Sure I trust you...

[Redlass]

A few things said in the other thread made me wonder: Do you trust other people with your books? How likely are you to loan out a book you really like?

I know when the author I really like is still alive, I'm less likely to loan my copy of a book out and more likely to buy another copy to give away--unless the author has a whole series and I think that by loaning one of his or her books that I'll hook the person on the series.

That being said, I find it difficult to hold onto books. Books just scream to be shared. I want to share my experience with someone else--whether the experience is good or bad.

[sylvanb]

I loan books - cautiously. Usually get them back, too. I'm not as good at returning books as these folks are....

[kuuleimomi]

My dad lost decent part of his library due to his high school students who borrowed his books and never brought em back

So I usually don't trust people with any kind of my things, especially books, video tapes and cd's. :beer: and don't loose anything either

[hadassahchana[$]]

Loan my books out?? I'd sooner loan you my children!

I loan out my tools, bedding when asked, food, even videos and CDs. But asking to borrow my books is really hitting me where it hurts!

I will loan my books to friends, providing that they are as obsessed with books as I am, and that I also know where they live.

However, I have refused many requests to borow, but instead have just bought the person making the request his own copy- I figure that in cases like that, if I loaned my book I'd just end up replacing it anyway, so I save wear and tear on my stress level and give a friend an early gift.

I have even had people ask to borrow from my carefully horded collection of first editions- now that is chutzpa!

Cindy

[Grouch]

I am going to sound completely ungenerous, unChristian, uncharitable and any other un- word you can think of when I say that I do not give away any of my books. That would be one explanation for why the bookshelves in my basement are groaning in protest.

--Scratch that--I DID once loan out one of my books, "The Horse Whisperer" by Nicholas Evans. But I did that with ulterior motives: I was hoping the person would end up keeping it. But my plan backfired. That chicken came home to roost (and continued to lay big eggs).

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I'm a die-hard bibliophile. I love the smell of books, the feel of papery dustjackets, the look of all those spines standing at attention waiting patiently for me to reach forward with my index finger and pluck them from the ranks. Books are my life...to the well-publicized consternation of my wife.

I am a sick, sick man.

[mtbat]

I will loan books out-and sometimes I don't get them back-so I loan my books out knowing that I might not get them back and am therefore willing to buy them again.

my mom, aunt and a few of our friends have an informal lending circle, good books usually make the rounds-once in a while a book disappears, but not often-most of the time, whoever bought the book does get it back.

Now, there are certain books I will NOT loan out-sorry-MINE MINE MINE MINE-YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM - but I will recommend them to people I know will enjoy them.

One of the things that makes loaning books out affodable is hitting garage sales, lib. sales, used book stores-when I can buy romance novels for .10 each at The Friends Of The Westminister Library-then I don't really care if I don't get it back-the biggest problem I have is figuring out who to loan the book to first.

Fridai

[kurt_messick]

I had a political science professor, from whom I rented a room during my undergraduate days, who would get a large number of sample copies of books for potential use in classes. He got one that I was interested in reading, and I asked if I could borrow it.

'Just a moment', he said, grabbing a pen and the book.

He inscribed his name inside the cover.

'There!' he proclaimed, handing me the book. 'Years from now, when you pull this book off of YOUR shelf, you'll know where it came from.'

That was nearly 18 years ago. Each time I see the book on MY shelf, I think of him.

:smileo:

[eplovejoy]

Darn. I was hoping to borrow Cindy's kids to help me organize my books.

[jenninca]

I keep very careful track of who has borrowed what from my classroom library. I go through my cards about once a month and find out which books aren't accounted for. Then I subject everyone to a daily reading of the missing titles until most of them come home to roost. I have also been known to close the library until we get down to X books missing.

That being said, I do lose a couple dozen titles each year. The way I keep myself from caring too much, though, is buying an additional copy for myself of any book I particularly like. That way, I have a nice one that is guaranteed not to get beat up or lost.

I once had a young adult literature teacher who also taught sixth grade language arts. She had a library of 2000 titles for her children to check out. She said that she usually loses about 100 books each year, but that she doesn't care because that's about how many she earns for free with book order club points in a year. I can't imagine being that casual about it--I am definitely possessive of my books.

Cindy
who has $30.00 coming to her (standard lost book fee) from a student who lost three of my library books this year--I let her bring in a book from home to replace the first two but am making her pay for the third one--Barnes & Noble, here I come!

[quasar]

I try to only loan books to good friends, but sometimes it's hard because my nature is to be helpful and offer to let people borrow stuff they want. Even losing some favorites hasn't completely cured me.

With my mostly move to reading ebooks it gets easier because most of the ebooks I read are free, so I just send people with Palms a copy of the file. I find myself still possessive of my paper books even if I have an electronic copy and even if I know I will probably never read the hard copy again.

I console myself with the fact that I could read it again. I have noticed some slight cycling in my patterns. I went something like 9 months without reading a single paper book that wasn't work-related. But recently I've read as much paper as electronic - books I've had the urge to read haven't been available electronically. So it is theoretically possible I could want to read the paper books again. Still, I think if someone wanted to borrow a paper book I have electronically and they cannot read the electronic copy, I think I'd be more inclined to go with my natural tendency to say yes, but I haven't yet been in that situation to know for sure.

Janice

[KristenNC]

I'm one of those people who give books away at Halloween instead of candy.

Case in point: I just gave two brand new hardcovers to my looney ex-father-in-law. I will probably never see them again - and they were both awesome. But I shared the story - and he may buy that author again someday. Easy come - easy go.

I don't know WHY I feel the way I do. I don't have money to burn. I value my books above any other material possession by far. I have a huge, huge, huge number of books (but I've never counted.)

I guess I just figure that sharing the joy is the way to go for me. Or probably some of you all are thinking that my books are fluff anyway, so why not pass them out like the drivel they are.

Kristen