Do you 'crack the spine'?

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lagym888
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Post by lagym888 »

Ah, destruction of books - cant tolerate :x
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Julius_Orange
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Post by Julius_Orange »

I loan books to my mother and at times she doesn't believe that I've read them. I'm okay with the cover rising up from the first page, but I would never crack the spine or otherwise damage any book. The only exception is highlighting a book I'm using strictly for research.
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morebooks4me
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Post by morebooks4me »

Never, never, NEVER!!! I try to keep all of my books as perfect and new looking as I can. It's funny, because if I am going to the gym, I won't bring one of my "good books" because I can't be as careful with it while riding the bike.

The only exception to this is cookbooks. Sometimes they take some abuse from me :shock:
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Liz
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Post by Liz »

How about, "it depends?" Because it does depend. For one thing I don't collect books. I own lots of them, but most of them are reading copies.

Plus, frankly, if you don't crack the spine you can't read the darn thing! Now, to me cracking the spine isn't book homicide. But some people, as the original poster said, wring the darn thing and ruin it.

There's a lot of room for in-between!
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callybee
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Post by callybee »

It's collateral damage of reading... some of my best loved books look the worst. I try not to mess them up, but if it happens, it happens. Rather read and messed up than sitting perfect, untouched on the shelf.
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DaoJones
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Post by DaoJones »

Liz wrote:How about, "it depends?" Because it does depend. For one thing I don't collect books. I own lots of them, but most of them are reading copies.

Plus, frankly, if you don't crack the spine you can't read the darn thing! Now, to me cracking the spine isn't book homicide. But some people, as the original poster said, wring the darn thing and ruin it.

There's a lot of room for in-between!
Well said. I guess some want to have their book and read it too.

I am reading a book right now that is so old the pages are brown but I am managing not to crack the spine on it. Obviously the previous owner didn't either.
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best4buys
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Post by best4buys »

Even I do not like cracked spines and marks on my books. But I feel that this is possible only when the books are handled by single hand. I think everyone does not have the same thinking. People borrow and return after days very often with cracked spines and moreover folded pages as bookmarks.
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Julius_Orange
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Post by Julius_Orange »

This is all the more reason to love The Road (at least the MTI). Its been read by me and my mother and it looks like it just came out of the store.
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thelizardking
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Post by thelizardking »

My copy of The Catcher in the Rye's spine is cracked all to hell! Generally I don't get into doing it, but sometimes..oh sometimes I'll really get into a bad habit of doing it. Depends on what I'm reading, how tired I am, etc.
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soniakhan33
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Post by soniakhan33 »

do not spine and crack.........
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coolgeek93
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Post by coolgeek93 »

I don't like to do it, but usually I don't pay attention and end up doing it anyways.
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Gary William Murning
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Post by Gary William Murning »

Funnily enough, I do -- or, at least, I get someone to do it for me! I actually have a disability that makes holding the book open a little difficult, at times, and this is the best solution for me, as much as I hate damaging the book. Because of this, I never borrow books!
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth »

Yes, I crack the spines on my books. But only my own though - if someone lends me a book (or I borrow one from a library) I always make sure it's returned in the same state as it was when I borrowed it. I'm very careful with books that don't belong to me!
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TechKnow
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Post by TechKnow »

With satisfaction.

It is like a badge of honor. Character if you like...

A book with a spine that has been worked over is like a well worn little league baseball field... I was on a board of directors for our local little league. There was a raging debate whether or not to let the kids practice on the "pretty" playing fields or make them practice on the pockmarked school field (I live in LA and baseball fields are hard to come by). What was the point of having the best field in all the world if the kids couldn't enjoy it... Might as well grow flowers on it.

No my friends, I believe that it is an insult NOT to crack the spine! At the library I always seek the books that have been well used.

If it were ment to be pretty it wouldn't open!

Incidentally, I never loan a book, I present them. I always ask the recipient to give it to someone else if they think it is worthy...
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robinjackman
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Post by robinjackman »

Nice One.

www .drcsystems. com
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