the scent of books, and the wear of hours of touch

[arethinn]

What books have you worn out, not merely through sheer carelessness (people who purposely crack new books MUST DIE, although I'll forgive adolescent ignorance as I'm about to talk about it), but simply through love and re-reading? Me:

I have a set of Pocket paperbacks of the first four books of Hitchhiker's Guide which I've had for about fifteen years (!), and they are a bit in need of replacement now. Some of the binding is cracking and there's definitely plenty of highlighting and dog-earing, because when I was 14 I didn't know you didn't do that to books. (My book club edition of Mostly Harmless is in great condition, partly because it's in hardcover which endures better, and partly because I've only read it all the way through three times tops, rather than the 32948029384032 times I've read the rest of them.)

Valerie Worth's Crone's Book of Wisdom, which I think has since been reissued under another title. I took this with me to summer camp (ca. 12-14 years old). It got dusty, highlighted, read and re-read. Pages fell out because the binding was crap. I repaired it inexpertly with Scotch tape, and then, when I was briefly in a position to have access to real book-repair supplies in 2005-2006, did a bit better with glue and stronger tape (although completely rebinding a paperback is beyond my skill -- it's actually easier to do a passable job on a hardcover). The spine is completely shot, but I have not yet replaced it, perhaps at least partly out of nostalgia for the sort of magic that interested me and my friends at age 13.

The Lord of the Rings. Set of three, some Canadian printing. Just before the film of Fellowship came out, I figured I should actually read the book, since I never had before. So I bought a copy in an airport bookstore for entertainment on the flight home. Wanting to be consistent, the next time I was back in Canada I bought the same editions of Two Towers and Return of the King. I've tried to treat these gently, but in even ~6 years they've been read so often that there are creases on the spines and the blocks don't lie straight if I lay them flat on a table. Also, my copy of RotK had a flaw that means now there's a crack in the spine glue (dammit!).

Anne McCaffrey, the original Pern books -- Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon, and also the copy of Dragonsinger that I bought from a used bookstore in high school (which was actually the first Pern book I read). 1, 2, and 3 basically see above; I've tried to be nice, but they've gotten worn. 4, Dragonsinger, especially is "soft" since it was an ex-library copy to begin with, but it's of a better quality binding, so despite its greater age has actually survived the best (its spine is curved rather than cracked).

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets. Both bought used (as have been all my HP books, but from GoF onward I bought hardcover). They came with some wear already, but they both have similar spine creases (though no cracks) as my LotR and Pern books. They also tend to bend if I lay them flat (closed); for some reason this is intensified on an airplane (something to do with the air pressure making the pages bend differently?).

P.S. I will never adopt e-books for more than extremely casual ("I don't even know if I care") reading until they can duplicate the smell of cheap "pulp novel" paper. The smell of a bookstore, especially a used bookstore, is a wonderful thing. *fans a book under her nose*

Comments

[r-monoxide.livejournal.com]

I've heard that people retain more of what they read when it is a real book than when they read something online or on a computer screen. I know that I have no patience for scrolling through e-books. I'd rather have something I can read in the bath or in bed.

[arethinn]

In bed: I agree. That's where I get 95% of my reading done.

In the bath: YOU KRAYZEE! I wouldn't object, except I have never managed to keep the book itself dry, and water damage = bad thing.

[r-monoxide.livejournal.com]

I have spooky magical elfin powers of keeping books dry in the bath tub.

[arethinn]

A trick I suppose sidhe have never mastered.

[nytemuse.livejournal.com]

Likewise. Similarly, you remember something better if you write it by hand than if you type it. *sigh* Now if only I didn't have that nasty carpal tunnel/tendonitis crap going on...

[arethinn]

Is that the secret to my success? I've often had people ask for my notes -- not because they are legible (HA!) but because they are comprehensive. I am a stenographer. It is the way I fix things in my head: having written it once, I tend to remember it.

Interesting.

I suppose really it's because this forces a second processing: in through the ears, out through the hand.

[nytemuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, probably that combined with using different parts of the brain. When you're typing, it's the same motion your hand makes for every individual letter. The only thing that changes is the relative position. When you write, you're more likely to use different movements/strokes, so it reinforced memory that way.

[arethinn]

Oh, no no! Typing works as well. Better, even, because it's faster (I can't write 75-100 wpm). That's the usual way I learn lyrics, by transcribing them into text files. It's just something about converting what I hear into a purposeful action of writing...

[nytemuse.livejournal.com]

I didn't say typing would work period, as that's what I use. I agree that it is faster, but I've seen research suggesting students learn more from handwriting notes than typing.
Note-taking as a process actually works best in 4 steps: taking the notes, clarifying/revising, reducing, & review/reflect. The shorthand mnemonic is Record, Reduce, Review. That's why Cornell Notes have gotten so popular. Researchers have figured out that you just can't process the notes while you're taking them down if you're being lectured to, so the idea is that while you're writing, you JUST focus on writing. Then, after you're done, you re-read all the notes you've taken and "do more" with them. Highlight, add headings, add diagrams, more examples, etc. Then you kind of reflect on what was done/learned at the end.

[arethinn]

*shrug* I think I do process while writing, or something. Diagrams and headings happen at the same time. I have almost never needed to reorganize my notes; I don't gain more from them. The first writing and perhaps one re-reading seems to be sufficient.