owning vs. borrowing

[Pollopicu]

Do you buy and own the books you read? or do you borrow from the library or friends?


Personally I must own the books I read. I bond with them too much to be able to return them. Plus I collect books. I don't have a massive collection, but it's decent and diverse enough to satisfy different guests.
I do not loan out books to anyone because I don't get them back and they're too personal to lend out. They can read it in my house as a guest. If they really want a book I have, I'll offer to buy it for them...if they're serious about reading it.


yeah, I'm a pain in the ***, aren't I? How would you like to be married to me? :lol:

[Rogers_68]

I own them. Usually copies from the thrift store or used book store. I write in them, and I love having them on my shelves.

[mayneverhave]

I prefer owning them so I can mark them up, but mostly so I can pick them up and draw something from them at any time.

Though I pull from the library quite often given the fact that I will never come close to owning even marginaly the amount of criticism that's available.

[mal4mac]

I'll borrow from the library, if they have the book. Otherwise I buy the cheapest paperback version. Sometimes (e.g., RSC Complete Shakespeare) I'll buy the hardback if I'm certain it's a keeper, i.e., if it looks good on the shelf and is needed for repeated re-readings. I tend to bond with these hardbacks. Paperbacks I give to the library, unless they are really good factual type books that I have high lighted for studying/re-reading. I don't like the quality of the paperback version of Tolstoy's complete short novels I read recently so I'll probably give it to the library and buy the Everyman hardback versions. Some things are worth buying twice! It's a real buzz to see books on the library shelf that you've donated. Spread the light! And why not give the books to your friends and rebuy? Unless it's a rare hardback or self-annotated of course...

[PhoenixPassion]

Do you buy and own the books you read? or do you borrow from the library or friends?

I do not loan out books to anyone because I don't get them back and they're too personal to lend out. They can read it in my house as a guest. If they really want a book I have, I'll offer to buy it for them...if they're serious about reading it.


yeah, I'm a pain in the ***, aren't I? How would you like to be married to me? :lol:

I don't loan my books out either! I have had my favorite book loaned out without my knowledge and my mom returned it "Sorry my friend spilled some coffee on the front." Some coffee covered the entire front with a wrinkly brown stain. Since then, it is a serious maiming if my books go anywhere without me knowing.

I borrow books from the library first. I have such a long reading list from a wide array of subject areas, I'm not sure how the books are going to turn out. If it is a book I get attached to, I give the book back to the library and purchase a copy for reading.

[wessexgirl]

Both. As a Librarian, I tend to take books home, but I buy more. My home is like a second Library, with shelves in every room. I couldn't bear to be without my books, even though I haven't read all of them yet. The advent of online book stores is a double-edged sword.....convenient and easy, but too convenient and easy, as I need to finish what I've already bought :).

[bounty]

i remember a student of mine some years ago encouraging me to read harry potter, saying she would lend me her books. i declined at the time, saying if i read a book, i want to own it.

i just recently read a book that a friend lent me because he wanted to hear my impression of it---i read it, had to give it back, and now i want to have it for myself.

im reminded of john locke (and my apologies if i am butchering his sentiment)---we own something by virtue of mixing our labor with it.

[mal4mac]

i remember a student of mine some years ago encouraging me to read harry potter, saying she would lend me her books. i declined at the time, saying if i read a book, i want to own it...

You should have taken up the offer, it might have cured you of your expensive habit :D

[bazarov]

Both. If it's not expensive and it's really great I will buy it, but mostly will borrow it because older books are not printed much in last decade or more.

[Cailin]

I used to buy all my books but have compromised with my other half now that we have a little one and have joined the local library! There's not enough room for us all in our little house :lol:

I still buy books the odd time but I think very hard about whether I want them or not - it's made me a more cautious purchaser!

[Page Turner]

I still buy a few but mostly borrow. I don't like clutter, even books, and my nearest library is only 3 blocks away.

[Annamariah]

Both. I'm a regular customer in libraries (and after I started working there too, the amount of books I'm carrying home has only increased), but I do own quite a lot of books too, about 10 metres I think (and in a tiny student apartment I wouldn't have much space for any more).

I usually buy only books I know I'm going to re-read, I can think of better use for my money than invest on something I'm just going to read once and that's it. But as the books I own are those I love to re-visit, I have a special bond with them (anyone else hug their books regularly?) and I need to be able to browse through my favourites whenever I feel like it.

Most of my books are bought second hand, because books are filthy expensive here. In recycling centers one can find some real treasures even for free, as I've done on many occasions. Of course it helps that many of my favourite books are pretty old and many aren't even sold in regular book shops anymore.

When I buy new books, they're often paperbacks in English, as those are cheaper than Finnish ones and I many of them haven't even been translated into Finnish.

[wat??]

If I've read a book and enjoyed it enough to want to read it again some day then I must own it.

[bounty]

smiles...shortly thereafter i was able to get the first 2-3 books at a library book sale, the next two on a credit exchange at one used bookstore and the last couple at another...so it worked out pretty well cost wise.


You should have taken up the offer, it might have cured you of your expensive habit :D

[Dark Lady]

I like to own the books I read. At the moment I'm reading a book I've borrowed from a friend and it's making me extrememly nervous. I take a book everywhere, which can mean they get a bit battered, and I have hers in a plastic bag to try and keep it neat.

The only library I belong to is my uni library, which I dislike because of how confusing and busy it is. I go there as few times as I can get away with.

I love seeing my books on my shelves, like trophies, and I come back to books again and again for quotes and references. Right now my room looks very empty because I've started packing, ready for moving, and I took all my books off my shelves and packed them into boxes today. :(

[stlukesguild]

For the last decade plus I have only ever utilized the library when doing research necessitated by my job or college courses. Over the years I have literally amassed a small library (some 3000 books and some 1200+ CDs). I have a better collection with regard to the areas that most concern me (poetry, art, literature in translation) than do most smaller libraries. Art, music, and literature are more important to me than driving a big SUV or living in a 5000 sq. ft. McMansion... and so this is where I have put my expendable income.

My thoughts about loaning books are somewhat akin to those of a writer (who I must paraphrase... not being inclined at the moment to look him up) who stated that "I am as fond of loaning out my books as most fathers are fond of having their daughters live with some blue-haired, unemployed punk rocker"... or words to that effect.:lol:

[onioneater]

If I love the book, I buy myself a copy. I often buy before reading the book, though.

[stlukesguild]

I should say I also prefer owning a work because it allows me to write comments of thoughts in the margins and it also allows me quick reference to a book. There are any number of times when I wish to check or reread a portion of a given book.

[Annamariah]

I should say I also prefer owning a work because it allows me to write comments of thoughts in the margins and it also allows me quick reference to a book. There are any number of times when I wish to check or reread a portion of a given book.
The latter I can understand, I do that a lot too. But the former, NO, NO NO! I would't write on my beloved books any more than I would write on my baby if I had one :lol:

[African_Love]

I prefer to own, I also like to collect books. In fact, I'm a little disappointed when I find a book online because it wouldn't make sense for me to buy it if it's online and I can buy something that isn't. Still, I can't imagine not reading a book that someone loaned me, or that I could find online or borrow from a library if I didn't have the money to buy it.

When I get a steady income, it will be all right for me to buy books I've read or found on the internet just for the sake of adding them to my collection. Until then, I'm only going to buy novels I haven't read and can't find online.

[mono]

I almost always prefer to own books, and rarely borrow them from friends, family, or from the library, not only out of embracing the sentiment of that book, whenever I read it, or whether multiple times or only once, but also for having the ability to re-read the book or reference it. Personally, I do not write in my books, but many of them contain notebook paper, note cards, and even napkins on the front covers with notes, page numbers, and ideas sketched upon them in my chicken-scratch handwriting; this gives my books, with their specific page numbers cited, an immeasurable value that has contributed a personal tenderness towards my mini-library, as I unfortunately could not count upon my notes remaining in a book once borrowed from a library or loved one. Call it materialism if you like, and somewhat frivolous, but there exists a certain inherent respect in a book or writer with having it/him/her so near, having such at one's disposal, not to mention the partially and oddly decorative mien of having a well-organized library, lined along the walls of one's home; honestly, particularly whenever I move, my home does not look quite the same without my bookcases stacked with books, alphabetized parallel to the walls, as if they belonged there as well as the sheetrock borders of my apartment.
As to lending out my books to others, I typically must invest a fair amount of trust in the individual, and it depends upon which book s/he asks to borrow (I would never lend out any of my rare books, for example). I have had a significant number of books lost, stolen, and damaged by others, which I can forgive but seldom forget, as books can get replaced, but the aforementioned sentiment cannot have a substitute. Thinking of such an occurrence, months ago, when my previous apartment flooded, and I received a phone call at work from the apartment maintenance worker, a fireman marshall, and my renter's insurance company, I recall feeling most worried about my two cats, but also about my books; returning home from work, I found my cats fine, other than feeling a bit frightened, yet the bottom shelves of my mini-library with irreparably soaked books. Luckily, the insurance company bought me the same ones, but what a price to pay for owning so many. :(

[Jazz_]

I usually prefer to own the books I read.

If there's a book I really want to read, I buy it - but there are almost 100 in my house which I am yet to read (I get over-excited and buy many at a time).
I don't really like letting others borrow my books, I've had several go missing or come back damaged :eek:

[sadparadise]

I prefer purchasing my books. My collection is growing and my book shelf is full to capacity. I have used the library but, I like to keep my books on hand to lend. Also, in case I need to refer to a certain book or reread it.

[Three Sparrows]

I don't live next to good library(the closest is filled with nothing but romance novels and childrens books)and I hate reading stuff on the computer and printing, so I just buy. Or maybe those are just excuses to expand my "library"; it is pitifully small.:( My list of books to buy seems always to grow longer, instead of shorter as I buy more books.

[Idril]

I really prefer to own. I generally buy used so I can keep down expenses a little bit that way but like most of you, I like to be able to reread if the mood strikes me, to quickly reference a line or passage and I'm one of those who like to mark my books with underlines, highlights and notes in the margin. I don't think of myself as materialistic as a general rule but when it comes to music and books, there is nothing that makes me feel as satisfied as looking at a full bookcase...or several...

As far as 'sharing' my books, no, I don't really do that. I did once upon a time but after loosing a few too many books, I have put an end to that. The only person I will loan books to now is my mother because I know she will take care of them and most importantly, return them. And also, because I do mark them, I'm a little self-conscious of other people seeing the notes and then if it's a book that made a significant impression on me, that I loved and want to share, I want an honest reaction from them, I want to know which passages and which characters touch them, I don't want them biased by my own underlines and "Wow!"s in the margins. I want it to be virgin text to them, as it was to me and it can't be that when all my favorite parts are marked...if that makes any sense. If it's a book I really want someone to read, I will go so far as to buy them a copy just so they don't ask to borrow mine. :p

[grotto]

I prefer to own, I keep the ones that are memorable or have deep meaning or reference value, the rest a pile up and every once in awhile I do a swap at a huge used book store near me.

I don’t lend books because the only ones I would recommend would be the ones that I really want to keep and I don’t get them back when I lend them! I’m so selfish at times! :brow:

[Janine]

Sometimes I haved borrowed at my local library; but I prefer to own the book and keep for reference, if it be something I truly liked or loved. I mainly read classics, so I have built up a pretty large collection of paperbacks (afforable); some choice hardbacks. I like the classic discount section in B&N; but most of those I have bought or already owned; I also buy from Amazon, even if it is second hand (for rare editions). I look everywhere for books cheap: thriftshops, yardsales, outdoor book sales; my own library has a small bookcase with paperbacks at 25 cents and hardbound at 50 cents. I end up dragging a lot of my books home from that source. They also give away books from time to time. Recently I found on the cheap shelves a nice copy of Dubliners. I had borrowed that from the library and now they had one for sale for 25 cents! Art books, of which I own many, I am inclined to buy, so I can look at them often. I also buy from Dover online and have found some great bargain books there; especially when they are having a sale or clearance. They send me their catalogue also, which I enjoy browsing while I am having my morning coffee. Of course these growing piles of books (no longer fit in the bookcases) are becoming a bit of a problem. Embarking on some much needed home improvements soon will prove to be a true challenge. ..eeekk...I am already beginning to panic.

[LukeS.]

I used to always buy books. I used to feel that it was somehow wrong to only check the book out of the library, and wanted to surround myself with books. I loved the look of them, and had around 1,500 books at one point.

But then I realised a few things. Buying so many books is incredibly expensive, and I wasn't getting my money's worth, because I wasn't reading them all. I began to feel shame and embarrassment over having so many books that went unread, even though I still read a lot. It really struck me once when someone was over and looking at my books and they commented on a few that I hadn't read. "This is a great book, I loved the blah blah blah," and I'd have to respond, "Oh, I haven't gotten to that one yet," and this happened several times. I felt pretentious and fake.

I also went through a phase of shedding material possessions. I don't need "things."

Now I have only 550 books and am working hard to keep them all read. Ideally I would never buy a book while I have unread books around. The key was to never enter a bookstore nor visit online shops, and at this point I can do fine with browsing. Also, I focus on purchasing used books only, for quasi-ethical reasons (you don't need to chop down that tree for me, sir, I've got an old copy that nobody wanted anymore!).

The books that are most helpful to buy nowadays are reference books; dictionaries and the like, which will see a lot of reference. Otherwise, pretty much any book is available at either a public or academic library. I don't need to actually have the thing in my house anymore.