Eight Rules of Book Borrowing
Are you someone who likes to borrow books? Especially from friends and family?
Then, this article is for you. Hopefully, by the end of it, you would’ve learned the eight simple book borrowing rules that will turn you into a responsible book borrower.
I know it sounds like a no-brainer. One that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) require a ‘how to’ guide, but experience has taught me otherwise.
I used to enjoy lending books; it was a way of introducing people to stories and characters that I grew up with or loved or thought were important. But over the years, I’ve gone from being an enthusiastic book lender to a reluctant one.
Why?
Bad book borrowers.
For reasons that are understandable to some extent, we are not as careful with borrowed books as we are with high-value items like jewellery or cars. Nevertheless, we should not forget that a borrowed book is still someone else’s property, and one that might not be as easily replaceable as we think.
So, what are these simple book borrowing rules? Here are eight dos and don’ts for you to follow:
Do:
Ask the Owner If They Have Read the Book
Before you borrow, check with your friend if they’ve read the book. If they haven’t, it’s better to wait until after they are done reading. This way, you can enjoy the book in leisure, and your friend need not fret in the interim.
Ask When the Book Should Be Returned
Do this beforehand. If they don’t specify a time frame, then return the book within 1-2 months. In case you need more time, ask whether you can hold onto the book for a while longer. Don’t just presume that you can.
Return the Book
Not returning books is something I’ve been guilty of in the past. And having been on the receiving end of it, I’ve learnt my lesson. Keep in mind: book owners are typically book collectors as well; every single book they own is near and dear to them. So yes, always, always return books, no matter how much time has passed since you borrowed them.
Don't:
Dog-ear the Pages
Don’t. Just don’t. Use bookmarks instead; they were invented for a reason. If you don’t have bookmarks or don’t like using one, just write down or memorise the chapter/page number, and you are good to go. Dog ears look cute on dogs, not on books.
Doodle in the Book
Or on the covers. I once had a book returned to me with the back covered in doodles. Now, don’t get me wrong; doodles are great, but if your fingers feel itchy, grab a notepad. And if you must doodle in a book, do it in your own. Also, no writing, highlighting or making notes of any sort in a book you do not own.
Snack While Reading
Or drink. Curling up on the couch with a good book and a hot cup of coffee sounds amazing. And it is amazing. But don’t do it when the book in question is not yours. There’s nothing worse than flipping through a book and coming across a mysterious food stain.
Handle the Book Roughly
Ensure that you handle a borrowed book with care. Return the book in as much the same condition in which you borrowed it. In case of a brand new book, cracking the spines is okay, inevitable even. But torn pages and loosened book binding? Not okay.
Lose the Book
Seems pretty straightforward, but I feel like this has to be said. You may think that losing or misplacing a book is not a big deal. After all, you could always buy them a new copy, right? Wrong. Someone once lost a book that was quite special to me—one of the ‘Five Find-Outers’ mystery novels by Enid Blyton. Not only was this book a gift, but it was also the book, the one that made me fall in love with reading. The loss stung. So be mindful when someone lends you a book. It may be worth a lot more to them than just its sticker price.
Follow these eight simple book borrowing rules, and your friends will be more than happy to lend you their prized possessions.
If not, there’s always Kindle.
This article was first published by the author (and owner of this website) on suramesh.com.
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One Comment
Totetally Legal (Tina)
Too bad I won’t be able to know whether or not my last borrower was a bad one as he never returned my book since then… 🙁