4 ms·

> It's nice to own books. Read them multiple times, dog-ear the pages, scribble in the margins, risk reading them in the pool. Responding to the dead child com

> It's nice to own books. Read them multiple times, dog-ear the pages, scribble in the margins, risk reading them in the pool. Responding to the dead child comment: that's what common paperbacks are for. Don't don't mess up a nice hardcover or anything rare.

Emma_Goldman 6mo ago
Why? Books are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out, not treated as precious objects in a way that is completely orthogonal to their use-value.
- palmotea 6mo ago
  > Why? Books are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out, not treated as precious objects in a way that is completely orthogonal to their use-value. I'm not being black and white like that. Some books "are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out" others should be treated with more care. For an extreme example: if somehow you come to possess the Book of Kells, don't go scribbling your brain farts all over it. You're a modern person who can easily buy paper or a notebook to hold such things.
- darth_avocado 6mo ago
  Growing up, I couldn’t afford new books for school all the time. Ended up thrifting a lot of them. Annotations were like a mixed bag of candy. Sometimes they were your favorite flavor and sometimes they would give you brain aneurysms. Unfortunately that experience makes me treat books as precious objects.
dpark 6mo ago
I cringe watching my daughter dogear her books. It hurts me deep in my soul to see her nice books damaged that way. But objectively my reaction is wrong. Books are not mystical objects to be revered. They are objects to be used. Nearly all books end up in a landfill or recycled eventually. What does it actually matter if they end up there covered in annotations and filled with dog eared pages? Books you have borrowed? Absolutely do not write in them or dogear pages. Books you intend to share with others? Generally the same. Rare books or valuable books? Of course. Normal books you got on Amazon or from your local bookstore that you use only for your personal enjoyment? Use them how you want.

Emma_Goldman 6mo ago

Why? Books are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out, not treated as precious objects in a way that is completely orthogonal to their use-value.

palmotea 6mo ago
> Why? Books are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out, not treated as precious objects in a way that is completely orthogonal to their use-value. I'm not being black and white like that. Some books "are to be read, annotated, lived with and lent out" others should be treated with more care. For an extreme example: if somehow you come to possess the Book of Kells, don't go scribbling your brain farts all over it. You're a modern person who can easily buy paper or a notebook to hold such things.
darth_avocado 6mo ago
Growing up, I couldn’t afford new books for school all the time. Ended up thrifting a lot of them. Annotations were like a mixed bag of candy. Sometimes they were your favorite flavor and sometimes they would give you brain aneurysms. Unfortunately that experience makes me treat books as precious objects.

dpark 6mo ago

I cringe watching my daughter dogear her books. It hurts me deep in my soul to see her nice books damaged that way. But objectively my reaction is wrong. Books are not mystical objects to be revered. They are objects to be used. Nearly all books end up in a landfill or recycled eventually. What does it actually matter if they end up there covered in annotations and filled with dog eared pages? Books you have borrowed? Absolutely do not write in them or dogear pages. Books you intend to share with others? Generally the same. Rare books or valuable books? Of course. Normal books you got on Amazon or from your local bookstore that you use only for your personal enjoyment? Use them how you want.