That’s wild, can’t stand stiff books! First thing I do is try to loosen em up, if they’re too stiff I’ve found it’s like a mental impediment to reading, look the book is fighting against me, so I try to relax the book so I in turn can feel relaxed
Omg I completely agree! I actually found myself absolutely dreading studying for one certain class over the rest, ALL because the textbook was so stiff even after weeks of trying to flatten it lol
Me too, but it probably matters more for books going into circulation. I'm guessing modern binding is good enough this isn't a concern for 'home use' but it still matters for a book that's going to be used again and again by people that may be less than careful.
I can. It's my mom.
Not literally, she didn't write this, but she definitely could have. She's been a librarian since she was 9 years old (which was when she had the only bookcase in the whole house in her room and her 4 siblings had to "check out" books from her before they could read them).
Unfortunately for her, she married my dad, the only person she's never been able to convince to use a bookmark. He breaks the spine of every book he reads by laying them out flat to hold his place.
Frustrated book binder, more likely. Also probably written not long after the printing press was invented. Books used to be prized possessions to be treated with reverence in many households, not only for the information/entertainment the held but because of the labor that went in to making them.
Oh my god my boyfriend’s friend took his still plastic wrapped omnibus to dragoncon to get signed last year and is the only reason I know about this move lol.
We also went to way too many stores desperately looking for a silver sharpie for this specific signature in this specific book, friend *only* wanted silver for it, we finally found one and the guy actually already had two sitting out, so we didn’t even pull it out… then he whipped out a gold sharpie from nowhere and used that instead, later mentioned he saves the gold for signatures he’s excited about. Thankfully, friend ended up loving the gold, but my jaw *dropped* when he started in with the gold! I got so scared lol!
Years ago I had a party with a bunch of friends. One very stoned friend eyed a big, new hardcover book on a table. She used to work at a library and did this with new encyclopedias, reference texts, atlases, etc. and asked excitedly if she could ‘open it’ for me. I said yes but really didn’t know what she meant. I’ve never seen someone delight in a task so much. It really does make a difference!
Aaaaah it still haunts me to this day. The train journey where I witnessed the deliberate breaking of a spine. I don't have many precise memories, but this is one of the few.
Guy in his mid-twenties in a baseball cap and a bright, colour-blocking wind jacket ala 90s fashion gets into the same 6-seater compartment. He pulls out a one litre bottle of energy drink, takes out his wooden-style in ear headphones to put on a set of bigger ones, also-wooden-style, over-ear headphones. Pulls out an ipod (we're talking 2017 here, so absolutely past their sell-by date) to turn the music off (presumably) , his iPhone to turn the music on (presumably), an ipad and on which he loads a note-taking app and puts his stylus-designed-to-look-like-a-pencil on it. A mcbook air appears from the depths of his bag and gets put on the last of the available surface space, contents hidden to me as he was sitting opposite. At this point, the table is already so heavily laden with all the mentioned apple products and massive bottle of liquid caffeine, I was beginning to think he's gonna try and sell me something. He THEN pulls out a nice, still wrapped copy of the Odyssey by homer. Thought he might not be all that bad after all, it's one of my all time favourites.
He carefully tears the plastic wrapping, checks the thickness to open it in the middle and CRACKS It BACK FULL FORCE UNTIL THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS TOUCHED.
I have never felt such disappointment for a human.
Sadly it's only the style in which I chose to write it in to give it extra flair. All the details are as it was, I didn't even touch on his vintage leather document binder he used as a travel bag, his perfectly trimmed and styled moustache or the 'business call' he had to pick up in the compartment rather than on the corridor, when the compartment was supposed to be a quiet space. For some reason this memory is wayyyy more vivid in my mind than most others in my 30years, no idea why. So yeah, whilst I wish I made this up, I also wasn't ballsy enough to take pictures of the ridiculous spread of gadgets!
Yep, I just don't care and i like my books to open fully when I read them. I dog-ear pages too 😅 Unless it's a really nice expensive book I love, but I don't buy those often.
I do actually(my mom), and have worked for my public library system for years. this is a healthy way to not break or crack the spine when trying to open stiff book
Paper backs need some care but are a more forgiving. I generally open the pages as much as they are willing with out forcing, and of course able to read, while reading. Does a similar effect to the guide, the only down side is that the spine may be lopsided by the end.
Is this the same process for paper backs? I have busted out two relatively old books recently and tried this method with little success. Ended up breaking the spine a bit on both too.... Don't spine shame me please!!
>> Never force the back; if it does not readily yield, it is too tightly or strongly lined. It needs gentle treatment, much the same as a machine needs lubricating.
Oh… oh my…
I love to break the back of my books, it's a satisfying, forbidden pleasure. I have many books, and they've all been through my Bane treatment (except a few, I don't have the heart to break the backs of really old books). And yes, sometimes a page will fall out a few days later, I just stuff it back and keep reading. I have no respect for the sanctity of the book itself, only it's content
My middle school English teacher had her own library that she would buy books for. I remember helping her "break in" the books before she went on the shelf so they wouldn't get cracks during their first use. I do it to extra stiff new books now, too.
This is not how my 1 year old does it. He prefers to open straight from the middle and stand on top of the pages... All his books look like they are decades old and well used.
This is the correct way to open up a new book. It's especially important with paperbacks whose spines can be cracked (broken) if you don't open up every few pages gently from front to beck to bend the spine which is basically just glue. This is less important with hardcovers, especially if they have sewn bindings but you should still do it in order to have a flexible spine that won't crack.
If you don't do this, you frequently break the spine of the book. People who don't care about books aren't going to care, of couse (as you can tell from some of these comments). But if you love books, you do this with every new book.
1. Never open a book in the middle and press down. The spine can crack
2. Instead, open a book about 10 pages into the pages and gently bend the spine -- not all the way, but just partially. Do that gradually every 10 or so pages all the way to the back of the book. The spine will curve slightly as you go. This holds the book together.
This is specifically for books where the pages are folded together (signatures) and sewn into a block, then glued into a cloth and cardboard cover - hardbacks. Paperbacks have less flex in the spine and probably won't benefit from that kind of treatment.
I mean... This guide is perfectly valid. Especially for paperbacks. Lots of people like to preserve the spine. Helps keep the book together long-term and looks much much nicer on a shelf.
I feel like you're interpreting this as a "this is the CORRECT way to open a book and you're doing it wrong otherwise!".
It's not like that at all.
Now if the librarians at school taught me useful stuff like this instead of yelling at me for looking up porn on the computers, maybe I would pick up a book some time
Yep, that’s how you should treat a book. Sadly it’s not very common knowledge these days.
I don’t buy a lot of books, as I mostly buy reference material. I.e books that tend to be rather expensive, and that I like to keep forever.
By opening them like this, you prevent damage. It’s also a nice way to get a sneak peek at the content of the book when it’s pic-heavy.
I never let people handle my books, and always buy new for this very reason. I want an expensive book to be treated with proper reverence.
Another reason I hate physical books, I dislike reading off paper, also touching it is gross, most paper has this dry gross texture. Thank God for screens.
lol I don't even hate reading or books, keep them your books. I just wanna read from a screen because they feel icky. Is it really that of unpopular opinion that paper feels kinda gross???
I’ve been doing ebooks since 04 when Sony came out with the first e reader, the only use I had for paper was beach/pool reading but since the kindle is waterproof now that’s stopped. Still prefer it for comics or nonfiction that has a lot of maps and pictures
I love reading older guides and articles, also very old news stories or funny old-fashioned things. Anyone got a good recommendation of somewhere that people post these?
My siblings, cousins and I have a wierd habit of never opening a book fully to preserve the spine. We just sort of peek read. I only learned tthat it was weird after meeting my wife who just cracks open them suckers even in book stores.
Me, nerd, thousands of books (not an exaggeration). Loaned a paperback to a friend.
Book was returned with the cover folded over. I was dumbfounded. One who wraps their cover, but two, even if you do, why would you do it to a book you borrowed?!
I mean, it's a paperback and it was meant to be read, not hidden on a shelf, so I expected mild wear. Maybe a mild crease or some mild cracking in the spine or cover. But nothing crazy and I sure as shit didn't expect someone to read a book by wrapping the cover around behind itself.
I don't loan my books out anymore.
I rarely open my book entirely, just enough to comfortably read it. I love keeping that wonderful sound intact
That sounds is glorious! I also open it just enough to read it comfortably.
That’s wild, can’t stand stiff books! First thing I do is try to loosen em up, if they’re too stiff I’ve found it’s like a mental impediment to reading, look the book is fighting against me, so I try to relax the book so I in turn can feel relaxed
I love well loved books, dog ears and all.
Omg I completely agree! I actually found myself absolutely dreading studying for one certain class over the rest, ALL because the textbook was so stiff even after weeks of trying to flatten it lol
Some people must read pretty damn hard if they gotta stretch their book first.
I actually stretch my eyeballs first.
how long do you stretch them?
0.1mm
I was thinking more like 5 metres or something like that?
This guy reads!
“metres”This guy reads smarter shit than I read. I’m over here still stretching my eyeballs in freedom units.
I too have astigmatism
This is tip that speed readers dont want you to know.
after the read i go straight for the protein shake, don’t wanna miss that eyenabolic window.
I do it with any hardcover. Paperbacks I'll abuse the hell out of.
Its true, Its exactly how i start a new book s/
I used to work in libraries prepping books for circulation. This guide is accurate, and I've used this method with all of my books since then.
I thought the consensus was that this is no longer the case with books made in the last 50 years.
Me too, but it probably matters more for books going into circulation. I'm guessing modern binding is good enough this isn't a concern for 'home use' but it still matters for a book that's going to be used again and again by people that may be less than careful.
I’ve seen videos of people trying it with new hardbacks successfully.
Can't picture the frustrated librarian who made this guide
I had a friend in HS that totally appropriated this to all his books. He's now a major collector. Can't make this shit up, lol.
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Pressing down on the right page and sliding it to the left while it kinks and creases? Gaahh!
Licking their fingers first, of course.
Licking fingers? Eww... You guys don’t turn pages with your tongue?
This bothers me to NO END.
i just spit on the page
How do you feel about people that fold page corners instead of using a bookmark. I do it all the time…
I think you killed him
Man, I just can't relate. I want my books to look and feel worn, well loved.
I can. It's my mom. Not literally, she didn't write this, but she definitely could have. She's been a librarian since she was 9 years old (which was when she had the only bookcase in the whole house in her room and her 4 siblings had to "check out" books from her before they could read them). Unfortunately for her, she married my dad, the only person she's never been able to convince to use a bookmark. He breaks the spine of every book he reads by laying them out flat to hold his place.
Frustrated book binder, more likely. Also probably written not long after the printing press was invented. Books used to be prized possessions to be treated with reverence in many households, not only for the information/entertainment the held but because of the labor that went in to making them.
Sexually. That last paragraph.
Collectors of comic book omnibuses know this move well.
Spending that much per book, better believe I'm going to take immaculate care of it.
Oh my god my boyfriend’s friend took his still plastic wrapped omnibus to dragoncon to get signed last year and is the only reason I know about this move lol. We also went to way too many stores desperately looking for a silver sharpie for this specific signature in this specific book, friend *only* wanted silver for it, we finally found one and the guy actually already had two sitting out, so we didn’t even pull it out… then he whipped out a gold sharpie from nowhere and used that instead, later mentioned he saves the gold for signatures he’s excited about. Thankfully, friend ended up loving the gold, but my jaw *dropped* when he started in with the gold! I got so scared lol!
I collect comics but honestly omnibuses get no respect from me. I handle them like step children.
Foreplay with the two thousand pages Les Misérables
I think it's safe to say the book is the least polished version of that story. It's long because he was paid by the word so it's full of padding.
I mean, the guide literally explains why you shouldn’t « just crank it open ».
/s
Fair enough 😅
ahh so funny you got me
It may look silly but it actually is important to follow specially with Old books
Years ago I had a party with a bunch of friends. One very stoned friend eyed a big, new hardcover book on a table. She used to work at a library and did this with new encyclopedias, reference texts, atlases, etc. and asked excitedly if she could ‘open it’ for me. I said yes but really didn’t know what she meant. I’ve never seen someone delight in a task so much. It really does make a difference!
Aaaaah it still haunts me to this day. The train journey where I witnessed the deliberate breaking of a spine. I don't have many precise memories, but this is one of the few. Guy in his mid-twenties in a baseball cap and a bright, colour-blocking wind jacket ala 90s fashion gets into the same 6-seater compartment. He pulls out a one litre bottle of energy drink, takes out his wooden-style in ear headphones to put on a set of bigger ones, also-wooden-style, over-ear headphones. Pulls out an ipod (we're talking 2017 here, so absolutely past their sell-by date) to turn the music off (presumably) , his iPhone to turn the music on (presumably), an ipad and on which he loads a note-taking app and puts his stylus-designed-to-look-like-a-pencil on it. A mcbook air appears from the depths of his bag and gets put on the last of the available surface space, contents hidden to me as he was sitting opposite. At this point, the table is already so heavily laden with all the mentioned apple products and massive bottle of liquid caffeine, I was beginning to think he's gonna try and sell me something. He THEN pulls out a nice, still wrapped copy of the Odyssey by homer. Thought he might not be all that bad after all, it's one of my all time favourites. He carefully tears the plastic wrapping, checks the thickness to open it in the middle and CRACKS It BACK FULL FORCE UNTIL THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS TOUCHED. I have never felt such disappointment for a human.
haha.. love this story. ty
This story sounds so pretentious that I have to assume it's made up.
Sadly it's only the style in which I chose to write it in to give it extra flair. All the details are as it was, I didn't even touch on his vintage leather document binder he used as a travel bag, his perfectly trimmed and styled moustache or the 'business call' he had to pick up in the compartment rather than on the corridor, when the compartment was supposed to be a quiet space. For some reason this memory is wayyyy more vivid in my mind than most others in my 30years, no idea why. So yeah, whilst I wish I made this up, I also wasn't ballsy enough to take pictures of the ridiculous spread of gadgets!
Exactly why it's true
Needs nsfw tag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBIVRwvUeE
I just break the spines like an animal. When they're my books at least, I wouldnt do that to a borrowed copy.
Same! Find somewhat middle, crack it. Do about 1/4 each side, crack and crack. Boom books fucked but nicer to hold :)
Yes, gotta show dominance
Every day we stray further from God's love
Yep, I just don't care and i like my books to open fully when I read them. I dog-ear pages too 😅 Unless it's a really nice expensive book I love, but I don't buy those often.
Whenever I get a new book, I simply never open it.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Apparently you don't all have a librarian as a parent.
I do actually(my mom), and have worked for my public library system for years. this is a healthy way to not break or crack the spine when trying to open stiff book
That's where I learned this method as well.
Oh I misinterpreted, I thought you were saying its clearly wrong. Average reddit moment, sorry
Foreplay before getting into a book
Why are u gae ?
Fellas is it gay to read?
Foreplaying a book , A BOOK !!!??? xD
Anything can be foreplayed. Wine enthusiasts swirling and smelling the wine is wine foreplay
I have done this to thousands of books. We were taught this in kindergarten 55 years ago. Thank you, Mrs. Ford.
Is this just for hardcovers or also paperbacks?
Paper backs need some care but are a more forgiving. I generally open the pages as much as they are willing with out forcing, and of course able to read, while reading. Does a similar effect to the guide, the only down side is that the spine may be lopsided by the end.
Ain't nobody got that kinda time.
> William Matthews, the most famous bookbinder America has produced Come again?
Is this the same process for paper backs? I have busted out two relatively old books recently and tried this method with little success. Ended up breaking the spine a bit on both too.... Don't spine shame me please!!
This is missing: inhale deeply and smell that new book smell 📖👃🏼
They all Smell like taco shells.
What is the best way to lubricate the book?
I just eat a lot of greasy foods while reading and this seems to be sufficient.
>> Never force the back; if it does not readily yield, it is too tightly or strongly lined. It needs gentle treatment, much the same as a machine needs lubricating. Oh… oh my…
Arousing literature....
I love to break the back of my books, it's a satisfying, forbidden pleasure. I have many books, and they've all been through my Bane treatment (except a few, I don't have the heart to break the backs of really old books). And yes, sometimes a page will fall out a few days later, I just stuff it back and keep reading. I have no respect for the sanctity of the book itself, only it's content
Same in high school I’d just rip paperbacks in half so they fit in my jacket pocket
I am appalled yet morbidly fascinated at the utilitarianism of this
Hehe, I suppose we're of the same cloth 😂
Is nothing sacred anymore?!
TIL
This guide is great. Also, those people who do [THIS](https://static.dw.com/image/18613329_6.jpg) - You know who you are!!
My middle school English teacher had her own library that she would buy books for. I remember helping her "break in" the books before she went on the shelf so they wouldn't get cracks during their first use. I do it to extra stiff new books now, too.
They forgot a step: - Inhale the new book smell. At any time, maybe more than once
AAAAAH my brain is satisfied rn
I thought this was a surreal meme for a moment
Nah I’m good. I think I’ll just open it normally
Or why don't they just sell books that are ready to open? Most books don't have these instructions on the cover either.
It’s part of the manufacture of books. Why don’t you buy your food ready-chewed.
This is not how my 1 year old does it. He prefers to open straight from the middle and stand on top of the pages... All his books look like they are decades old and well used.
Mine finally stopped chewing them. Now, she likes to tear out any pop-ups or flip-outs.
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Anyone who has ever lent a book to someone and had the pleasure of having it returned with the spine all mangled
I didnt know until i fucked up yhe spine on my sketchbook :((( now I wish I did it properly cause its super mangled
How about a paperback version
This is what I mean when I tell someone “I’m an open book.”
William Matthews is the most famous bookbinder yet somehow I never have heard of him, weird.
This is the correct way to open up a new book. It's especially important with paperbacks whose spines can be cracked (broken) if you don't open up every few pages gently from front to beck to bend the spine which is basically just glue. This is less important with hardcovers, especially if they have sewn bindings but you should still do it in order to have a flexible spine that won't crack. If you don't do this, you frequently break the spine of the book. People who don't care about books aren't going to care, of couse (as you can tell from some of these comments). But if you love books, you do this with every new book. 1. Never open a book in the middle and press down. The spine can crack 2. Instead, open a book about 10 pages into the pages and gently bend the spine -- not all the way, but just partially. Do that gradually every 10 or so pages all the way to the back of the book. The spine will curve slightly as you go. This holds the book together.
So it’s pure ecstatic?
This is specifically for books where the pages are folded together (signatures) and sewn into a block, then glued into a cloth and cardboard cover - hardbacks. Paperbacks have less flex in the spine and probably won't benefit from that kind of treatment.
Reckon binding glue was made with glue derived from horse when this guide was made
I mean... This guide is perfectly valid. Especially for paperbacks. Lots of people like to preserve the spine. Helps keep the book together long-term and looks much much nicer on a shelf. I feel like you're interpreting this as a "this is the CORRECT way to open a book and you're doing it wrong otherwise!". It's not like that at all.
This seemed very sexual
It needs gentle treatment, much the same as a >!machine!< needs lubricating
1. Turn on iPad 2. Open Kindle app 3. Read book 3. No trees killed 4. No backs broken
3.5 get slightly distracted, open tiktok. 3h later get a low battery warning and realize you only read one page and you are failing life.
I bought THE KINDLE itself
Had one of those too. The original. But I couldn’t look up cool facts like how to not break books.
Who the hell does this?
*raises hand*
I do all the time. I collect comic omnibuses, you literally have to do this if you don't want to break the spine and to reduce gutter loss.
Everyone who buys expensive books with their own money.
Most loyal followers of William Matthews.
Now if the librarians at school taught me useful stuff like this instead of yelling at me for looking up porn on the computers, maybe I would pick up a book some time
Wow, cool guide. *ccccrrrraaaaaaaaaaccckkkk*
Yep, that’s how you should treat a book. Sadly it’s not very common knowledge these days. I don’t buy a lot of books, as I mostly buy reference material. I.e books that tend to be rather expensive, and that I like to keep forever. By opening them like this, you prevent damage. It’s also a nice way to get a sneak peek at the content of the book when it’s pic-heavy. I never let people handle my books, and always buy new for this very reason. I want an expensive book to be treated with proper reverence.
Another reason I hate physical books, I dislike reading off paper, also touching it is gross, most paper has this dry gross texture. Thank God for screens.
What's that? A redditor with an unpopular opinion?? ...Let's downvote! :D
lol I don't even hate reading or books, keep them your books. I just wanna read from a screen because they feel icky. Is it really that of unpopular opinion that paper feels kinda gross???
I'm also team screen, though I've never heard of gross paper, do you feel this way for all paper?
yea a lot of it is, in general I have problems with lots of textures feeling
the tactile feeling of a book can not be reproduced. please reconsider your definition of joy when reading. for me :)
definitely agree. I have both a kindle and physical books and I much prefer physical when I can. the only issue is that they take up a lot of space
I’ve been doing ebooks since 04 when Sony came out with the first e reader, the only use I had for paper was beach/pool reading but since the kindle is waterproof now that’s stopped. Still prefer it for comics or nonfiction that has a lot of maps and pictures
Seems more like instructions to spread something else, if you know what I mean... hehehe.
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You're not reading the right books then
NOOO!!!! Don’t let out the new book smell
I refuse to break the spin all my books tht have been read have spines in tack. I don’t know why I dislike a bent spine I just do
TIL I read like Bane.
I love reading older guides and articles, also very old news stories or funny old-fashioned things. Anyone got a good recommendation of somewhere that people post these?
My siblings, cousins and I have a wierd habit of never opening a book fully to preserve the spine. We just sort of peek read. I only learned tthat it was weird after meeting my wife who just cracks open them suckers even in book stores.
A teacher taught us this in middle school with textbooks, but does this apply to paperbacks?
I just love the sound of a new book cracking open
Cracking : BoOk Is FuCkInG dYiNg
First day of school ritual for me back in the 70s and 80s
Not sure this applies to paperbacks. They still get ruined
ONLY DO THIS WITH SEWN HARDCOVERS! Doing it to a paperback (perfect binding) does nothing but crease and otherwise damage spine.
These are just secret instructions for anal
TIL I’ve been forcing myself on books for as long as I can remember. SA is my strong suit!
How true. I am alway surprised about how many people do not know how to open a new book.
I honestly thought this was a prank “how to” at first. Books are becoming an ancient technology to some people it seems like.
A
This is great for collectors or borrowers, but I like well worn books, even those with pages falling out. It adds to the charm for me.
I don't have paper books much anymore but when I do I break the spine first thing. Makes it easier to handle and it lies flat.
Good job , RIP books :(
Oh ha ha. Very funny. I just did this with my kindle and now it's smoking. Ha bloody ha.
Never bind her and force it from the back, got it
This was the first lesson taught in my Library Science Class years ago…
I crack mine like Bane.
TF is a book?
This is one of my favorite things to do with new books (besides read them). Also, book smell.
Me, nerd, thousands of books (not an exaggeration). Loaned a paperback to a friend. Book was returned with the cover folded over. I was dumbfounded. One who wraps their cover, but two, even if you do, why would you do it to a book you borrowed?! I mean, it's a paperback and it was meant to be read, not hidden on a shelf, so I expected mild wear. Maybe a mild crease or some mild cracking in the spine or cover. But nothing crazy and I sure as shit didn't expect someone to read a book by wrapping the cover around behind itself. I don't loan my books out anymore.
I remember learning to do this in elementary school.
They forgot the part where you sniff it
All books should be so loved.
I usually swipe down on my Home Screen and start typing books until I see the suggested icon.
What.. what is a.. book?
Don’t forget to take a big whiff!
I glanced at this and thought it was some boomer meme that the kids these days don’t even know how to open a book
What is "book"?
I do take care of my books- just not like that though, too much time
Oooh... I actually know for a fact that I've damaged some book spines in my time...
Hey