3 ms·

I once read that the only way you can actually damage a book, is by not reading it.

by jimnotgym 17d ago

rogerrogerr 17d ago
Fire is pretty effective too, in my experience.
- bluGill 17d ago
  Floods are pretty bad for them too. I have some books drying now, some paper is really bad about getting wet while others are okay.
  - zem 17d ago
    they're not exactly thrilled by termites either. lost a lot of my grandparents' books to that.
- jimnotgym 16d ago
  I think someone following the mantra I repeated, would say that you are thinking too much about the physical copy of the book and less about the book as a collection of words. Buy another
WillAdams 17d ago
Well, one can damage a hardcover by not opening it properly the first time: https://www.reddit.com/r/lifehacks/comments/7sry7v/open_a_hard_cover_book_without_breaking_the_spine/ https://www.reddit.com/r/lifehacks/comments/7sry7v/open_a_ha... (which was a lesson in 2nd grade, when we got our first-ever hardcover textbooks)
- fortran77 17d ago
  When I was in grade school in the 60s (I'm old) they showed us this film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHe2hx1JL7U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHe2hx1JL7U For some reason, the lessons learned stuck with me.
  - djhn 16d ago
    Ah, watching that was like soap for a brain sullen with today’s video content.
- yoz-y 17d ago
  Wow. I’m almost 40 and never knew this!
  - WillAdams 17d ago
    Yeah, really, Barnes & Noble marketing is missing a beat by not printing that as a bookmark to include with new book sales after asking the question at the register, "Has the person you are buying this hardcover for ever opened a new book correctly?" Oblig. XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1053/ https://xkcd.com/1053/ (which I kind of wish was comic #1,000 so it was easy to remember/link)
    - account42 17d ago
      A better solution would be for them to just pre-open the books so you don't need complex rituals to read them.
      - WillAdams 16d ago
        If I buy a new, unread book, I expect to be the first person to open it.
- egormakarov 17d ago
  That's sure can't be true for "modern" (as in 1960s+) books? Bookstores normally allow to look inside hardcovers without being instructed on proper handling first
  - WillAdams 17d ago
    If you can find a book with a sewn binding (or better a pair, as-yet unopened), if you open one per the instructions, then open the other haphazardly as one reads it, you will find that over time, the book which was not opened with care will develop a directionality to its binding causing it to be cocked, while the other, so long as it is read carefully will remain square. Typical glued texts are more prone to this, but depending on the state of the glue, may go back so square if pressed when square to correct.
    - egormakarov 17d ago
      Would definitely try next time I buy a hardcover :) But I think this first opening rule must be some US quirk. I only see US sources for it on internet, and can't find German or Russian one
      - WillAdams 17d ago
        It gets mentioned in British texts on hand bookbinding.
- jimnotgym 16d ago
  Well that is a real issue for me, since I much prefer second hand books! I am rarely the first to open them

I once read that the only way you can actually damage a book, is by not reading it.

rogerrogerr 17d ago

Fire is pretty effective too, in my experience.

bluGill 17d ago
Floods are pretty bad for them too. I have some books drying now, some paper is really bad about getting wet while others are okay.
- zem 17d ago
  they're not exactly thrilled by termites either. lost a lot of my grandparents' books to that.
jimnotgym 16d ago
I think someone following the mantra I repeated, would say that you are thinking too much about the physical copy of the book and less about the book as a collection of words. Buy another

WillAdams 17d ago

Well, one can damage a hardcover by not opening it properly the first time: https://www.reddit.com/r/lifehacks/comments/7sry7v/open_a_hard_cover_book_without_breaking_the_spine/ https://www.reddit.com/r/lifehacks/comments/7sry7v/open_a_ha... (which was a lesson in 2nd grade, when we got our first-ever hardcover textbooks)

fortran77 17d ago
When I was in grade school in the 60s (I'm old) they showed us this film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHe2hx1JL7U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHe2hx1JL7U For some reason, the lessons learned stuck with me.
- djhn 16d ago
  Ah, watching that was like soap for a brain sullen with today’s video content.
yoz-y 17d ago
Wow. I’m almost 40 and never knew this!
- WillAdams 17d ago
  Yeah, really, Barnes & Noble marketing is missing a beat by not printing that as a bookmark to include with new book sales after asking the question at the register, "Has the person you are buying this hardcover for ever opened a new book correctly?" Oblig. XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1053/ https://xkcd.com/1053/ (which I kind of wish was comic #1,000 so it was easy to remember/link)
  - account42 17d ago
    A better solution would be for them to just pre-open the books so you don't need complex rituals to read them.
    - WillAdams 16d ago
      If I buy a new, unread book, I expect to be the first person to open it.
egormakarov 17d ago
That's sure can't be true for "modern" (as in 1960s+) books? Bookstores normally allow to look inside hardcovers without being instructed on proper handling first
- WillAdams 17d ago
  If you can find a book with a sewn binding (or better a pair, as-yet unopened), if you open one per the instructions, then open the other haphazardly as one reads it, you will find that over time, the book which was not opened with care will develop a directionality to its binding causing it to be cocked, while the other, so long as it is read carefully will remain square. Typical glued texts are more prone to this, but depending on the state of the glue, may go back so square if pressed when square to correct.
  - egormakarov 17d ago
    Would definitely try next time I buy a hardcover :) But I think this first opening rule must be some US quirk. I only see US sources for it on internet, and can't find German or Russian one
    - WillAdams 17d ago
      It gets mentioned in British texts on hand bookbinding.
jimnotgym 16d ago
Well that is a real issue for me, since I much prefer second hand books! I am rarely the first to open them