Do you lend out your books?
By maybebaby
@maybebaby (1230)
Canada
September 15, 2007 12:12pm CST
I have some friends that I exchange books with and I have no problem doing so. I also have some friends that I would rather not lend a book to because they aren't very careful with them and they don't always come back in the same condition they left in. I'm always leery of lending books to new people because I don't know how careful they are with things. I'm not saying they have to come back looking brand new, just that I don't like them coming back looking like they've been through a war. Am I alone in this or do you feel the same way?
1 person likes this
10 responses
@sephrenia (567)
•
15 Sep 07
I feel exactly the same way you do. It annoys me something rotten when I lend a book out only for it to come back dog eared or whatnot.
I tend to only lend to people who appreciate that i want my book taken good care of, not just left lying around somewhere until they can be bothered to return it.
3 people like this
@maybebaby (1230)
• Canada
15 Sep 07
Here, here! I once got a book back that someone had obviously read in the tub and some water got splashed on a few pages. They they get a waterlogged and gross. Or when they eat something sticky while reading and the pages stick together. I'm always careful when I read other people's books but some people just aren't.
2 people like this
@sephrenia (567)
•
15 Sep 07
that would have made me madder than a bear with a thorn in its paw! I never read somebody elses book in the bath ever! i just know that if i was to do that, i would end up dropping it in there so i dont bother in the first place!
I think the grossest book return I had was one where it was a copy of my favourite book and on one page they had obviously picked their nose and about ten pages later there was blood on it. I took the book back to them and told them they could keep it because i sure as heck wasnt going to read it again sfter seeing that :(
1 person likes this
@maybebaby (1230)
• Canada
15 Sep 07
That is the most disgusting thing I ever heard! I hope that they bought you a new copy of the book and that you never lent them anything again. I would die if I got something back like that, especially if it was one of my favorites.
@bojo96 (46)
• United States
16 Sep 07
I have 3 types of books...
1. Books I lend to anyone and let them pass it on. These are the ones I liked, but know I will never read again.
2. Books I lend to close friends and family. These are books I like and will probably read again. Accidents happen so I'm not upset if something happens, the people are more important than the book.
3. Books I won't even let my mom borrow. If someone wants to really read a book I have in this category I will buy them their own copy. These are the books that I will read again and again for one reason or another.
2 people like this
@maybebaby (1230)
• Canada
16 Sep 07
Wow, you'd even buy them their own copy. I'd probably just tell them that someone else is borrowing it and that I'd put them on the waiting list or something. I don't think I would buy them a copy. I would just sort of hope they forgot about it. It sounds dishonest but buying other people books could get really expensive.
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
15 Sep 07
Well, I used to lend books out but I reduced my books drastically and no one asks if they can borrow them anymore. Now my sister has a library, literally, and she actually started having people sign agreements when she'd let people borrow her books to return them in proper order and at a reasonable time.
2 people like this
@pagibig (297)
• Philippines
16 Sep 07
I used to lend it out. However, experience taught me that most people don't value books as much as book lovers do.
You lend out a classic, and they come back to you with folded pages, dog eared covers and worse... they highlighted passages!!!
I'd rather they don't return it to me that way. I would have been ok with the dog-eared covers(it tells me it's been read and appreciated)... subjective about the folded pages(if there's just a few... meaning 1 or 2 pages were folded)... but to highlight the passages, scribble notes on the sides????? argghh!!!!
@laurika (4532)
• United States
16 Sep 07
I lend books the most time to my mum or my future in law, while my friends don't read that many books.I don't have problem with that either while they gaive me some books also for exchange.Yeah but you are right with that some people just bring back your books in bad condition and you are wonder if it is the same book you lend her.We probably have to be care who to lend books and who not.
@sherry24 (252)
•
15 Sep 07
I do lend them out but after a while I start to get a bit irritated, I think some people do not see books in the same sense as something personal to someone. I have on friend I will never lend a book to again, I had a brand new biography that I had read, my friend was going on holiday and asked if she could take it for the plane, so I let her. After she got back, I asked if she had finished it and she said she threw it in the bin because her daughter ripped some pages out. She did say she would replace it but that was last year and I am still waiting.
I love my books as much as I love my dvd collection, I respect other peoples things if they lend me something and also if they forget to take something with them, I make sure it is well looked after until either I go round theirs or they come back. It is not hard to look after something that does not belong to you and if something was an accident then the least you could replace it.
1 person likes this
@maybebaby (1230)
• Canada
15 Sep 07
It would have been nice to get a new copy of the book when she told you what happen to your copy. I think a lot of the problem is that people don't respect other people's property enough. You should take more care of it than you do of your own things really. Thanks for the response and good luck getting a copy of your book back.
2 people like this
@miaolin (397)
• China
16 Sep 07
i seldom borrow my books to my friends.It's not because I won't,but they won't.Most of them dislike reading and they prefer to spend the time on TV or computer.So i needn't to worry about this question.Several times,I lend my books to my friends forwardly.I want to share my books with my friends so that I can discuss with them.Thus,I will bring all my books back home and send them to my sister.They are all my treasures.
@katkat (2378)
• Philippines
16 Sep 07
I know where you're driving at. I only lend books to my friends whom I trust and confident that would return them in good condition. But there are some who even lost them. I pretend that It's alright but it wasn't. I choose well whom I would lend my bestfriend(I mean my books).
@goinliveinfive (561)
• United States
16 Sep 07
As a rule, I never lend uot my books. I'm a bit of a stickler for books. I believe they should be respected, they should be cared for and they should be preserved. I haven't lent a book to anyone since college when I paid $22 for a new hardcover, took pity on one of the guys in my dorm who really wanted to read it but couldn't afford his own copy. He then proceeded to take it to work to read during break times and destroyed it. Did I fail to mention that he worked in a rock quarry and was up to his coveralls in mud and dirt all night? I got the book back and the pages were grey just from being around all that dirt and debris. There were fingerprints on every page and the dust cove was destroyed. Needless to say, he came up with the money to replace it and got to keep that dingy mess for himself.
1 person likes this
@meanangel (167)
• United States
18 Sep 07
We have a policy as to sharing books.
1. Give the book back
2. Give the book back in the exact shape you recieved it
3. If you loose a book it must be replaced asap
4. You only get one chance then you never get to borrow again
5. All books once read must be dicussed
These seem like little things but I loaned a book out once and did not get it back. The person who has my book has now come up with a story that har sister gave the book to har for christmas. This is a flat out lie so I don't have much to do with this person. I got through the expence of buying something I expect it to be taken care of.
