Farging Bastages
If you’re like me, you might be a little over-protective of your books. An example: I wouldn’t let BGB Contributor, Shaft, borrow my copy of The Tender Bar. It was signed after all. He is a good friend and a fairly responsible, productive member of society. I knew he was good for bringing it back. We swap CDs and DVDs back and forth all the time with no problems. That wasn’t the issue. What if he dropped it in a tub of mayonaise (like he does)? What if the dog got to it? What if…?
In 1991, my copy of The First Man in Rome, an enormous brand new hard cover, rode on the top of my car for a few blocks until it fell off on a busy street in downtown Orlando. By the time I got to it, the cover was gone and it had tread marks all over the pages. Luckily I had thought to remove the dust jacket before bringing it inside for lunch. I was able to cover the book and restore some of its former dignity, but I’m afraid I never recovered. I still have that book.
It should be no wonder that I react badly when the few volumes that I do loan out never find their way back home. I hate the idea of defacing a book by gluing a bookplate inside the front cover. If I could bring myself to do it though, I might go for something like this to get the message across.
The more likely scenario is that I would then become obsessed with bookplates, and the no-goodnik book thieves would remain oblivious to their crimes. The Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie blog gives some idea of what book plate addiction looks like (link via Librarian.net). Won’t someone think of the children!
Books, Moral Outrage | Tim | 
November 14, 2006 10:04 am
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By Beth, November 14, 2006 @ 10:10 pm
Fellow anal weirdo here. I hate it when I’ve loaned out a book and it comes back with a crease on the dust jacket or — horrors — a food stain on a page. Maybe I can have people come over and read the book in my faux library, with my watching their grimy little fingers.
I’ll check out the book this weekend.
By DJ Cayenne, November 15, 2006 @ 10:06 am
You don’t make people wear white felt gloves to handle your books?! You’re just asking for it.