I was on a plane recently when I saw what I believed to be a great crime being committed.
A man, reading a hardcover book, upon pausing and wanting to mark the page, folded in from the corner in such a manner that the page was creased in a full diagonal from the top right to the middle of the page. It reminded me of the first fold when you make a paper airplane.
Reader, I gasped. I later determined that this man’s actions were not actually a violation of FAA rules, or any other law for that matter, but if you ask me, they should be.
Seeing this horrible act got me thinking about other things I’ve seen, so I thought I would do a public service and answer questions people may have about the proper care and treatment of books.
Q: What is the proper way to mark progress in a book?
A: It’s fine to use a bookmark, or if you’re reading a hardcover or a paperback with French flaps, to use the dust jacket or book flap to mark the furthest page read. Once you are past halfway, you should switch to the rear jacket flap. Bookmarks themselves can be anything from a bespoke purpose-built object to a receipt or an old gum wrapper. The most important criterion is that they not be so bulgy that they distort the pages or binding in the book.
The very top corner of a page can be creased to mark progress in a paperback book, but the pages should never be creased in a hardcover. Ever.
Q: Is it OK to write in a book?
A: Writing in books is encouraged if it is your book. It is great fun to highlight favorite passages or even talk back to the book in the margins. I have some books from graduate school where I’m as interested in reading what I was thinking 25 years ago as the book itself.
If it is not your book, or it is a library book, this is discouraged because the owner of the book or future readers of the book have not asked for your insights. That said, one of my favorite things is to find well-marked books in used bookstores because they are a fascinating look into the mind of another.
Q: Can I rest my books splayed, face down so the glue at the binding separates the pages from the cover, creating a kind of tunnel effect?
A: Even typing that question was like nails on a chalkboard to me. This is book abuse, and to be avoided if at all possible. I can hear the poor book spines breaking. You can have books fully splayed face up, though.
Q: If I loan a book to someone else, should I expect to get it back, or do I have to say something?
A: My recommendation is for the receiver of the book to always ask if the lender wants it back and act accordingly.
Q: I saw an Instagram post where the books were shelved spines in so I was like a wall of neutral-colored pages facing out. Doesn’t that look cool?
A: It does not look cool. It looks sociopathic. I am open to any number of home shelving schemes — by author, by genre, even by color — and books definitely have some decorative purpose, but they are not purely decorative, and more importantly how would you ever hope to find the book you’re looking for?
Be kind to your books, and they’ll be kind to you in return.
John Warner is the author of “Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “Diva” by Daisy Goodwin
2. “Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up in the Royal Family ” by Tom Quinn
3. “The Secret Life of the Savoy” by Olivia Williams
4. “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey
5. “Educated” by Tara Westover
— Rosemary H., Oak Brook
I think a novel that’s a story of a long, eventful and interesting life, and how that life intersects with history is a perfect fit for Rosemary. That book is “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney.
1. “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds
2. “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
3. “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
4. “Night” by Elie Wiesel
5. “Terraform: Building a Better World” by Propaganda
— Luke B., Valparaiso, Indiana
For Luke, I’m feeling like a coming-of-age novel about how to find one’s footing in the world may be a good fit: “Black Swan Green” by David Mitchell.
1. “Dead Even” by Brad Meltzer
2. “About Grace” by Anthony Doerr
3. “Wish You Well” by David Baldacci
4. “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman
5. “Night” by Elie Wiesel
— Judith G., Grayslake
This is a fun one I just read and then passed on to Mrs. Biblioracle, who also gives it the thumbs up: “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” by Benjamin Stevenson.
Get a reading from the Biblioracle
Send a list of the last five books you’ve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com.