I try to keep my books in pristine condition. The feel of them and the tactile relationship you have of them. I don’t do dog ears and I always peel the purchase sticker off. I’ll wash my hands before a serious reading session. When I read I try not to bend the binding too much. I hate that feeling of a crackly old book from the 70s with the U shaped binding. Maybe ‘cause I appreciate the symmetry of a well stocked victorian library.

You might be surprised to know that as much as I try to keep them nice, I like the feel of a well worn book. Moby dick feels nice in my hand exactly as worn as it is. Like a well worn pair of solid shoes. Fits so nice in your hand. There are some books that just feel good. For me, it’s always the ones that were challenging - the harder classics, like Crime and Punishment.

I tend to buy my books new. That means I can look at a book and know the wear and tear on them are directly related to myself. There is also the subconscious tactile relationship you build with the book. Unlike other media like movies or video games where you put the disk in or hell, just download it without ever touching it. Perhaps that’s why vinyl hasn’t really gone away. You swap music tracks and the vinyl just often enough to build that relationship.