Nowadays, many people have switched to ebooks, which means that they no longer have to worry about “keeping their books in good shape”; there are many other people, however, who are “book purists” and therefore refuse to switch to ebooks, and for these people, it is important that they know how to keep their books in good condition. After all, there is more to keeping books in good condition than simply making sure your dog does not get a hold of them – and for anyone who has ever had a book or two ruined by poor care, you certainly understand this, and you understand the importance of knowing and following these simple rules!
Avoid water: You already know that you don’t want your books to end up in the water, but there is more to “avoiding water” than just making sure your books don’t fall into the pool or the ocean; you also need to realize that humidity can wreak havoc on the shape of your pages, so you should be cautious even reading beside the pool or by the ocean!
Avoid heat: It is not easy to avoid heat completely (which is also the case with “avoiding water”), as ‘reading by the pool in the summer’ is one of the quintessential ‘best ways to read,” but be cautious of heat – especially from leaving your books in a hot car – as this can severely damage the binding of your books.
Avoid dirt: You might feel that dirt and grime “adds character” to a book, but too much dirt can make a book a throwaway (and can even make it unreadable), so be aware of where you are when you are reading, and always be aware of the sort of state your hands are in!
If you are still staying strong with physical books, it will be important that you adhere to these rules, and that you make sure anyone you loan your books to is adhering to these rules; after all, with books so rapidly switching to electronic format, your books just might be collector’s items pretty soon!
