4 ms·

It may help to look at it this way: A book you won't write in is a book that owns you, rather than you owning the book. A book is designed to convey informatio

It may help to look at it this way: A book you won't write in is a book that owns you, rather than you owning the book. A book is designed to convey information on the page, writing in your book only adds to and fulfills it's purpose.

bigtunacan 3y ago
Or it is owned by the library
- TheFreim 3y ago
  Good point, though I will say that I've checked out a lot of library books that have had useful markings people have put in them, though I wouldn't personally mark something that isn't my own property that way.
einpoklum 3y ago
Your insistence on this kind of 'consumptive' and 'territory-marking' ownership of books is kind of silly IMHO. I mean, suppose you have a 100 books. You're not reading more than 2 or 3 of them at once, if that; and it's not like you're doing anything with the rest other than keeping them on a shelf. Now, Once you either have a family, or have friends with similar interests, or with kinds of similar interests etc - those 98 (or 100) books become something you lend, or even give away. And when you get older, you will pass on your entire library, at some point, or sell it off, or bequeath it etc. At any of these points, you want the book to be free of your personal jots and notes, and as close to pristine condition as possible, for the other readers. Write your notes in a notebook, or on your PC or laptop (or whatever). They'll also be searchable and easily editable.
- kashunstva 3y ago
  > And when you get older, you will pass on your entire library, at some point, or sell it off, or bequeath it etc. At any of these points, you want the book to be free of your personal jots and notes While I generally have a communitarian orientation, I predict that as I approach this point, other end-of-life matters will occupy my headspace to a greater degree than any psychic rumblings about the odd marginalia in my dusty collection. As an aside (because for the mere mortals among us it doesn’t apply) occasionally some historical inferences are made based on the reader’s margin notations.

bigtunacan 3y ago

Or it is owned by the library

TheFreim 3y ago
Good point, though I will say that I've checked out a lot of library books that have had useful markings people have put in them, though I wouldn't personally mark something that isn't my own property that way.

einpoklum 3y ago

Your insistence on this kind of 'consumptive' and 'territory-marking' ownership of books is kind of silly IMHO. I mean, suppose you have a 100 books. You're not reading more than 2 or 3 of them at once, if that; and it's not like you're doing anything with the rest other than keeping them on a shelf. Now, Once you either have a family, or have friends with similar interests, or with kinds of similar interests etc - those 98 (or 100) books become something you lend, or even give away. And when you get older, you will pass on your entire library, at some point, or sell it off, or bequeath it etc. At any of these points, you want the book to be free of your personal jots and notes, and as close to pristine condition as possible, for the other readers. Write your notes in a notebook, or on your PC or laptop (or whatever). They'll also be searchable and easily editable.

kashunstva 3y ago
> And when you get older, you will pass on your entire library, at some point, or sell it off, or bequeath it etc. At any of these points, you want the book to be free of your personal jots and notes While I generally have a communitarian orientation, I predict that as I approach this point, other end-of-life matters will occupy my headspace to a greater degree than any psychic rumblings about the odd marginalia in my dusty collection. As an aside (because for the mere mortals among us it doesn’t apply) occasionally some historical inferences are made based on the reader’s margin notations.