I have no problem with dogearring pages… But, I know that many book lovers don’t agree with this. Which is why, when I borrow a book, I buy a new book to replace the one that I borrowed. I read books like a kid… My books always end up looking like I’ve been reading them in the mud with no hand towels or fresh water. Coffee stains, dirty finger prints and broken bindings are a requirement, it would seem.
True book lovers never do this. Post-It makes wonderful little sticky strips designed just for this purpose. They don’t fall out and they don’t damage your book. :-)
I’m guessing the ev was on the previous line, and they didn’t choose the preferred way of breaking the compound word.
But I do now have the word ‘erything’ stuck in my head.
I really dislike dog-eared books, I look after my books, keeping beautiful clean pages with beautiful writing is not so hard and I read and re-read my favourite books. That is love. Also use collection of beautiful bookmarks and post-it notes if necessary.
Absolutely not. Wear and tear happens, but never should something this villainous be purposely done. I have to admit, books don’t have a long life with me when I use them, but it is all accidental.
I have to weigh in with the anti-dog-earring pages crowd. Magazines, sure, but not books. My only exceptions are textbooks and user manuals, in which case it’s almost mandatory.
I agree, I grew up in a reading family with a love for books and the written word. Iused to read my books, even the paper backs, carefully so that when I finished I could place them back on the shelf without any sign of use, haha. My parents kept multiple bookshelves in every room, law books in the office, classics in the dining room, play books in the living room and out personal storybooks in our bedroom and play room areas and we had family reading time every night. The only time I ever vandalized a book was when my family was having reading night and we did “the Merchant of Venice”. We got six copies of the book so we could all highlight our individual roles and read them when it was our turn.
Always earmark your books! It gives it life, it shows a person went through its contents and enjoyed them. It also gives the book a chronology, long spaces between fold marks show where the best bits of the book are, when we don’t want to put them down and pause the adventure. Earmarking is so much more than just folding a page.
I’m the biggest bibliophile I know and my bookcase is full of old, loved books. I even prefer a second hand book to a new one because of the history carried in it’s pages. Dog ears, little circles around page numbers, notes in the margins, old bus tickets, tobacco threads, crumbs, shopping lists, phone numbers, even the grosser items like blood and dead bugs… combined they tell a wonderful tale of all those who loved the book before me.
I can’t believe the number of responses about who loves books more. Books are books. Read them, enjoy them, love them. Whether they look well-loved or in mint condition, the content is the same.
Also, I can’t believe you’ve never before seen this dogear method, Abraham.
This is really simple. Write in your books, underline, put hierogylphics in the margins, and then make a personal index in the backmatter.
But leave dogears behind. No bibliophile is opposed to writing in books, but doing unnecessary physical damage to the book is evil and rightly opposed. It is as bad as when people keep their place in a book by laying the book open and face-down.
this should never have been printed and encouraged to do. shame on you.
there are so many other things that have been invented to mark an interesting page, that removable tape with all the pretty colors for one.
I don’t know… this one is hard to top… unless of course you are counting grammar violations or overuse of exclamation points (my personal favorite!!!!!!!)
I love to dogear my books!! I love my books and feel that anything one leaves behind is an indication that this page was important for whatever reason. When I find a book with dogeared pages I read the page to find out if there is something greatly significant or enlightening contained there. Was it folded just to save the readers place or did it touch them somehow?
aaaaggghhh! This is a huge pet peeve when I lend out a book and it comes back earmarked. This is wanton book vandalism!
I destroy books when I read them…makes me feel like I really accomplished something. ;-) Of course it’s really hard to earmark my kindle.
Perhaps you could scratch the page number you want to earmark on the screen of your kindle!
I totally agree – I HATE seeing a book get dogeared! Bookmarks work wonders, folks!
I have no problem with dogearring pages… But, I know that many book lovers don’t agree with this. Which is why, when I borrow a book, I buy a new book to replace the one that I borrowed. I read books like a kid… My books always end up looking like I’ve been reading them in the mud with no hand towels or fresh water. Coffee stains, dirty finger prints and broken bindings are a requirement, it would seem.
A clean, spine-in-tact, non-ear-marked book is an unloved book, I say! Ear mark away and read! ;)
Exactly! A book has no value without someone to read it.
Agreed! Books are not collector’s pieces. They should have evidence of being read!
Earmark, highlight, underline, scribble in the margins – these things give a book dignity that the robotic ebook will never know.
It just occurred to me that I called it “earmarking” after the original post. But isn’t the term “dog-earing”?
Bookmarks fall out. If it is my book and something is important. I want to be able to to open and flip and go to where I ear marked a page.
I use post-its. They don’t fall out and they pull off cleanly. You can even make a note on the post-it, and it’ll stay handy
If I need to mark both sides of the same page, I just fold the bottom and top corners. Simple!
Ditto.
Yup, same here!
NO!!!! I learned in kindergarten that you never never never fold a page or break the spine.
Exactly!!! I taught my children and grandchildren to respect books.
I was told that during my very early school years too. Fortunately I retained the ability to question what I believe to be wrong.
True book lovers never do this. Post-It makes wonderful little sticky strips designed just for this purpose. They don’t fall out and they don’t damage your book. :-)
I loooove those little strips! They were a lifesaver this semester in college. I never dog-ear pages, and I teach the kids I nanny not to do it.
Exactly. Had a scrolled down and saw your message, I’d not have written my own.
I didn’t really notice the fold in the page, but I did notice.. is erything a word?
I’m guessing the ev was on the previous line, and they didn’t choose the preferred way of breaking the compound word.
But I do now have the word ‘erything’ stuck in my head.
For all you who are enraged about dogearring damage, remember that the binding will come apart MANY years before the pages show any wear.
I really dislike dog-eared books, I look after my books, keeping beautiful clean pages with beautiful writing is not so hard and I read and re-read my favourite books. That is love. Also use collection of beautiful bookmarks and post-it notes if necessary.
Readers leave an imprint of their souls on a book. No imprint, no soul.
Thank you for today’s dose of banal sentimentalism.
Absolutely not. Wear and tear happens, but never should something this villainous be purposely done. I have to admit, books don’t have a long life with me when I use them, but it is all accidental.
I have to weigh in with the anti-dog-earring pages crowd. Magazines, sure, but not books. My only exceptions are textbooks and user manuals, in which case it’s almost mandatory.
I agree, I grew up in a reading family with a love for books and the written word. Iused to read my books, even the paper backs, carefully so that when I finished I could place them back on the shelf without any sign of use, haha. My parents kept multiple bookshelves in every room, law books in the office, classics in the dining room, play books in the living room and out personal storybooks in our bedroom and play room areas and we had family reading time every night. The only time I ever vandalized a book was when my family was having reading night and we did “the Merchant of Venice”. We got six copies of the book so we could all highlight our individual roles and read them when it was our turn.
Always earmark your books! It gives it life, it shows a person went through its contents and enjoyed them. It also gives the book a chronology, long spaces between fold marks show where the best bits of the book are, when we don’t want to put them down and pause the adventure. Earmarking is so much more than just folding a page.
I hate seeing earmarks on a book. First thing I do when I pick up a book is straighten all the pages.
True book lovers never do this? Pfft!
I’m the biggest bibliophile I know and my bookcase is full of old, loved books. I even prefer a second hand book to a new one because of the history carried in it’s pages. Dog ears, little circles around page numbers, notes in the margins, old bus tickets, tobacco threads, crumbs, shopping lists, phone numbers, even the grosser items like blood and dead bugs… combined they tell a wonderful tale of all those who loved the book before me.
AMEN!!!
First-world problem, and first-world problem comments. People, invest your emotions in something bigger, please!
Probably the only reasonable comment on this page.
Yikes. First world problem, and first world enraged comments. People, invest your emotions in something bigger, please!
Jesus Juke: http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2010/11/the-jesus-juke/
I’ve read this before. Love it!
I can’t believe the number of responses about who loves books more. Books are books. Read them, enjoy them, love them. Whether they look well-loved or in mint condition, the content is the same.
Also, I can’t believe you’ve never before seen this dogear method, Abraham.
This is really simple. Write in your books, underline, put hierogylphics in the margins, and then make a personal index in the backmatter.
But leave dogears behind. No bibliophile is opposed to writing in books, but doing unnecessary physical damage to the book is evil and rightly opposed. It is as bad as when people keep their place in a book by laying the book open and face-down.
I’ll dogear my paperbacks, but once I have a hard cover I use the dust jacket or a bookmark.
this should never have been printed and encouraged to do. shame on you.
there are so many other things that have been invented to mark an interesting page, that removable tape with all the pretty colors for one.
do not encourage this practice
Shame? Really?
I’ve done far worse that deserves shame than dog-ear pages.
I don’t know… this one is hard to top… unless of course you are counting grammar violations or overuse of exclamation points (my personal favorite!!!!!!!)
I love to dogear my books!! I love my books and feel that anything one leaves behind is an indication that this page was important for whatever reason. When I find a book with dogeared pages I read the page to find out if there is something greatly significant or enlightening contained there. Was it folded just to save the readers place or did it touch them somehow?
A car without dents is an unloved car! A child without bruises is clearly neglected!