or even this torn page (although they are dismaying)
it's the liberal use someone made of pen and highlighter:
Thankfully this previous reader either got tired of making circles (which I could see no reason for; they didn't even mark interesting passages!) or quit reading the book halfway through; after the spread of photographs in the middle there were no more marks. But still, I don't like reading books that someone else has marked all over, so this copy will be moving on and I'll search for another one to add to my library for a re-read someday.
It's my eighth book for the Dogeared Reading Challenge. How are the rest of you doing? Anyone have interesting beaten-book photos to share? If you've done a review that points out the flaws in your poor dogeared book, please point us to it in the comments!
Oh, I am so with you on this one!!! I can handle just about anything in a used book, but writing and highlighting just drive me crazy! I usually just can't even make myself read a book like that.
ReplyDeleteShoot, I am dumb. I was reading my sublessor's copy of the Odyssey this summer, and it was as beat up as you like, with writing and highlighting all over. I can't believe I didn't take a picture!
ReplyDeleteYour post just jogged a memory of a dream I had early this morning about reading a book that was highlighted all over and had notes throughout the pages. I remember being very mad about this, but still continuing on with the book. It's a shame that people do this to books, especially books that do not belong to them. I was appalled just looking at those pictures!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that your worst nightmare? What the hell are people thinking? The worst thing I've seen recently is some dog-earing on the juicy parts of Forever by Judy Blume that I got from the library.
ReplyDeleteI would find that too distracting to read, so I don't blame you.
ReplyDeleteGASPPPPPPPPPPP.....I am a pristine books only snob!
ReplyDeleteWriting and highlighting drive me nuts too...it makes me feel like the book isn't mine :( Like my thoughts are stolen from me, lol. That book really is a USED book! lol
ReplyDeleteI picked up a free used copy of Middlemarch earlier this year and now I'm reading it. I must have noticed it was underlined and written in when I picked it up, but underestimated how annoying it would be to read it like that. I think the book has had two previous annotators - one used pen and the other used pencil. The pencil-writer underlined and sometimes marked passages with asterisks and question marks. The pen-writer wrote discussion-type questions throughout. I try to ignore both of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the book nonetheless, but I'll probably have to get myself a 'clean' copy for keeping in my collection.
What a mess!!!
ReplyDeleteI love highlighted books and notes in the margins. To me it's like reading the history of the book itself and one of the few ways I can find out what other readers thought of the book.
ReplyDeleteBut the circling stuff is wierd.
Debi- I know! even highlighting in textbooks used to drive me nuts.
ReplyDeleteJenny- Hey, you can still count it for the Dogeared Challenge!
Zibilee- I've never had a dream like that, about reading a damaged book, but it sure does bother me.
Sandy- Dog-ears don't actually bother me much. Although I'm always very meticulous about unfolding every one I find.
Bermudaonion- It was pretty hard to ignore, at first.
Bibliophile- You're better than me! I can stand a bit of wear and tear, but this was too much.
Chris- Yeah. Especially when the stuff they mark up makes no sense at all. If it was cool passages, or things all about one character, I'd feel like the other reader was pointing things out to me. But this felt so unorganized.
Christy- Pencil marks are easier for me to ignore, and margin notes can sometimes be funny or illuminating, but like you, I'm going to look for a clean copy to put in my collection!
Bybee- you said it! Thankfully the abuse ended halfway through (and it did become more enjoyable to read at that point).
C.B. James- I tried to see if the other reader's makrs would tell me something, but they felt pretty random. And the circles were just very distracting.
When I read that biography of Roget, (borrowed from a former colleague) there was circling like that and it drove me nuts...I know it's not probable, but it looks like the same circling...maybe same reader?
ReplyDeleteThat would be very strange if it was the same reader, indeed! I never saw circles like this in a book before.
ReplyDelete