Used books / Margin notes

[Zalor]

This is question that I ask many people who collect and buy books. Do you write margin notes and underline, and when buying a used book do you like books that have notes inside? Personally any book I get my hands on I will either underline important lines, and sometimes write my thoughts in the margins. This is a habit my teachers have encouraged since I was in 9th grade, and now it is just a part of how I read. Hell, sometimes when reading a Visual Novel I will pause and open a text document in order to write down quotes I liked. When rereading something I enjoy reading the thoughts I wrote down when I first read the book. I also enjoy reading other peoples thoughts and reactions in the margins. It feels like a sort of distant conversation.

 

In my opinion a book with interesting margin notes is worth more than a brand new book. As the former provides me with somebody else's experience with the book. The former is also personalized and unique, whereas brand new books are all the same. In fact, many of my friends when they have a paper to write for a class we share will ask to borrow my copy of the book. I'm more a humanist whereas a lot of my friends are more into science and math. So my notes help them find quotes and to understand complicated ideas that they need to write about in their assigned papers. I've been wondering how many other people out there are like me and value a book more when it has margin notes.

 

I was motivated to start this thread when I was watching BEGIN Japanology Used Books. From 15:40 - 20:32 the video focuses on people who collect used books with margin notes.     

[Down]

Never in fiction, often in non-fiction.

I don't feel the need to in fiction, as I'd rather let my thoughts about the book simmer in my head and first read through it without doing too much thinking. For non-fiction though, it can be helpful to be more active in reading.

 

I don't buy a lot of second-hand books, but I don't really like having other people's thoughts in the margin - they're often written for oneself and hardly understandable, and I need room for my own scribbles!

[Darklord Rooke]

As a writer I will always make note of how authors do things. I will make note of a passage and go “this is how the author makes passive voice work,” or “note the adverb use here, contrary to oft-stated opinion.” I’ll write down any phrase I want to remember in the future in a separate word document. That being said I DON’T write anything in the actual books. I’m very OCD about my books, I’ll buy used ones but I WON’T touch any with pen-marks or dog-eared pages. And ANYBODY who touches one of my books with ink will be horribly butchered in as gruesome a manner as I can think up.

 

I think if you want to find out what others thought of the book, you have the internet for that. 

 

Also brand new books are NOT all the same. Hard-back books fall apart so easily these days, and mass paperback have shitty spines, books localised for America are different to those localised for England and have you ever got your hands on an ARC copy of a book?

[LinovaA]

As a collector of books, I do try and keep all of my books in mint condition. My book collection is my baby... who has twin brother known as the otaku collection. Needless to say, I am extremely careful with my valuables. My brother once came home from school with one of my books after he had accidentally dropped it in a puddle and ripped a portion of the back cover off. I forced him to cough up double what the book was worth and I gave him an earful that he still remembers to this day.

So I would never buy or collect books with margin notes. As Rooke said, that is what the internet is for.

If I am going to take notes, I will have a notebook open and be writing down passages and little notes for me to look at later and reanalyze.

[EldritchCherub]

I used to be turned off by the idea of finding notes in the margins and having certain sections highlighted because I'd grown up reading a lot and it would distract me from the my own reading experience. My initial impression of finding scribbles in the margins as a kid was akin to finding graffiti on the walls in my neighborhood. It left a sour taste in my mouth and I would just ask my parents to take me to the library in order to find another copy. Over time I started to write in the margins myself in order to better retain information. I'm definitely not as opposed to the idea of notes in the margins as I was before because it's helped me condense large ideas so that I can see the bigger picture.

Sometimes it's nice to see where the previous owner's mind lingered, be it a word or a certain phrase. Though we all eventually reach the end of the book it's nice to retrace people's steps and figure out what detours they took on their journey. Most of the comments I have found have either summarized certain sections or pointed out important themes. I'd be annoyed if every used book I got was like this since I like to ponder things on my own, but on that rare occasion I often times find myself flipping through the pages in order to see the book through another person's eyes.

I write in the margins in books from my writing classes, including fiction and non-fiction. I don't do this for my history books in case I ever get the urge to sell them so that I don't lower the value of the book, though.

[Stray Cat]

Nope, I like things as new and pristine as possible. 

[Zalor]

I think if you want to find out what others thought of the book, you have the internet for that. 

 

Also brand new books are NOT all the same. Hard-back books fall apart so easily these days, and mass paperback have shitty spines, books localised for America are different to those localised for England and have you ever got your hands on an ARC copy of a book?

 

 

So I would never buy or collect books with margin notes. As Rooke said, that is what the internet is for.

If I am going to take notes, I will have a notebook open and be writing down passages and little notes for me to look at later and reanalyze.

 

 

While its always nice to read peoples thoughts on the internet, there is something special about reading margin notes. Unlike the internet where you have time to think and digest your thoughts before posting, margin notes are a personalized and direct reaction to the text. You can write what you want, however you want to. Since the notes are meant for you, it doesn't matter how sloppy they are. I find a beauty in how unrefined they are. There is something kind of cool about reading a copy of a book that is over 50 years old and seeing the notes somebody else made years ago. You start wondering if they are even still alive, yet regardless, their written voice is preserved in their hand written notes.

To give one recent example, I was flipping through a really old Japanese textbook from the 1960s that I found. Personally I'm not using it for my own self study of Japanese since there are far better resources available now. But flipping through and seeing the margin notes is just... cool. I am reading the notes of a student who embarked on the same journey of learning Japanese decades before me. They were learning Japanese before Visual novels even existed. I then start wondering what their motivations for learning Japanese were. What aspect of Japanese culture fascinated them? How far in Japanese did they get? Did they ever reach fluency? Old books with margin notes have personality and character that fresh books lack.

 

 

 

I don't buy a lot of second-hand books, but I don't really like having other people's thoughts in the margin - they're often written for oneself and hardly understandable, and I need room for my own scribbles!

 

Good point! In fact, the only reason I still buy new books time to time are for my own scribbles. ;p

[Down]

 

Good point! In fact, the only reason I still buy new books time to time are for my own scribbles. ;p

Although to be honest, I'd only buy used books with scribbles if they were written with a pencil, something that I can erase easily. Conversely I only write in margins with pencils for the same reason, it's more discreet.

 

I can be pretty OCD about my books too, but I'm much less so about non-fiction for some reason, which is why I feel okay writing in the margins of those.

[Cyrillej1]

Nope, I like things as new and pristine as possible. 

Yup, I agree xD. Sometimes it's interesting to see what other people wrote/thought, but mostly it can be distracting. I like new since it'd feel like it's all mine~ and I can do my own scribbles or w/e if I want to (without others on it).

 

When I buy a used book, I get the one that has the least scribbles/highlights on it.

[Zalor]

Yup, I agree xD. Sometimes it's interesting to see what other people wrote/thought, but mostly it can be distracting. I like new since it'd feel like it's all mine~ and I can do my own scribbles or w/e if I want to (without others on it).

 

When I buy a used book, I get the one that has the least scribbles/highlights on it.

 

This also reminds me that a lot of the books I wrote on were books the school owned, not my own. So for instance last year I had to borrow a huge book filled with early modern English poetry for my Early Modern British literature class. Early modern English poetry is difficult and tedious (read John Milton). So after agonizing over a poem I would write down discoveries and interpretations to help out future students. Likewise I would appreciate notes in the book since it would help guide me through difficult poetry.    

[Clephas]

I guess it is because I have so much respect for the written word, but I don't believe in writing directly on a book's pages.  I also hate reading books that have other people's writing on them.  I buy used books all the time, but I don't have any interest in ones that have been written on, mostly because I'm not interested in other people's thoughts about a book until I've completely finished it, whether it is fiction or non-fiction.  I don't like to have other people's thoughts have influence on mine when it comes to reading, until I've had a chance to form my own independent opinion.

[Kosakyun]

I don't know.

I rarely buy used books. Actually, you can rarely see used books being sold. Like, I haven't seen a sale composed of used books. I'd love to see one though. It's the content that matters, anyway. The appearance of the book can also testify to the book's experiences, although it may also be the lack of attention given by the previous owner. Anyway, all my books are in good condition.

 

Well, at least when I bought them.

 

My brothers are really rough with books, so they end up having doggy-eared pages, which I think is proof that there is hell in this world. Like, what the heck man. It's such a waste, damaging the book like that. I would never do that. Especially bending the book backwards too much, leaving a sort of mark on its paperback. Ugh.

 

Anyway, the idea of previous owners leaving notes intrigues me. I'd like to read what they've thought of while reading the same thing I've read. The only time I wrote notes on the sides of the pages was when we were assigned to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I needed to write in every page. It was tiring, but it helped me enjoy the book more. Though the very idea of being required to write things even though there's nothing to think about irritates me...

[Stray Cat]

I guess it is because I have so much respect for the written word, but I don't believe in writing directly on a book's pages.  I also hate reading books that have other people's writing on them.  I buy used books all the time, but I don't have any interest in ones that have been written on, mostly because I'm not interested in other people's thoughts about a book until I've completely finished it, whether it is fiction or non-fiction.  I don't like to have other people's thoughts have influence on mine when it comes to reading, until I've had a chance to form my own independent opinion.

This.  I never write in them either.  I like keeping all my stuff as clean as possible.  Better for me or if I ever want to resell it. 

[Snowtsuku]

My books are usually good as new since I rarely read them. Around 99% of the time I read the electronic version. The only reason I buy books is to support the author.

[Kelebek1]

It's called marginalia, so if you wanted to look for books with marginalia, try search for that.

[Zalor]

It's called marginalia, so if you wanted to look for books with marginalia, try search for that.

 

Thanks! I didn't know there was a proper term for it. 

 

I guess I'm the odd ball here. Most of my books are upon first glance in like new condition (nothing is bent or damaged on the surface), it's just that I have a habit of writing inside them. I suppose genre and literary style factors in as well. I wouldn't want to read a thriller or something pop-fictiony that already has margin notes. But reading James Joyce (particularly Ulysses) could probably benefit from margin notes. Seeing other peoples thoughts on such a wacky experimental book can be helpful. Sure there are footnotes/endnotes for that, but personalized thoughts are nicer imo.

 

This is sort of odd, but reading is such a lonely experience, that to see other peoples notes makes me feel less lonely.   

 

 

I guess it is because I have so much respect for the written word, but I don't believe in writing directly on a book's pages.

 

I see what you mean, but I still find this a kind of a weird explanation. If I had a handwritten manuscript, I would do my utmost to keep it in its original condition (out of respect). But a mass produced book imo doesn't need that same level caution. Books that are made impersonally in factories don't deserve the same level of respect a hand written copy does. That's one of the huge reasons why I like margin notes, it feels less impersonal to me. Its not just any ordinary copy of the book, it is a unique copy. However, I prefer margin notes in books I reread. I can completely relate to not wanting them in books you experience for the first time.  

[Clephas]

I make notes in notebooks when it comes to understanding a story that is really complex or a history/anthropology book.  Since the notes are generally just reminders and prompts for me, they are written in my own personal shorthand, and they are thus illegible to the rest of humanity.  My Japanese shorthand is even worse, though... It is frequently something like pieces of four kanji and several hiragana disassembled then mushed together, lol.  The guy who handed me his ghost-writing business told me to create my own shorthand for the sake of confidentiality, and now I write it as instinctively as breathing...

 

I have used up about fifty notebooks in the last three years and about seven hundred since I started my job (I burn the work ones every three years).  A lot of the 'don't write on books' things comes down to how you were disciplined as a child.  I was told not to write on books, and that was just reinforced when I transformed into a bibliophile. 

[havoc]

well i never make notes in my books, especially not my study books.

kind of has to do with the price of chemestry studybooks, i got some 200$ books lying around and it feels like a sin to write in something like that.

Only exeption is when there is a mistake and it needs correcting. Which has only happen once so far.

 

When i dont understand something i just write it out one some random piece of papar until i do understand which i trow away immidiatly after.