Have you ever burned books?

Doc Foster · Post by **Doc Foster** » 24 Dec 2013, 06:19

In my earlier post I said

"...Finally read a book about reading, in which the author told a story about the children of a famous writer, who treasured the books he'd read and marked up, because he filled them with marginal notes about what he thought about what he was reading - the books became little memoirs of their father."

I couldn't think of the book or author at the time, but have looked it up. It is The Pleasures of Reading In An Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs. It's a clever, sometimes funny, always serious book about all sorts of reading issues, among them the question of whether readers should mark up their books.

zehra · Post by **zehra** » 25 Dec 2013, 06:17

What? No! I could never do that! Such a bad thing to do.

juliehaigh · Post by **juliehaigh** » 25 Dec 2013, 14:03

Never. Best to pass them on or give to charity shop if you really don't want them.

Jsalgado97 · Post by **Jsalgado97** » 26 Dec 2013, 16:20

I don't quite understand what a "harmful book" is.. In my opinion, I believe that no book can be harmful, and they all teach a lesson. Every book is valuable, and shouldn't be harmed.

lady_charlie · Post by **lady_charlie** » 26 Dec 2013, 21:42

Well, now, no I have never burned a book. I did have one once that I couldn't get rid of any other way that I just left on the quad at school. It was called Man's Physical Environment and I couldn't afford it and I thought I was signing up for a class on maps and here I signed up for a class about icebergs and glaciers and clouds and what not. The bookstore wouldn't buy it back and the class was boring and the book was boring and I was just sitting on the quad wishing I had the money I spent on the class so I could study maps in a class I wanted to take, and wishing I could sell back the book so I could get a cup of coffee or a pizza or something to eat, and I just left the book sitting there, and I often wonder what became of it. Also I lost a book at OHare once in the middle of the night, that made me sad, to this day I am not sure if someone stole it or I just went back to the wrong bathroom to look for it, and once my new puppy ate a book, that made me sad because I had to buy the library a new one. I am sure I have spilled drinks on books and dropped books into the tub and the lake but I have never burned one.

missg · Post by **missg** » 27 Dec 2013, 20:11

No, and I feel everyone is entitled to their own opinions "freedom of speech" remember, besides it is not the books that worry me it is people in general!

1-987 · Post by **1-987** » 28 Dec 2013, 16:51

Yes but it was right after high school. Ended up with a few school books in the trunk and had a bonfire. I know horrible!

zoro0220 · Post by **zoro0220** » 28 Dec 2013, 20:23

No. I have a hard enough time getting rid of books, much less burning them. That is one of the reasons I enjoy my Nook - I don't have to worry about where to put them when I'm done.

mikalamace · Post by **mikalamace** » 29 Dec 2013, 17:00

I think maybe once while I was camping we used pages from a book to light a fire. I don't understand how someone could think a book posses some kind of power and needs to be burned.

tystut · Post by **tystut** » 30 Dec 2013, 03:27

No way no how. There's always someone or some organization out there that could revive an old book. Goodwill never says no.

kazooka · Post by **kazooka** » 30 Dec 2013, 13:22

I've never

-- 30 Dec 2013, 13:23 --

Burned books before.

-- 30 Dec 2013, 13:23 --

This ipad is driving me crazy.

Criber12 · Post by **Criber12** » 30 Dec 2013, 16:01

Never but I donated every book I read from past. I don't have the heart to burn books

amerz0477 · Post by **amerz0477** » 30 Dec 2013, 22:17

I have never burned a book. I have never thought about. When I was growing up most of the books I read came from a library. If I burned one of those books I would have owed a lot of money. Then after that all the books that I purchased, I later sold or donated after I was finished reading. Now all the books I read are in electronic form so burning a book is not an option.

x1f4j8k9 · Post by **x1f4j8k9** » 31 Dec 2013, 01:58

I can't think of a reason to burn a book. Sure, most things are online these days, but older books have yet to be digitalized. I think of books as the one of the best ways for knowledge to spread.