How well do you treat your books

[theblitz]

I was wondering how well others here treat their ST books.
I am kind of pedantic when it comes to looking after the books.

1. I put it in a special plastic cover to protect. Kinda like a dust-jacket but from plastic.
   
2. I would never read it when eating or drinking (except maybe a small piece of fruit).
3. Never put a book open face down on a table so as not to break the spine.

Most of my books I buy second hand so they are not all perfect when I get them but they are generally almost perfect.
I even once tested my son to see if he could identify which books I had read and which I hadn't. He failed miserably.

 

[Jim Johnson]

All my Trek fiction is in ebook format, so there's no way to damage them unless I douse the Kindle in water, which I wouldn't do anyway, and wouldn't hurt the book itself.

Trek nonfiction is treated generally more carefully, but since they're all reference materials I use regularly when writing and editing, most of the books have gotten a little creased or dog-eared over time. Signs of well-loved books.

 

[F. King Daniel]

My books are there to be read and enjoyed. Spines are cracked, pages are dog-eared where I couldn't find or improvise a bookmark and one or two even fell in the bath in those ancient pre-smartphone times.

 

[Kilana2]

I cherish my books and treat them accordingly. Nevertheless there are some of them with cracked spines and worn and so on. Simply I have read them too often.
@Jinn will surely agree with me: Cross Cult has a very professional get-up as to the books themselves. Great paper as to the quality. Not to mention the covers......

 

[PureCrimson]

I read them and take care of them, but I don't wrap them in shrink wrap, either.

 

[John Clark]

I cherish my books and treat them accordingly. Nevertheless there are some of them with cracked spines and worn and so on. Simply I have read them too often.

Absolutely. While I tend towards ebooks more now, I do treat my physical books with care. Some do tend to crack their spines quicker than others (even without being over-read) though.

 

[Kilana2]

Absolutely. While I tend towards ebooks more now, I do treat my physical books with care. Some do tend to crack their spines quicker than others (even without being over-read) though.

The Three-Minute-Universe is one of my TOS novels that is sadly in a poor condition due to unavoidable wear. It was so hilarious I had to read it several times over the year.....

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Wear is inevitable. Abuse is not. In some cases, I've had TPBs rebound with hard covers. And where dust jackets are present, but damaged, I have learned (from a bookbinding guru who used to have her shop in a back room of the International Printing Museum, where I spend my Saturdays docenting) how to properly apply dust jacket wrappers.

 

[JD]

I'm almost OCD when it comes to my books, I try to be as careful as I can while I'm reading them. There are a few books that have managed to get a little beat up, but that is mostly books that I brought to school as a kid. My hardcovers of the first two or three Harry Potter books are falling apart because me and my mom both read them several times.
There are times where I've actually dug through all of the copies of a book at the bookstore, trying to find one copy that met my very high standards.

 

[Reanok]

I read them and take care of my books. Spock's world I have as a hardback copy I almost wore it out because I've it read alot over the years I also bought a paperback copy of it to read in the future.

 

[theblitz]

I'm almost OCD when it comes to my books, I try to be as careful as I can while I'm reading them.

Sums me up in one sentence.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I read the Trek stuff carefully, and carry the MMPBs in a paperbag to transport them while reading. I remove the dustjacket from hardcovers until finished. I have been known to replace copies if a spine cracks, but all my Pocket stuff is first edition, first printing, so there is sobbing if one of them gets damaged.

I lent out a mint ST III novelization to several friends (the premiere was delayed by six months Down Under!) and it came back looking like a damp rag. I fell alsleep over one DS9 book and drooled on it, causing a section of pages to swell. Re-purchase necessary.

"Stargazer: Oblivion" drives me nuts. Every first printing has severe text-cropping issues, so I ended up buying the corrected second printing as well.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I treat them with exquisite care... But sadly my wife is a spine-cracking monster to them...

 

[Jbarney]

I try to treat them pretty carefully, but while writing down timeline notes, sometimes I have to fold pages over. Sigh.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I try to treat mine with care, but not to the level in the OP. #3 I completely agree with, but I don't put my books in any special cover, and I love reading with a big mug of coffee! (Probably wouldn't eat while reading, though.)

My poll answer would probably be somewhere between the first two choices.

 

[Tosk]

I treat novels okay, I'm kind with them but not obsessive. The big art and/or reference books I treat very well.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

There are times where I've actually dug through all of the copies of a book at the bookstore, trying to find one copy that met my very high standards.

I do that when I buy books. And magazines and dvd and blu-ray slipcovers. Though when I order online I've no control over what the books/magazines/slipcovers will look like so I've had to learn to be ok if when I open the package that it's not quite how I like it. i also never pick books up unless my hands are clean. I don't want to reread a book and find ketchup, taco sauce or whatever other condiment I might have had on my hands. I got some mustard on a page once and it irritated me when I reread it later and saw a faint yellow smear.

 

[thribs]

I try to keep them in good condition. I try not to open them that much to avoid spine damage.
I don’t even fold pages. I use a good old fashioned book marker.

 

[theblitz]

Though when I order online I've no control over what the books/magazines/slipcovers will look like

When I buy second hand on Amazon I always make sure to buy at least "Good" and 90% of the time Very Good and higher.
On eBay it is sometimes more difficult. On one hand you get to see the books but OTOH they usually come in job-lots that are of varying quality.

 

[Saul]

I handle my books and most of my collector possessions with great care.
When buying items I will always pick up a few copies and see which is in the best condition. Sometimes I might order online but that's can be stressful as you never know how it's gonna turn out.
Before reading the books I will wash my hands first. If I read the book outside I will put it in a plastic bag and then put it into my main bag and usually carry some wet wipes with me so I can wipe my hands clean before reading it. As for storage I will put it on a shelf inside a press to keep it from getting dusty. I'd say most of them look unread, especially the hardbacks.

I have bought second hand Trek books but these books DO NOT TOUCH the new editions I bought. I do tend to take less care of second hand books but I will try to keep them in good enough condition for the next reader (i don't hold onto them). Second hand books I'll stick in my big coat pocket sometimes and pull out anywhere without wet wipe usage.

My books are there to be read and enjoyed. Spines are cracked, pages are dog-eared where I couldn't find or improvise a bookmark and one or two even fell in the bath

I feel a bit sick after reading that.

I treat them with exquisite care... But sadly my wife is a spine-cracking monster to them...

I don't think I could be with someone who did that, even if she did share my passion for Trek.