bishop2knight

I don't like to loan out my books unless I know the person reading it will keep it in nice shape and return it in a timely manner (I collect first editions, so that's my excuse). I just can't stand to get a book back that has a bent spine, or a coffee stain, or dog-eared pages. Ahhhh, the horror!

Do you loan out your books? Why/why not? Any rules you live by?

JAA

You've covered all of my criteria for loans. For me, that leaves exactly TWO people I will loan books to.

I am very critical of condition.

benedict

In the past I often used to loan out books. It hasn't been happening so much over the past few years but that is not the result of any conscious decision.

I've usually read them beforehand and am not overworried about the condition they'll come back in - as most of my friends are considerate enough not to destroy them it is not really an issue.

greatjedi

I rarely loan out books, mostly because, other than my mother, I don't know anyone who reads as much history non-fiction as I do. I'm also very picky about how my books look.

Startide

I loan out books and DVD to friends with the same spirit of comraderie that they extend to me. I have loaned out autographed versions, first editions, and rare books. I have been privileged to have been able to in turn borrow rare books or an occasional galley as well. My friends know I am exactingly clean and wash hands as well as all those other sundry things as NOT couging into the pages of a book (like I've seen people do at Barnes&Noble as they lounge there and read the books for free).

Other "books" i loan out include Japanese animation artbooks, autographed anime publications, trade edition manga, and a binder of cels.

As long as the people are clean and take care of things, my books (and DVD) are fine. As my friends are those things (and more), I have had no problems in getting things back.

I will usually make a note of who has what on a piece of paper and put it in one of my bookcases. It's easier to group related things together that way because if I reach for a book to re-read and it's missing, i can just glom onto the paper and see (instead of going to the PC to look up titles that have been loaned out).... With DVD, the note goes onto one of the respective DVD shelves where the empty anime DVD cases are. If I loan out a whole Caselogic DVD binder (instead of one title), i usually make no note of individual titles since i can remember who has the binder. I don't bother listing the individual shows in the binder (as they are alphabetical, so i can look on my shelves to compare empty cases to get a title listing respective to the binder contents) and the person who borrowed it isn't going to steal a show or two in the hopes i won't notice. I don't have friends that steal and neither should you.

More specifically:

(a) Be friendly to your responsible friends. I am always happy to get more mileage out of my media collection (books, dvd, subtitled masters, etc). I can't take them with me.

(b) Insist the borrower wash hands prior to handling your items. If the person is not one of those who can do this, then they shouldn't even be asking to borrow.

(c) Someone who borrows something from you should also have the mental attitude that they are willing to lend you something. It is my policy that someone who is willing to borrow from others but who never allows anyone to borrow from them is a selfish person and should be removed from the borrowers' food chain.

(d) Loaning to friends is easy because they will replace the item if they lose it or damage it. If the person borrowing it won't do any of these things, perhaps they are not your friend, but merely an aquaintance. I don't loan out to aquantainces unless it is to support a project or something (like to a college instructor).

JAA

Startide, excellent point on the handwashing condition.

Giantrobo

I loaned out SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and never saw it again.

To top it off, I never read it and neither did the person I loaned it too

boobietheclown

I'll loan out to any family member and a couple select friends...thats bout it. i really dont have much of a book collection to speak of though...

Kadee

I've never minded loaning out books to anyone I know UNTIL they prove they can't be trusted with other people's things. I expect people to treat borrowed items with care...

WhoGirl

I don't make it a practice to loan out anything that I own, but I have loaned out one book in my life. I loaned it out about 4 years ago to a friend of mine. I never got it back.

Vampyr

Rarely I will give away a paperback. I never loan books, cds or dvds, as I never get them back in the same condition.

DVDAnt

I just can't. Even books that aren't worth much. I see how the majority of people treat books: food, ink, creasing - yikes.

MrKen

I don't loan out my books often, but I do give them away when I really like the book and I think a certain person would really enjoy it. Basically this means I don't own any of my favorite books anymore.

Startide

Egads. It seems that 99.999999% of the population is not fit to borrow a book based upon the evaluations presented in this thread!!!!

Kelvecion

I loaned my copy of More Than Human to a friend of mine who had never heard of Theodore Sturgeon. I think he liked it because he never gave it back - even when I asked for it.

Instead he lavished on me copies of every Hemmingway book publlished, and several James Joyce paperbacks and something by Saul Bellow. I let it go in the end.

Once I lent my copy of The Dead Zone to a friend, and he made a slight crease on the cover. The same day(?) he went out and bought me a brand new copy. Damn right, too.

Tsar Chasm

They are just books! yikes @ this thread.

I guess I have just taken a different route.

I freely give books to others with the express wish that they pass them on to someone when they are done. I read a typical novel in 2 days and I would rapidly run out of space. I would prefer that the books I buy will be read by a lot of people rather than gathering dust on my shelves.

Startide

Well, I just loaned out some more of my precious anime doujinshi purchased in Japan. Someone else has more time to scan and clean up and resize than I do at this time. And this is a type of loan that results in accellerated wear/tear on the book since the spine has to be cracked in order to get a good sharp scan for you to enjoy.

As it goes, those of you who download from Usenet or the websites or ftpsites or IRC serverbots should realize that it is the generosity of those who loan out their doujinshi and manga by which you get some of the highly varied and expensive titles you have in your collections.

So, those who download a lot of anime items and then say "loaning is not for me" don't realize the irony of their statement -- loaning is for them, and has served them well...

lorenzoh

I've loaned out lots of books and lots have never been returned but my friendships are usually stronger than a missing book or DVD. If the item is very special to me I just tell them, "No, find something else."

Lonestar9

Amen.....if somebody wants to borrow a book.....or cd.....or dvd.....they are usually welcome to it....I mean, it's just a material item.....likewise i'd borrow from them if they had something i'd like to look at but not buy.....I don't have lots of people asking for stuff, but on the occasion they do, it's cool with me.

planetaire

Friends don't tell friends to wash their hands. Maybe I'll start handing out surgical gloves when I let somebody borrow something. Actually, the people who borrow things from me take as good care of their own stuff as I do mine. So lending discs doesn't bother me. And as far as books are concerned, I think enjoyed (not abused, mind you) looks a great deal better than pristine. Now if I could just get my brother to crack open that copy of Good Omens I lent him. This reminds me of a story though. I once lent a friend of one of my roommates a copy of Mission: Impossible on VHS (Stone Age). A coupla weeks later, my roommate dropped out of school and left campus. I didn't think too much of it, just a tape, right? Anyway, within a few days, his friend came by and returned the tape, even knowing I'd never be able to track his thieving ass down. So, have faith, people do surprise sometimes.

latenight

I don't loan anything. It's not that I mind but I never get it back.

Surf Monkey

Nope. No loans here. I used to be more inclined to loan books out but after working at Powell's Books in Portland for five years and being trained as an antiquarian bookseller and a used book buyer I've changed my policy. No loans. Sorry.

Mister Beefhead

Bah, if I own the book, I'm going to read it to shreds eventually anyway. Might as well lend it out, I can always get another one.

Of course, that doesn't go for out of print books - you really have to be trusted to get one of those.

As far as other stuff goes - CDs? Here's a copy. Have fun. Support the artist. Hell, you can have my original if you want. I only use them once- to rip them into my computer Then into a wallet and into the closet with the other thousand. Dvds? Just be careful. I don't have any friends that can't be trusted; they probably treat my stuff better than I do just because it's not theirs.

bishop2knight

[completely off subject]
I've heard that Powell's is an amazing store. What was it like working there? And how does one become trained as an antiquarian bookseller? What's all involved?

I've been buying modern first editions for close to six years now, but I've been considering expanding my horizons. I'm a huge Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, and would like to pick up some of his books, but a first edition hard cover might be out of my price range. As an expert, what are your thoughts on first edition paperbacks from that era (originally published magazine stories, then hardback, then paperback around 1960)?

Tsar Chasm

I love the atmosphere and fragrance of Powell's. I dislike the employees (affectionately known as Scowls) as so many of them put on airs with customers. I hate being looked down upon as if I am unworthy when perusing the literature or rarebooks section.

Plus, would it kill them to put some bestsellers on sale once in a while?