what would you do if your brand new library book had an 'incident' with a banana?

[thethingis]

I put this lovely new book in a bag which, unknown to me, had had a banana put in it by a child

now the page edges of one corner are kind of splothered though I have tried hard to clean it

would you buy a new one and take it in? Or offer to make a donation?

I'd buy a new one. In fact I did this recently when I accidentally drowned a brand new hardback. But I made dp pretend he'd done it!

My thinking was that I have had many, many free reads over the years, so I shouldn't even think twice about replacing like with like.

that was kind of what I was thinking

I didn't know what the deal was with how they bought books wholesale (or at whatever discount libraries must get, they can't nip out and get things from WAterstones surely) though, and if my money would go further if I gave it direct

I would buy a new one.

Just say you are sorry and offer to pay for it and then they can buy it.

Yes try and get a replacement if you can.

This happened to me with a glass of red wine and a copy of "Our Friend Jennings" (DD was reading the Jennings book when my glass managed to tip itself over)

It was hard getting a replacement because it seemed to be out of print so I sent of for a used copy. However, when it arrived it was in a fairly tatty state which I felt was not much better than the wine covered one. Then just when I thought I would have to own up and offer compensation instead I found new copies were available.

Anyway the library were effusively grateful for the new book when I explained what had happened and we now have two stained copies of the same book for ourselves.

I will do that, then. Get a new one. Thanks for the advice.

At our library if you damage a book you tell them when you take it back and offer to pay for another one. They charge the price on the back of the book (which if it is a very old book is normally not very much). Sometimes depending on what the damage is they say not to worry.