One sure way to end a promising friendship is to crack someone else’s spine.
Well, yes, putting someone in a wheelchair tends to be a relationship buster, too, but that’s not what I have in mind. I am referring to borrowing a person’s paperback book and destroying the book’s spine through ruthless handling:
"I had a rude awakening my first year of college when I discovered these book guidelines [of the proper care and treatment for paperbacks] weren’t universal: there are creasers [of book spines] and non-creasers. I worked in a used bookstore for a few summers, so I brought a number of books with me to my dorm. One of my roommates was a creaser. I didn’t mind as much when she was reading the used books, but she treated new books the same way. Oh, the horror! It got to the point where I would hide my new books in drawers or under my mattress or pillow so she couldn’t get to them."
I can relate to this writer’s sorrowful tale. I first became aware of the phenomenon of creasers when I was in high school. I had so many new and used paperbacks that I could have opened a used bookstore in my bedroom, and all of the books I bought new still appeared to be new. One day I was chatting with a girl in my science class — the teacher was otherwise occupied 😉 — and discovered she shared my love for romance novels. I recommended a book I’d recently bought and offered to lend it to her, an offer she snapped up.
I lived to regret it. The book I gave her to read was brand new. The book I received back was thoroughly trashed, to such an extent that I doubted it was the same book. Perhaps it was petty of me, but that budding friendship withered.
I’ve heard the various justifications for spine-cracking: It demonstrates love for the book; like the Velveteen Rabbit, the book becomes Real; breaking the spine makes the book easier to read. I don’t buy it. I can manage to flop on a couch, soda in one hand, book in the other, snack nearby. The book will be thoroughly read and loved, but escape the experience unscathed. On the rare occasions that drops of liquid touch the pages, I dry them out carefully. I remove any crumbs from the pages before turning a page. In other words, you can love your books and still respect them the next day. You can leave them fit for someone else to love.
Moral of the story: Creasers can lend books to non-creasers without worry, but non-creasers would be well-advised to interview potential borrowers about their reading habits.
My Tim, and I’m a creaser.
I was ignorant that this was an “issue” until my librarian brother-in-law observed a shelf of paperback Star Trek novels.
Understandably, he won’t loan me any of his paperbacked Chesterton.
Sorry, I am a creaser. You don’t have kids, do you Michelle? You’ll be glad to know that I never borrow books and I don’t even care to borrow from the library. We have our own library of, well, creased books.
Amen, Jimmy. Gave my daughter one of my books to read and got it back in HORRIBLE shape. Not only was it creased so bad that it looked like one of those thanksgiving turkey decorations but she carried it in her backpack for weeks and so it had pen marks and scratches and bent corners all over it.
And what’s with this practice of folding the corner of a page down to mark your place? Haven’t people ever heard of a bookmark?
Whoops! Sorry. Make that, “Amen, Michelle!”
Bookmarks fall out and I continually lose my place. My father in law thinks that you should remember the page number when you close the book so you don’t have to use anything! Can you imagine?
However, Jimmy may appreciate this from an episode of the new BattleStar Galactica. The President (Mary McDonnell) asked to borrow one of Commander Adama’s (Edward James Olmos)books. He gave her the book and told her, “Never lend books, it’s a gift”.
Great advice from an obvious non-creaser.
My name is Ruthann and I am a Creaser.
OK, we’ll, I do not crease my “good” books (those in my religion/apologetics library). I DO crease novels and other “insignificant” books. Also, I do NOT mishandle others’ books — I am very careful when borrowing a book, whether from a friend or from the library. Good way to ruin a friendship. An old boyfriend broke up with me because I highlighted text in one of his old school books that I was using.
The first thing I do with an “insignificant” book is determine the middle of the book and give it a good fold back. Then I determine quarters and fold back. If the book is especially thick, I determine the eighths and fold back. I read “insignificant” books all over the place, most notably in the bathtub, and I need my book to stay open when I am having a good soak. Creasing accomplishes that task.
Note: I do not read my “good” books, nor books I have borrowed, in the tub.
The good news is, I DO use bookmarks (usually holy cards).
‘thann the Creaser
My siblings and I were taught at a very young age that we mustn’t write in, crease, etc. books. As a result, I was allowed to read my family’s collection of books including a 100-year-old women’s novel, a fourth edition of Scott’s “The Lady of the Lake” and my Dad’s HOME MECHANICS. 🙂
Most of the families where I grew up (rural area) were like that. Books were simply too precious and the library was a VERY big deal.
Then I reached high school and lent out my Stephen King and Paul Zindel novels to friends…. Argh!! One came back with duct tape holding the cover together.
Ruthann,
I’m a non-creaser and I saw someone once do exactly what you’re describing. They proceeded to snap the spine mechanically. I darn near passed out in horror. It was like I was watching someone snap the necks of rabbits in an assembly line. I still quiver when I recall that image.
Luckily, I had friends that were even better at taking care of books than I was. I never had a problem lending them books.
YeeGads! I’m a total non-creaser. Now I’m a non-lender too!
Y’all need Jesus!
I ran into this phenomenon in high school. One of my best friends was obsessive about the spines of his paperbacks. I didn’t get it. But I didn’t borrow his books either!
BTW, Jimmy, your link to Mark Brumley’s blog (http://www.interx.net/~mbrumley/blogger.htm) is out of date, apparently. Take a look.
What’s a “book”?
Hi Michelle!
Because I am a bit of a miser, I rarely if ever loan any of my books out. Of course, any paperbacks that I do own I look upon as a temporary copy until I can get the leather-bound edition.
Ruthann: I’m such a skilled non-creaser and book caregiver that I can fearlessly soak in a tub of water with a borrowed book. Kids, don’t try this at home with books you’ve borrowed from me. 🙂
this piece really spoke to me. Over thirty years ago, when I was about 18, I lent my copy of Lord of the Rings to a classmate who was desperate to read it. My copy was a one volume paperback and I had taken great care of it, including putting a plastic jacket on it so as to preserve its strength. I’d read it all without creasing the spine – I didn’t have much money and wanted it to last.
I got it back dog-eared and disgusting. The spine was so creased you could hardly make out the print. I was so shocked I don’t think I could ever bear to speak to her again. I got rid of the book; it wasn’t something I had time to re-read anyway, and when I married my husband had the hardback set.
I don’t understand how anyone could treat someone else’s property like that. It certainly taught me never to lend a precious or expensive book out again unless I know the person well.
Gah! Creasers!
I’m a bibliophile, and I read lots of fantasy/sci-fi novels…and I always try to take great care of them, even the mass market paperbacks (as opposed to trade paperbacks). I lend a lot of them to my brother, and at first he was kinda rough (not a deliberate, neck-snapping creaser), but he’s gotten better over time (at my suggestion).
Actyally, I’m often rougher on books I care less about–mysteries, for example.
I’m a reformed creaser, I guess. I used to not care if a book got creased during the course of reading it. (In my teens.) But I also didn’t have a lot of nicer editions. Now that I do, & have also learned the value of the things I purchase, I’m very careful. Plus, I’ve got some old books that I wish now I’d never creased ‘cos they’re not readable anymore. I even bought one of those sturdy little zippered covers at a Bible shop for my little paperbacks! For new hardcovers, I’ll take the dust jacket off & put it some place safe until I’ve finished the book.
OK. So why does writing alla that out make me feel like I have a little touch of OCD? 😉
BTW . . . Ignatius makes the best paperbacks! (I’m sure most folks here have read at least one of their books.) The spines are sewn! They’re so sturdy & feel very solid. The color of paperstock they use & fonts they choose are very pleasing, too. In part, this is why I love reading books, as opposed to listening (which is OK, too, but not preferred) or reading an “e-book” (which just sounds wrong): it’s sensual. The tactile qualities of holding the book & the feel of the pages as I’m turning them, the obvious visual aspects, the smell of new v. old books, etc. The actor in me will sometimes re-read passages aloud to see how it changes the passage. Tolkien works especially well aloud. Some books don’t work well at all. When I lived in LA, I belonged to a group of friends – mostly theater folk, to read classic books aloud. Really a lot of fun! We’d talk about what we’d read afterward. A very nice evening.
Sorry. I’m a romantic, I guess. Like the guy in that Star Trek episode with the lawyer (who was played by an actor who was also in Maltese Falcon when very young) who used books rather than the ST version of memory sticks. One of my favorite eps, just ‘cos of that! But I wouldn’t want to go so far as Burgess Meredith in that one Twilight Zone ep! 😉
Creasing — does that mean putting the book down open to the last page read, pages down? If so, I grew up reading voraciously and doing just that, often reading multiple books at once. It never occurred to me that it could be a problem until my husband, who is not much of a reader and was even less of one at the time, pointed out that it could damage the book. I still didn’t care much about my own books but since I sometimes hope to sell books, and sometimes borrow them from others, I have tried to reform. It’s not easy to remember. I apologized to someone once when I returned her book though I didn’t notice any damage, and she didn’t seem to mind. My husband made me some bookmarks for Mother’s Day with a cute picture of our sons, but two aren’t really enough to keep track of all my books (and magazines) in progress!
I suppose that I would be defined as a ‘creaser’ in this instance. Never have I yet caused detriment to a book that I have borrowed from another, but on the other hand, if I know that a book is mine to keep, I feel perfectly at ease in snapping the spine back and reading gloriously for hours on end (in fact, for me personally, I would find it something of a distraction to maintain the books’ perfect state while reading blissfully…yes, i’m a little neurotic maybe).
Indeed, some of my greatest finds in second hand book shops (perusing bookshops being a passion of mine), have been indicated by the obvious evidence of a well read, and perhaps, much loved book…tattered eteriors (not unlike my own), bear no reflection of the wealth and depth and richness that lies within. If a book looks fresh and clean and untouched, I may never so much as take it down from the shelf to look at it more closely. (unless I’m purchasing it as new, in which case, I would anticipate that it was in perfect condition to begin with)
God Bless.
Dear Creasers:
Once you’ve creased the poor little book to death, don’t the pages start falling out of it when you’ve read it the sixth time?
My family still tells horror stories about the time my creaser brother borrowed some of my Star Trek novels and I went a little funny when I got them back…
By the way, if you ever get a book wet enough that you’re afraid it will mildew, put it in the freezer and fan the pages once a day. The wet part will freeze and then evaporate; your book will eventually be completely dry!
Yes, I’m a librarian – why do you ask? :^)
“By the way, if you ever get a book wet enough that you’re afraid it will mildew, put it in the freezer and fan the pages once a day. The wet part will freeze and then evaporate; your book will eventually be completely dry!”
Smart! Do the pages still get all crinkley?
on that, if you get one that gets all crinkley from being wet, but is now dry, put it under your matress for a couple weeks! It will make it like new!
Wow, I had no idea about this “creasing” thing, which I suppose probably makes me a creaser. It never occured to me that anyone wouldn’t try to keep the book all the way open while reading it. Anyway, I apologize on behalf of all unwitting creasers to anyone out there who may have been offended in the past by creased books. I will try to be more careful! Now that I listen to everyone’s comments, I suppose it does make sense not to crease…
too anal. get a life.
While it is possible to be “too anal” about certain things, it is also a good practice to take good care of the things we have, and especially of things we have borrowed from other people. It is the opposite of wastefulness.
Wow, Jimmy! Your description of your early book lending experiences sounds exactly like mine! I too am very careful with my books, and the few I buy new stay new. I still remember in high school, lending a *new* paperback, which I had not read, to a classmate and having it come back a mangled mess.
I’m very conflicted, because I was always taught that we should share our gifts and goods with others; however, I am very careful with my books, CDs, DVDs, etc. My disks have no scratches, my books no creases from me. I feel badly about it, but I’ve taken to interrogating people before I lend them these things. I’m a poor student, these things cost money, and by gum, I take care of them! I just ask that other people show my stuff the same respect I do. Is that too much to ask?
IN SELF DEFENSE I MUST POST AGAIN!!!
First: I RARELY borrow another’s book because I do not want to inadvertently damage it in any way. I know that people can be particular about their books.
Second: If I DO borrow someone’s book, I am VERY careful with it, never bending the spine or pages, never reading it in a place where it could get wet or whatever.
Third: I NEVER crease the spine of “good” books (those in my permanent library, especially any hard covers).
Fourth: The only books I crease any more are “fluffy” books, like murder mysteries or horror novels, stuff I read once and pass on.
Fifth: I worked in a library for several years and have quite a large personal library, including about 150 Alice in Wonderland/Lewis Carroll-related works (valuable and rare editions included), which are properly maintained.
Sixth (and last): I am a trained book binder and appreciate books deeply. I know how to restore a damaged book that is worthy of resoration.
Seventh (I lied about the sixth being “last”): I now read a lot of electronic books on my PDA, so I can’t crease the spines any more!
What a fascinating topic this has been!
‘thann (OCCASIONAL creaser)
I’m a creaser with MY books, but not with other people’s books. It’s just who I am, and I prefer my paperbacks to open fully, and be easier for me to read, then to look pretty on the shelf.
The worst thing that I ever did with someone elses book, and this is pretty bad, was I had been reading in bed (hard cover, no need to worry about creasing). When, out of the blue… nosebleed. Blood on their book. I’m not sure they ever forgave that accident.
You’re all going to hell for creasing books! God wants your books to be uncreased!
Trivia for the day
the POST-IT note was originally patented by 3-M as a bookmark that will NOT fall out… but it was also convenient to write notes on and well… the rest is history.
I still use them as bookmarks. : )
JohnH: “hard cover, no need to worry about creasing”.
MYTH! Where’d you hear this bogus crease-promoting propaganda? A broken spine on a hard cover book is even more tragic than a creased paperback!
Leviticus Chapter 28 Verse 1-8:
No man shall crease the spine of his own books or the books of any other man. No woman shall crease the spine of any man’s books, of the books of the paper back or of the books of the hard cover. No man or woman shall allow the spine of any of his or her books to be creased by any other man. Both the books of the paper back and the books of the hard cover. A man who creases the spine of a book of the paper back or a book of a hard cover shall be cut off from the land of the living.
It is an abomination to fold back the page of a book like the ear of a dog or a cat or any other animal that has a floppy ear. The pages of a book you shall keep unfolded all the days of your life.
You shall not expose your books to water or dirt or food or blood or to any other unclean thing. If any unclean thing comes into contact with a book it is to be cleaned immediately. If it can not be cleaned it shall be burned as a holocaust to the Lord who is the author of all life.
If a man leaves a book face down with pages open on a table he forfeits his life. If a woman does so she forfeits her life as well as that of her husband who should make sure that no one in his house shall desicrate a book.
For I the Lord am the Author of all life and I am displeased by the disgrace of any book. Let no man come to me who has brought shame on his books.
Thanks for all the great comments!
Timmy, interesting tidbit. I use post-its for bookmarks sometimes (especially when I’m reading books for review purposes) but didn’t know it was designed for that purpose.
JohnH, Chris2-4 is correct. Hardbacks can have their spines broken, too. And, at $25 a pop for your average hardback I would be even more steamed at damage to one of those than I would be for a paperback. But I would forgive you for involuntarily bleeding all over it. 🙂