From: colten@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (marc.colten)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
Subject: Re: Making notations in your books?
Summary: Marking up books
Date: 22 Dec 92 18:27:38 GMT
Organization: AT&T

In article <00965762.403AB840@Msu.oscs.montana.edu>, alisg@Msu.oscs.montana.edu writes:
> The thread on marking one's own copies of books has been interesting and
> probably, given the likely readership of this group, predictable. I used to
> have some of the same "reverence for the printed word," and would go into
> orgasmic swoons over editions de luxe, etc.etc. I have now just about turned
> 180 degrees, and since the postings I have read have all expressed horror at
> the idea, I say, MARK AWAY. I'll explain my feelings if you will first permit
> me a digression.
> 

I think very little of the discussion has been over the economic
value of books.  I think we all agree that marking up a rare first
edition or one of a kind book would be wrong.  It would be like 
circling your favorite part of an original Rembrandt.  I think
the discussion is on use and reuse and yes, reverence for the books.

> I have been a librarian in high school, public, and now a university library.
> I've given books talks to younger readers, helping propagandize reverence
> for public property (which is quite different than reverence for books, per
> se). In no way do I suggest anyone mark up a library book, except perhaps to
> correct as unobtrusively as possible a typo which leads to factual error.
> 

I would suggest that the error be pointed out to someone rather than
marking up the book.  One person's "typo" is another persons truth.
Many years ago I borrowed a book from a public library and found that
each time the word "God" appeared it had been scratched off the page.
I will never know if the person who did that hated God or thought that
the word was too precious to appear in print.  Either is possible.  I
just thought, and still do, that it was not up to that reader to
alter the text.

> However, I know from experience that many librarians and teachers take their
> own propaganda too seriously. Excessive reverence for print leads to school
>book shelves crammed with outdated, incorrect, racist/sexist/stereotypical work
> that is no longer appropriate and sometimes downright dangerous. No one will
> throw it out because of this well-meant but misguided reverence. Face it,
> folks, books are paper, glue and ink, all of which are cheap and disposable.
> When the material in the book has served its purpose, throw it out.
> 

Absolutely wrong.  The most valuable book in the world is the outdated,
stereotypical, racist, dangerous one!  How else can you know what
people really thought?  The greatest value of a book is that it freezes
time and protects the thought from political and social whims and
from the tendency of people to rethink their own pasts.  The paper
and glue are nothing - but the thoughts on the page are valuable
beyond price.  This is especially true in a book which collects more
ephemeral writings like newspaper articles.  These are usually more
immediate than even comtemporary histories. The authors were pushed
to say what they thought and not what history would want them to say.
I can see replacing school books with updated one - times do change -
but the books are too valuable to just throw out.

> Of course, not all libraries are alike. While a book may no longer be
> appropriate for a school library, it may likely have research value in a
> university library. I AM NOT ADVOCATING CENSORSHIP. But naive gushing over the
> physical form of information too often leads to confusing form with content.
> End of sermon. :)
> 

Well, consider the real topic of this thread - marking books.  I
used to go through books, especially text, and highlight the "important"
information. In some cases I was right, that sentence was the only
worthwhile one on a page.  But in many cases I was wrong, and in 
highlighting one line I was ensuring that my eyes would always be drawn
to it and away from the rest of the page.  The valuable thing about
the "physical form" of the printing page is that you can go back to
it and draw information that you never realized was there in  the
first place.

> Most of what I read comes from a library, and I do not mark it. But the books
> I buy are mine to treat as I wish. The majority of them are, alas, not worth
> the serious attention marking requires. An occasional mark in the margin
> usually is enough, and most don't get that. 
> 

I'm glad you don't mark up library books.  I rarely get them anymore
since my reading habits are too irregular to fit into a borrowing
time.  As for your own books, you may mark them as you please.  As
you say they are your books.

> Occasionally I find a truly interesting book that demands a lot of attention
> and which compels me to address the author in one-sided conversation. Such
> books are rare, but not until I go through and highlight, scribble in, or
>  whatever, do I consider a book really mine. 
> 

I have the same conversations, but prefer to keep them in my memory,
such as it is.  The trouble with marking up a book is that the 
conversation is truly one sided.  Try it mentally and it is more
even, it flows better. You may even find yourself losing a conversation
with the printed page - it's a humbling experience.

>I am not concerned with the prospect of future owners. Books have little enough
> resale value as it is, and I don't plan to sell them anyway. Someone remarked
> that he would not mark up a Van Gogh or a da Vinci (pardon my paraphrase), and
> I have rarely seen such a complete confusion of apples with oranges. Books,
> thank the Lord and Mr. Gutenberg, are not one-off masterpieces. If one is into
> collecting rare editions or incunabula, fine. They aren't what I'm talking
> about.
> 

More books are rarer than we know.  Most of my books are "one of a kind".
I got them in book barns or in antique stores or flea markets.  Do
another 1000 exist?  100? Or is this the only survivor?  I can't know.
Even the books I got from a book club or store will go out of print.
I try to be careful with my books.  I never travel with a book that
I couldn't replace if it got lost.  I don't read such books in the
tub in case I drop it or fall asleep.  After many years they 
reprinted Richard Matheson's "Hell House" in paperback and I bought
myself a copy.  It was on a shelf in the bathroom the week my wife
had an incredibly bad case of stomach flu.  It had to be discarded
along with everything else that was absorbent.  I was lucky enough
to find a store that still had it on the shelf.  Don't even ask
me how many years it was between the time I didn't buy Matheson's
"The Shrinking Man" in a book store and the time I managed to find
a copy at a flea market.  It was not in print for a long time.  Books
are very rare at times.  I try to treat them as if they were
irreplaceable - because many are in any practical sense.

I am also not that concerned with future owners
but I do think about it.  I know who will have first pick of my books
if I die (not "when" - "if") unless I outlive them all, which would be
nice.  Then they would all go to a hospital or school or whatever.  I'd
like them to be in as good condition as I found them, so they can
enjoy them as I did.

> Well, pardon my loquacity, but this is a topic on which I have heard far too
> much gush. Flame away.
> 

Hardly flame bait.  You're just in for a lot more gushing :-)


marc colten



                                                                             
WARNING: I like getting e-mail, but sometimes my answers are "undeliverable" 
=============================================================================
     (?)      ______    ||\ ||  We wawked t'gether through the yallar rain
       .     |      |   || |||  Our luv was stronger than the blisterin' pain
   __   O  ! |      |   || |||  The sky was boggy and yer skin was new
__(_.)-/|\/|_|      |___| \|||  My hearts was beatin' - Annie, I luv you.
        |    |______|    \  ||             -  Richard Matheson
       | |    /    \       \||                                      
=============================================================================