Greater Than the Sum was around 78,500 words.
I miss the old days...
- Thread starter Garm Bel Iblis
- Start date
Like stygian
Ok. So then the Captain's Table books are are between 60 and 70, with Fire Ship being about 80. I think that's probably pretty common.
Death in Winter is an extremely short novel when the formatting is removed. I think it was barely over 300 pages. I was kind of shocked by how some books can be made to appear much longer than they actually are.
The Millennium Trilogy has to be the thickest set of Trek books I own. I think I broke the spine on all of them.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
I break every spine by page 50 or so.
I break every spine by page 50 or so.
You're not borrowing mine. I had to rebuy the ST:TMP novelization (the Aussie version has colour plates in the middle), ST III (lent it to a friend, who was cautioned, but she lent it to another friend - eeek!), one of the "Day of Honor" books (damned gold inked spine), and "This Grey Spirit" because of spine cracks.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
I'm more cautious with Pocket Book Trek novels as I've had two of them fall apart on me, they were Ship of the Line and Imzadi II.
But 2 out of about 150 that I've read isn't bad odds. I just like the feel of a floppy book.
Anybody ever read those Mack Bolan books back in the 80s (they're still around) where they used really flimsy stock for the covers and that made the books really floppy. I loved that.
But 2 out of about 150 that I've read isn't bad odds. I just like the feel of a floppy book.
Anybody ever read those Mack Bolan books back in the 80s (they're still around) where they used really flimsy stock for the covers and that made the books really floppy. I loved that.
I break every spine by page 50 or so.
You're not borrowing mine. I had to rebuy the ST:TMP novelization (the Aussie version has colour plates in the middle), ST III (lent it to a friend, who was cautioned, but she lent it to another friend - eeek!), one of the "Day of Honor" books (damned gold inked spine), and "This Grey Spirit" because of spine cracks.
OK, I'm glad I'm not the only one as obsessive about cracked spines. Drives me completely up the wall!
Broken spines and tatty books don't bother me. A worn-out book is a well-loved book.
Plus 90% of my pre-1996 books are second hand, so I guess I'd be screwed if I thought otherwise
(although some nice girl had lovingly put library-style sleeves on the early numbered TNG novels. Much appreciated by their new owner!)
Plus 90% of my pre-1996 books are second hand, so I guess I'd be screwed if I thought otherwise
(although some nice girl had lovingly put library-style sleeves on the early numbered TNG novels. Much appreciated by their new owner!)
Exactly!
Books are meant to be read, not worshiped.
^ I'm in the camp of worshipping my books. IMO, a worn-out book shows the owner doesn't care about the book. There are a few books on my bookshelves that I've read dozens of times over, but apart from yellowing of the pages, there's no cracked spine, no missing bits on the cover, and absolutely no mark whatsoever on the pages.
A book that doesn't have pages falling out doesn't just look nicer, it's easier to reread.
Exactly!
It is possible to do both.
(But then, I'm a school librarian. It's my job to say that.)
Indeed. It is entirely possible to read a book multiple times without cracking its spine, dog-earing its pages, getting food stains on it, etc. It simply has to be handled with a reasonable degree of care.
Exactly!
You're partially right. Books are meant to be enjoyed. But they can be enjoyed without being destroyed. I prefer to keep my books nice. And I've been mocked merciliously for it.
My mom on the other hand.....she went through a book every three days, and by the time she was done with it.....If it was used, you couldn't tell the difference, but if it was new, when she was done with it, it would have 80 million creases, the spine would be shot, the pages would be yellowed. The covers would be falling off. Nobody could destroy a book like mom. It got to the point that whenever she wanted to borrow one of mine, I'd simply go out and buy her her own copy.
Well, I don't destroy my books, but I also don't worry about what I consider normal wear and tear. (It does irritate me if I loan a book out and it comes back damaged, though-- the only person allowed to damage my books is me!)
And as a literary critic, I can't read many books without having to mark them up and fold corners over.
And as a literary critic, I can't read many books without having to mark them up and fold corners over.
^That's random.
