Book might be loved but it's still annoying to read sometimes, especially when the cover keeps threatening to tear and the first pages are already working there way loose from the effort of holding the book up.

Well, I rarely have books like that. They haven't got to that point....yet.

And I was reading through the posts....and some people in here I'd never borrow a book from. You must open it like this! I had someone do that to me before-on their manga when I didn't open it any different than what normal people do (I didn't fold the cover over or anything-which that bothers me when people do) so the second she wandered off....I put the book back and never did read it. And I probably never will.

Well, books used to cost way more than they did now, so knowing how to preserve them for as long as possible was a benefit. Mass publishing on the scale we have now also probably wan't around at the time. I'm thinking turn of the century here, and early 1900ds.

These books weren't from the early 1900s.

And if you want to go with that, they should've never bought books because I was opening it the normal 180 or less and they told me I was damaging it. It's called normal wear and tear. Don't bring the book to a club meeting for people to read....if you don't want them to read it.

Not sure what you mean by "go with that" Yoku.

I get peeved when people trash my books after reading them, when I get covers that are torn or have rips or scrapes or they come back with crooked spines. It's not hard to *not* damage a book when reading it. I'm forgiving of most things since when I lend it out I know that I'm takinga risk and I accept that, but I expect the borrower to also make an attempt not to damage something they're borrowing.

As for the 180 degrees thing, depends on the book. I've seen cheap books nearly break in half from that, especially if they are thick, or warped covers making it difficult to open without cracking into the spine. Gently working the spine a bit is usually all one needs to do with a hardcover to preserve the shape. Some books do need fragile handling though, or one may as well just scrap them page by page as one goes since they'll end up the same anyway.

I wasn't going to take it out of the room. There was no way for it to get "trashed" unless I did something maliciously or if someone else did.

Well, I've never seen a cheap manga yet then. Very few mangas are hardcover. These are the books I know well. They don't go to hell because you opened them to 180 or less. But it doesn't matter because now I know to go nowhere near the manga if she's there. I just wanna read the shit. But she wants to act like opening it is going to ruin the book to hell so I just put it back. That's why I do the illegal thing and read scanlations...since I don't have the money to buy every manga that I want...and I refuse to deal with psychos who don't want any wear or tear on their books whatsoever. Especially when they bring it to a meeting to be read.

Ah. Gotcha. Yeah, I admit that I'm not as carefull with my larger, floppy books as I am with pockets. The heavy pages are sturdier and the spines are flexible enough that way. I've read my copy of Watchman (full set) three times and spilt and entire cup of tea (with milk!) on it and it's still in peachy condition. There's something to be said for glossy pages.

Naturally, the books that are precious to me *never* leave my possession. I don't want them kicked up but also, knowing my picky habits, I don't want to be in a position where I might get irritated at a friend, so I'm carefull about what books I lend out.

You're lucky on that Watchmen stuff. I mean....almost nothing would survive tea and milk on it.

Manga books are very long lasting though. They're usually not really thick which helps them. Omnibus editions are the exception to that. And apparently they have pretty good spines too :3

I got lucky in that the part that got the most tea on it was closed so it didn't seep far into the pages. It was a good cover though, and being the nitpick that I am I reacted fast. I was as much upset that I lost my tea as I was for my book.

I've lost some books to water damage.

Mother got insurance money when part of our roof was torn up. She didn't get it fixed. It started raining in our dining room and she said she cleaned it all up...ONE OF MY STEPHEN KING BOOKS WAS RUINED! You don't want to know how pissed off I was...and this we figure out a month after it's been ruined. If I had known it was wet when it happened...I could've possibly saved it.

Dogs, drinks, and people sitting on them have been my main problems so far. I tend to leave my books sort of "tented" on a side table or couch arm if I'm reading and am only getting up for a minute, to keep my place. At least one has not survived.

I tend to take my books with me .-.

And people are rarely around and mom won't let me have a dog T_T

Well, at least it wasn't my dog. It was a visitor. Could have been worse though. Could have minced a book I actually wanted to read right then.

That's not odd at all. I hate the way some people treat books. I don't think I'd be able to sit and watch someone actually tear out pages. Poor book. I get a little OCDic about my books and keep them lock tight in a water proof container, away from sticky fingers and markers.

I don't have waterproof containers (yet ;), or fireproof for that matter) but I do put away books that I want to save for future generations or hypothetical kids.

I've started buying the odd children's book that I see that was one I like, just in case they disappear or prove harder to find later. When my niece was about 2 I saw a copy of Animalia that I considered getting for her. I didnt' because she was so young. I haven't seen the book since, and now the artist behind it has apparently died. I've seen lots of book about Animalia or little trinkets and mementos dedicated to it, but not the actual book. Makes me sad.

I don't hide my dust jackets away but I'm picky about them. :). I always try to keep them inline with the book but lining things up also seems to be something of a family quirk.

Heh. Yeah, I get compelled to make sure the dust jacket is always in it's proper spot when I put the book on the shelf. Warped dust jackets annoy me and I must save them!

When I buy a new book I usually pick the best one that I can find and I'd prefer one with a knick in the pages or minor tear than one with an out of place jacket. It doesn't line up! NO!

For me its hard to pick out a book for me cause I let my friends buy me them or when I wait till they are at discounts in cons

Yeah, though I am starting to pick up my stepmom's bargain hunting habits.

"This book is damaged here *point* but it's the only one on the shelf. Do have any others in the back?"
"No, but I can give you a 10% discount?"
"That would be great!"
:D

I'm also frequenting used book stores so I'm getting more moderate about damage when I buy the book.

You sound like my fiance he is very ginger with his books, he loved to read and wants to preserve them for as long as possible.

The majority of my mangas someone else bought them for me so I preserve it to the best of my abilities. And my friend got me more manga for my birthday and he ordered it online so it was at a discount price and got the latest version before it was even on shelves XD

I've only owned one manga, and I'm not all that sure it counted as one. I read it once and tossed it. Wasn't much of a read though, more of a skim. The spine wasn't great. Quite stiff, and if you shook it the pages hardly moved.

Did you throw it out? or re-sold it?

Dropped it off at a book charity sale I think. Or a literacy fund. Don't know. It was in english, book 3 from Suikoden 3.

Never heard of the series, I don't buy books in the middle of the series, witht he exception of grab bags, but I have no control over it

Suikoden is a series of video games. The book looked cheap, so it may have been a franchise money grab rather than something that most people would think of as manga. I was curious about some of the characters in it (Suikoden is told from 3 different perspectives and from the game it was easy to follow the story) but it wasn't really worth hanging onto in my opinion.

ah so it sucked all together

Pretty much. I went with my sister and friend to an art exhibit on comic, cartoons, and video games and some of the manag they had there was fascinating. I'll have to look in the book from the exhibit to find out which one it was, if it's in there. Many of stories and stuff on display were also sold in the gift shop. Sorta.

I have a hard time finding mangas anywhere other than bookstores and cons (I rarely go online for manga, my friend does that)

Depends where you live I guess. Lots of Asian populations around here so lots of places selling manga, in English and Japanese I imagine.

Well in Japan they would sell Japanese manga. We just sell the dunned version or the mangas that are originally in English

Some of my books I've read so many times, I've read the covers off... literally. I've had to tape the covers back on and re-fabricate corners with packing tape to keep them safe. Other books just look like they've been a little worn. They are all valuable to me and I try to protect them as much as possible. Selling a book is almost painful... What you said about your dad, Quiet, made me cringe. That's downright abuse of a book. Just because they're second hand doesn't mean they should be ripped apart. What if you want to read them again?!

I didn't read about what
Quiet's father do to books...must lurk for it

He buys the most beat up copy he can from the used book store, then tears the pages out and tosses them away after he's read them. If he wants to read them again he goes out and buys a hardcover copy. :)

Just picked up one of Steven Erikson's Malazan books on Suzerain's recommendation (see Suz? Some of us listen! :D) and just picking it off the slelf made we want to cringe. The cover feels almost greasy from being handled so much though the cover itself was on okay shape appart from being really loose on the top.

I'm not sure why that is as far as the cringing when. When I was young I hardly cared about dirt and such, though I don't really like grease. Gardening barehand with dirt and earthworms: no problem. Handling raw meat: I can do that. Picking up dog crap: 'tis child's play! Greasy library book, ATM buttons, and bus poles: EEEEEEEEEE!

Why does he rip up the pages when he's done then buys a hard copy. That makes no sense

That's not odd at all, if it makes you feel any better, I order my stuff in alphabetical order by Author's last name. ^^
But if I find a page I absolutely love, I usually fold the corner. So some days, when I have a few minuets to spare, I grab one and read the folded down pages~ Because they make me smile or they're REALLY good.

It makes sense given said book is in pieces and he'd have to get another if he wanted to read it again. He tears the pages out as he reads them, not all at once. And so far there's only been one book he's bothered to read multiple times and look for a hardcover and that's The Silmarillion by Tolkein.