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Nov 6, 2008 8:46 PM
#1

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Jun 2007
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When reading manga, are you lot careful not to crease the spine or do you happily bend it in order to read the pages a little more easily?

I've always been VERY careful since I'm a bit of perfectionist. I like keeping everything I buy in mint condition, so creating creases on the spines is a big no-no in my book. I'm the same with bent pages; I'm careful not to.

It bugged me when I purchased 6 volumes 2nd-hand and found that all the volumes had creases to the spines/covers and faded pages. I don't understand why someone would be so careless with something they've paid money for...
Nov 6, 2008 9:00 PM
#2

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Dec 2007
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wear and tear builds character... Im sure you have scars
Nov 6, 2008 9:01 PM
#3

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Mar 2005
3807
i open it ever so slightly, just enough to read :)

my books look really nice
Nov 6, 2008 10:36 PM
#4

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Jun 2008
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Aionic, I'm a bit like you, I like my books in mint condition.

I always open the volumes just enough to read, and then stack them at the bottom so the cover flattens out.
Nov 6, 2008 10:42 PM
#5

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Jun 2007
2253
Like you, I also make sure to flatten volume covers after reading if they're sticking up by putting them under other books.
Something bad occurred when I tried to flatten a volume I'd read in a different way - by fitting as many volumes as possible in my Death Note box set. This resulted in the thin piece of cardboard that separates V12 & 13 becoming loose and not supporting weight when V13 isn't in to support it...

I just wish I'd been more careful with my non-manga books - most of them have yellowed pages, faded covers (sunlight) and white corners/marks. Aside from my idiocy with Viz manga box sets, I've been far more careful with my manga.

Nov 7, 2008 3:46 AM
#6

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Feb 2005
13572
The manga I buy, I've usually already read via scanlations, so many of my volumes have hardly ever been opened...
At any rate though, I try to not bend them too much whenever I do read them. Few things are worse than a collection of broken spines, I don't want my manga and books to suffer like my own back >__<
Nov 7, 2008 5:22 AM
#7

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Aug 2007
1803
I HATE it when there is a crease. Not just with Manga's (which are easier to keep neat because of their size) but regular paperback novels as well. I take pride in the books that Ican keep prestine, and I display them. The others are hidden in a cabinet in shame...

Nov 7, 2008 5:32 AM
#8

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Aug 2008
32
Oh man, my books, manga and otherwise, always end up in horrible condition. I don't even know how it happens! I guess I get caught up in the story and end up folding them backwards to make reading easier.

Doesn't happen as much with manga, though, since those are one-sitting reads so I don't tend to carry them around with me in bags and such.

I also fold over corners to mark my place and the location of good bits; I suspect some people would lynch me for that.

Nov 7, 2008 6:04 AM
#9

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Jan 2008
133
Manga volumes aren't so thick as to be that easily creased. A little effort will ensure that your manga is nice and in shape.

Large paperbacks, however, are 100 times more vulnerable to creasing. I have seen some books literally split into two along the spine.
Nov 7, 2008 8:11 AM

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3197
I've not noticed a big problem with creasing, but I rarely remove the dust covers since I protect those with a plastic cover themselves. Well, most.. at least 2000 of the 2500+ have plastic on them. I've noticed the plastic can get beaten over time, so it's easy to replace that cover versus the actual manga cover. I do have a problem with yellowing pages. Some of my books are just old and manga isn't printed on high quality paper. I recently took out my Yami no Matsuei books and they just looked awful. Maybe the top 20% of the page was yellowed on some! I was tempted to buy another set, but those would just yellow again. It's kinda sad. :( There's no abnormal sunlight, heat, or humidity to blame.

chairman_wow said:
I also fold over corners to mark my place and the location of good bits; I suspect some people would lynch me for that.
Oh, the horror! ;)
Nov 7, 2008 9:23 AM

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Jul 2008
424
chairman_wow said:
Oh man, my books, manga and otherwise, always end up in horrible condition. I don't even know how it happens! I guess I get caught up in the story and end up folding them backwards to make reading easier.

Doesn't happen as much with manga, though, since those are one-sitting reads so I don't tend to carry them around with me in bags and such.

I also fold over corners to mark my place and the location of good bits; I suspect some people would lynch me for that.


I don't dog-ear much, but I often toss books haphazardly in backpacks, so they end up scuffed. And for the last couple years I've been writing in nonfiction. Only nonfiction, though. And of course some of my cookbooks have food stains.

My manga don't have very many damaged spines though, except the first half of Cardcaptor Sakura (the original U.S. flipped version) which is the oldest, and one of my favorites. It's gotten more rereading than most.

There are some books I treat with more care, such as my import manga, because they have cool dustjackets unlike the U.S. versions. I especially like Yotsuba&! vol 7 - it has a normal dust jacket with Yotsuba and co, and if you pull it off, you see a photo of some cows. Yes, cows.
Nov 7, 2008 9:31 AM

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bubblehead said:
I don't dog-ear much, but I often toss books haphazardly in backpacks, so they end up scuffed. And for the last couple years I've been writing in nonfiction. Only nonfiction, though. And of course some of my cookbooks have food stains.


I write in novels sometimes, but generally only crappy ones. Sometimes you just have to leave sarcastic comments to keep yourself sane.

Nov 7, 2008 9:45 AM

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Mar 2007
1875
I generally try to keep my manga in good condition. I don't go out of my way to handle them as if they are delicate, but I don't throw them around carelessly or bend back the covers or fold the pages or anything. I just flip through them.

The reason why I don't scan my manga for various scanlation groups is because I don't want to ruin the binding on my books.
Nov 7, 2008 12:39 PM

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Nov 2007
891
I try and keep my manga in mint condition. I hate seeing something I spent my money on become ragged and creased.
Nov 7, 2008 8:35 PM
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Nov 2008
15
shinkeikaku said:
I do have a problem with yellowing pages. Some of my books are just old and manga isn't printed on high quality paper. I recently took out my Yami no Matsuei books and they just looked awful. Maybe the top 20% of the page was yellowed on some! I was tempted to buy another set, but those would just yellow again. It's kinda sad. :( There's no abnormal sunlight, heat, or humidity to blame.

I've seen brand-new manga in the store with yellow pages. I have to make sure the copy I'm buying is still white.

Nov 7, 2008 9:02 PM

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Aug 2008
3197
catalinabella said:
I've seen brand-new manga in the store with yellow pages. I have to make sure the copy I'm buying is still white.
I once bought a book that ending up having a smashed bug in the middle. Bonus! Depending upon the print date, I've gotten "new" books that were yellowed too. Yellow is the bane of my books. :(
Nov 7, 2008 11:33 PM

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Jun 2008
15712
I feel like a moron. I thought you meant the spine on your body..>_> I was going to say...

Nah, I'm not really careful, because most of the manga I have anyway is sitting in my garage, in boxes. A ton of my manga that I had from when I was younger has food stains all over all the pages. I view wear and tear as a symbol of pride actually, because it shows that you have used it.
I'm back.
Nov 8, 2008 4:51 AM

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Jul 2008
3549
I make sure I don't crease the spine on any of my manga's, but you can't help it with some. *cough* Death Note 13 *cough* That aside, all the manga's I bought in mint condition are still in mint condition. :P
I write about manga → morningroo.com
and watch films → letterboxd.com/ugla
Nov 8, 2008 6:50 AM

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Jun 2007
2253
My copy of DN Vol. 13 is read and uncreased. ;)
Nov 9, 2008 7:43 PM

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Sep 2008
123
I hate spine creasing/cracking too D: unfortunately, I've never been able to avoid it. I read fast, and on the first read, the spine always is ruined.

I've never had a problem with bent pages except in books bought used-and usually I can straighten them out. ;_; it's so sad.
Nov 9, 2008 7:59 PM

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Nov 2007
2822
I'm a perfectionist, and I try to keep all my manga perfect. I even used dividers to keep my manga that's in better shape away from the manga that's in not as good shape. I hate buying manga online because of that. X_X

When I go to the store to buy a manga, I have to look through all the available volumes and pick the one that's in the best shape.

Obsessed? Maybe just a little. XD
Nov 12, 2008 7:25 AM

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Apr 2008
756
oh i used to be terrible about doing that to my books. I stopped several years ago. I don't bend the corners down anymore either :p
Nov 12, 2008 7:42 AM
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555
I try to keep my books in good condition. In fact, I hate it when I crease the spines of my books. But if I'm reading a library book, I could care less :P
Nov 12, 2008 8:58 AM

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Sep 2008
2149
kei-clone said:
i open it ever so slightly, just enough to read :)

my books look really nice


same here
Nov 12, 2008 9:03 AM

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Aug 2007
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Hey, keeping my manga prestine has helped the value of my Sailor Moon Manga collection....

...its worth alot ;)

Nov 13, 2008 10:20 PM

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Sep 2008
2149
Aarana said:
Hey, keeping my manga prestine has helped the value of my Sailor Moon Manga collection....

...its worth alot ;)


value?
Nov 14, 2008 3:03 PM
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Feb 2008
52
I may self try to keep them perfectly done. However my more read serious are more used and open. But no bent spines. I find rereading them each time allows the spin to open more without any creases. Or that is just me.

It doesn't bother me to have pages bent or ceased. I think it looks like it was loved loads. XD
Nov 14, 2008 3:13 PM

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May 2008
176
I'm a perfectionist as well and I don't like my manga to have creases in the spine, but I guess it's not the end of the world if there is a little crease. I always open the book just enough to read, but hopefully not enough to crease. Most of my manga is in really good condition. ^_^



Nov 15, 2008 1:18 PM

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Aug 2008
68
Spines are sacred in my pinion and as such i take care when reading. all my book spines are pristine, bar my copy of Ghost in The Shell Vol.1 which was slightly damaged when I lent it out once (grr)
<<<<<< Click Please :)
Nov 15, 2008 7:10 PM

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Jul 2008
564
I always get pissed if one of my manga is stuck inside my drawer. (overstuffed, unfortunately) D:

It's suppose to be a cabinet for my clothes, but instead I had put some 30+ volumes to preserve its contents.

-sigh-
Heh. If I didn't buy those series, then probably I would have a lot of allowance money. *_*
Nov 16, 2008 10:58 AM

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Dec 2007
9219
Usually French edition books (what I buy most) are not glued so you can bend it all over that it will never break.

However I have a couple of books that are glued, so I take a lot of care to open and bend them in a way they don't break. Never had a manga book breaking before, but it's terrible when it happens to regular books... Pages get loose and it's annoying to find their right places...
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori
Nov 16, 2008 6:41 PM

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Jul 2008
93
feder said:

When I go to the store to buy a manga, I have to look through all the available volumes and pick the one that's in the best shape.

Obsessed? Maybe just a little. XD


Nah, everyone does that, there's the unofficial 'library' copy that everyone will sit down for 20 minutes reading through there and then, and other copies are for buying. I hate it when I want a volume but it's been manhandled 500 times and it's the ONLY volume in stock, then I have to trek across the city to the other store. >___>

And my Manga is pristine. If I see a crease or fold I go nuts...
Nov 18, 2008 6:36 PM

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Aug 2007
608
Tend to be a little more on the careful side maybe. I don't consciously avoid opening them further usually but at the same time in the habit to avoid opening them too far. So the spines are fine and just have to work on getting the covers flat again.

It's also often annoyingly hard to find volumes without security tags.
Nov 23, 2008 9:58 AM

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Jul 2008
858
I look for manga in hardcover, which is hard to find, but worth it.

I keep all my books in mint condition, especially my complete set of the 1st edition of Ginga Nagareboshi Gin. Mainly because 1.) it's out of print 2.) it was written in the 1980's and most pages are still white (thanks to the kind owner before me) and 3.) I payed $300 for them and I'm not gonna put that money to waste.

The worst is when I let someone borrow my books and they come back destroyed. :(
Nov 23, 2008 9:04 PM

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Aug 2008
106
i try to be careful. but after reading a series multiple times, they start to look like, well, like they've been read a few times. most of my collection is in pretty good shape though, with only a few exceptions.
"I'm not a nerd! I'm a specialist!"
Nov 24, 2008 8:45 AM

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Oct 2008
87
From the shelf, my books look pretty much in mint condition. None of the spines are worn or cracked even though I've read some of them multiple times. I do have a few books that are discolored where my fingers hold the pages (not on the pictures themselves, but rather the edge of the pages).

I have one book that had the cover half torn off the back of the spine because a teacher carelessly attempted to shake my hand even though it was obvious that they were quite full. In an effort to return his [ironic] attempt at courtesy, I tried balancing my things in one arm, but failed miserably and watched one of my precious volumes fall to the ground, resulting in damage. I have another manga that was shipped to me with the back cover completely bent in half. I wasn't willing to pay the shipping costs to send it back, so I keep it tightly hidden on my shelf, aiming for the day when I can actually afford to replace it (never).

While I know there isn't any inherent value in them, I treat all my belongings with extreme care, whether they're manga, books, DVD's, etc. The only things that don't look mint are the used books I occasionally buy (I can't argue, they're cheap) and the overly thick mass paperback edition books that are going to get creasing no matter how well you treat them (unless you don't read them, heh).
Nov 24, 2008 11:30 AM

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May 2008
8
Spine creasing is a big no no for me. I've spent alot of money on my books and manga, so I treat them nicely. My manga all look unread and I store them in bookshelves, so they don't get all bent and stuff.

Some of my thicker fiction books get creased once I get towards the middle, but I guess that can't really be avoided. If I let people borrow my books or manga, I give them guidelines for how to treat them. Not sure if that makes me kind of obsessive about the whole thing, but hey :)

As far as cookbooks go: food stains can't really be avoided, and I don't mind writing in them, like making additions to a recipe or changing something if I like it better that way.
Nov 24, 2008 1:51 PM
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223
The condition of my manga will probably tell you how much i enjoyed it.
Nov 24, 2008 8:43 PM

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Feb 2008
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I don't like it when my manga have creases from the pages being folded or when the spine is creased, therefore I don't do it. But with my other books, I have a tendency to crease the spine. sigh.. if I only took care of all my books like I don my manga.
Nov 24, 2008 9:31 PM

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i try my best to keep it new, but i love my mangas from nice to all used up.

I bought xxxholic used, so it had coffee stains all over the pages.
Nov 24, 2008 10:53 PM

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1818
I literally cried out in horror (part-jokingly, but all the same) one time when I accidentally bent back a cover of one of my paperbacks when putting it down.

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