Used Books and Care

I believe in used books, and though publishers may not agree with that, I think you will find that most authors do. Borrow books, buy them used, use the library, whatever you need to do to read the books you want to read—short of outright stealing—by all means do it.

I love buying used books for many reasons, chief among those reasons is much the same as my desire for variety and the unknown. When I want a specific book, I will probably buy it new, I will probably find the hardcover, and I will do some homework to make sure I am getting the best and most complete edition/version possible. When I buy a book used, I wasn’t looking for it. I found it. That’s the difference. That’s the adventure.

Do I feel like I am doing the author harm by buying a book used? No, and I will tell you why. When I buy their book used, it’s because I wouldn’t have bought it new. If I love the book, then I may buy others from the same author or even in the same series. At that point, I am buying new. If I like it, I will talk to my friends about it, maybe even give them my used copy so I can buy a new one. Buying one used book could lead to the purchase of several new books from that author for multiple people.

On top of that, many of the used books I buy are out of print to begin with. Sometimes I am buying a used book because I have already listened to the audiobook version or read the e-book. In short, there are very few reasons to feel bad about buying a used book. If you one day see something I wrote on a used bookshelf and you think about buying it, don’t hesitate on my account.

I believe in taking care of my books, used and new alike. I do not dog-ear pages, I never leave a book in a place where it could get dirty, my hands are clean when I am reading or handling, and the dust jacket always comes off. I also have an intake process. I log the book in my digital library so I can keep track of what I have, I clean any stickers off the book with care, and attempt to correct any bent pages. If I detect a binding going bad while reading, I may even stop and consider a different way to finish the book.

Do I want my used books to be perfect? No. But I want them to be as perfect as possible. As good as they can be now that they are in my care. And when they enter the coveted “read’ shelf, they are displayed just as proudly as any other book in my collection. I love having a shelf that tells a story. I can see pristine books that look like they were barely ever cracked open, and they are right alongside beat-down books that have had a journey. Sometimes these books might even have the same author or be a part of the same series.

Once in a while, I am compelled to replace a used book with a new copy or a copy in better condition. This usually happens for books that end up meaning a lot to me. If the cover art is different, especially for something out of print, I might keep both, but usually I don’t. In that case, the used book will go to a friend or be donated to a local used bookstore, and the cycle continues.

Quote of the Moment:

“The other side was stacked with books, most of them old and with that smell that old books have. Probably not everyone likes that smell, but I do. It’s musty, but good must.”

― Stephen King, Fairy Tale

Current Reads:

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson

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