In my three years of experience in upper school, I’ve noticed that my Barstow peers are very…undereducated in the fine art of book care. Unfortunately, I find myself walking into English class ready for a scholarly literary discussion about our current read, only to be met with cracks in the spines, dog-eared corners, bend marks, and even rips on my classmates’ books.
My educators can’t plead innocent to this crime either, before one of my classmates decides to claim that I’m afraid to call out everyone. This article is speaking to you, the guilty reader hiding behind the screen, too.
Of course, an individual who happens to find themselves defending their abuse of these books might give an excuse that it’s “personal preference,” or that it “gives the book character and makes it look like it’s been read.”
The truth of the matter is that they’re wrong.
Sure, the broken book might (how, I don’t have the slightest idea) be someone’s preferred aesthetic. Yes, under the Constitution, books do qualify as a person’s property, and yes that does mean they have the right to utilize said material in whatever fashion they please. They worked for the money they used to pay for it. These are simple facts.
To this argument, I will simply reply with another foundational principle; your actions have consequences.
Properly breaking in the spine of a book is essential to shelf life. While most people are under the impression that they can just snap it open and the book will last decades of reading, the reality is that pages will fall out, the uneven breakage causes inconsistency in page turnability, and the entire book itself might even become unbound. Hardcover books are more durable, but paperbacks need an extra five minutes of TLC before you dive into their stories.
Think of it like a handshake. As Mr. Hill reminds us, it’s arguably one of the most important parts of your first impression on someone new. A bone-crushing grip is more likely to elicit screams of pain from the poor soul, not the friendly and satisfied smile you’d receive if you take the firm approach.
Books deserve the same grace. Break in the spine properly. Give it that firm handshake.
To do so, first, sit down at a table and put the spine of your book flat on the table. Next, fold down both the front and the back cover so that they stay facing out, like wings on a plane. Then pick a number, no more than five, and fold down that many pages to either cover. This is the longest part of the process, and it might require a little patience, but just be sure to be gentle. Repeat this step until you can’t anymore, and then you’re done. Your book is now properly relaxed, and the glue on the spine is flexible enough for the pages to stay open when you lay your book down on a surface.
Congratulations! You’ve completed the most crucial and complex part of book care. This step will preserve shelf life and make your book easier to read because you don’t have to struggle to hold the pages back anymore. The properly broken-in spine looks better than the alternative ones that are wrinkly and scarred, and there are no longer any risks of pages falling out or books disintegrating!
Now I will touch on the minor offenses. These preventative measures should be much simpler to follow.
Dog earring: just don’t do it. I know it’s a favorite among many people to bookmark current pages or ones with important information, but it makes the gaps between pages uneven and creates a weak spot in an already vulnerable area for tearing. Instead, use a bookmark, annotation tab, or a highlighter.
Before you bring up the issue of not having a bookmark always on hand, anything can be a bookmark. Yes, anything. Your homework, a pen, an Airpod, a remote, your phone, and even your head can just as effectively mark your page as a dog ear.
Rips, bend marks, and stains all fall under the category of basic maintenance and care for an object. Being mindful of the durability of your book is a transferable skill for any of your possessions. Just like pressing down too hard on your pencil causes the lead to break and creates the inconvenience of having to push out new lead, carelessly shoving your books in your backpack can result in smashed covers and bent pages.
All that’s required from you is a little more thought and responsibility. Practicing such values might grow on you, too. They’re a valuable set of skills.
I’m not even going to mention storing books on their spines or their pages instead of vertically or horizontally.
Now that you’ve learned how to properly care for your books, I hope to see a drastic change in the appearance of my peers’ books in the classroom. For those whom it may concern, I hope your personal book collection benefits from these practices now as well if they haven’t already. This way we can ensure the preservation of print copies of literature for years to come.
