bookmark. But occasionally habit/instinct get the better of me and the odd corner gets folded.

I have to say Ieven I wouldn't do this with a nice hardback recipe book though. That said neither would I really care much if I was the lender and someone did this to any of my books unless it was especially beautifully bound.

to be honest if you 'lend' a book you are lucky to see it again.

and anyway all this 'lending' of immaculate books and expecting not only to see them again but in perfect condition is just a bit...anal tbh
If I want my friend to have a book I give it to them.

Recipe books I write all over with comments on how I make the recipe and they are stained with flour and butter at the most popular recipes. This is how it should be.

However, novel spinebreakers are an abomination (worse even than the page folders over) up there with notescribblers in novels. I carry a book with me everywhere and yet the vast majority of my books those I haven't leant to my sister don't have broken spines. WTF are you doing to them? It is not necessary to willfully break the spine of a book to read it, nor is is required that you expose it to lots of water nor do I want to have to think about why you underlined the words 'thwarted rage' when I'm reading 'The Blind Assassin'. Argh.

Plain rude and lazy. What's hard about using a book mark of some sort?

This thread needs a trigger warning

Are you ready for most sob of all sob stories?

When I was a child I loved, adored, cherished reading. We had NO books in the house (except the sun newspaper ). We lived on a gated army estate and I would walk to the library all the time to borrow books.

My parents didn't believe in buying books (waste of money). Consequently I didn't realise there were book rules . My mums friend lent me a book of her DDs once and I turned the corners down. I was only 8 and still remember it (Sweet Valley High). Her mum went ballistic at me when I handed it back and tore a strip off me in front of about 30 adults at a BBQ, said it was no wonder I didn't have nice books if I count look after things. I remember feeling so scared that I'd done some awful thing I nearly wet myself.

I have a huge book collection now (as do my DC) and I fold corners and break spines and love my books to tatters!

A gift for you Pantone you poor thing.

(All Night Long (!) looks like a new level of trash)

Do what the hell you like to your own books, but others peoples'? Just plain rude. It doesn't matter if it a book, or what ever, it's another person's property.If you lent a friend a jumper and it came back torn and stained I'd imagine you might be a little miffed.

I borrowed a paperback book from a friend. It was a well thumbed copy. The spine had been bent back, but I still managed to break the spine apart! I was so sorry I bought her a new copy!

I can understand a little spine damage from reading, but to fold the spine back on itself or fold down corners is unforgivable!

That said I've often passed on books and been asked if I've even read them.

I scribbled in a book age about 4 and had every book I owned confiscated, only doing all my chores for a week (putting my laundry in the basket, making my bed) would earn me back one book at a time, I've cherished books ever since.