Hear me out. I ask this question for a real, valid reason.
Via Bookmooch*, I’ve gotten quite a few history books over the past couple of months. I’ve noticed something in them, and after thinking about it, I’ve noticed this same thing in many other books I’ve bought second-hand: they have a lot of underlining in them, but only in the beginning. At first, the underlining is quite often. Then, it starts to lessen, and then it disappears completely. While I don’t have the exact figures, I’d say the underlining generally disappears at around page 50-75.
Does this mean that…
A) A lot of people who underline in books rarely actually finish reading the books?
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B) A lot of people who underline in books only underline for a while, then realize that it’s a pointless activity, and so stop?
Those of you who have bought second-hand books which have underlining in them, have you seen a similar trend? Does the underlining trickle off after a short while, or do you have some books in which the person has underlined throughout?
And, while on the topic – how can people stand to underline in books? I can’t do it. Can’t. I won’t even do it in my university textbooks. I tried using a highlighter in one of my American history textbooks once, and just couldn’t bring myself to do it beyond a page or two. I ended up keeping a notebook alongside my textbook to take notes in, rather than highlight / underline.
* Ah, Bookmooch, how I love thee. You’ve helped me rid myself of unwanted books, as well as acquire books I wanted badly. Alas – your search feature still sucks.
Tags: All Entries, books, questions
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This is such an interesting question.
I underlined when I was an undergrad, I found it helpful later to pull quotes and find the important parts. But I will admit that by the end of a class, I usually wasn’t doing the readings, and when I was, I wasn’t underlining. I would guess that if these are books used by universities, you’re probably seeing a rather similar thing from other people like me.
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I think it’s because everybody starts out very eager to learn, but then at the end of the year they all get bored of the class etc. and just read what their suppose to read, if they even do that.
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I’ve seen precisely the same, not only in textbooks but in novels as well. My money is on option one. I suppose it has to do with a certain uncertainty or immaturity when dealing with literature. They start out all eager and impressed, but finally succumb.
That said, I do look up stuff and I won’t hesitate to mark, annotate or correct when I see fit. The other day I used the flyleaf to jot down a note about something I had to remember.
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At most Dutch highschools you borrow books from the school so you wouldn’t dare underline or you’d have to pay a fine at the end of the year! I used to underline (with pencil) in some of the textbooks I got for uni but never in novels. My books are sacred – I get annoyed when someone damages a book I lend them…
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Perhaps the beginning of your books contain the important information and the author just kept on writing to fill some pages
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Btw: At my university we got so called “Skripte” with copies of all the texts we had to read, so we could underline as much as wanted to.
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“Do people who underline in books ever actually finish reading the books?”
Most of the time, no. Usually this is because they don’t know HOW to underline. Even people in college will underline (or highlight) the most inane details, then eventually stop after they realize that highlighting that much stuff is just not worth it, and highlighting just a little wouldn’t be worth it either, or so they figure.
I underline my books. Not all of them, but some of them (mostly my self-help books). I’ve learned over the years that don’t underline the stuff you already know and agree with (which you’ll always think is good, and which people LOVE to underline, for one reason or another), nor do you underline all the stuff you find amazing at that moment. You read the chapter once, not underlining anyting. Then you read the chapter a second time. If the sentence strikes you just as strongly the second time as it does the first, underline otherwise, don’t. Of course, there are times when there’s just SOOO much good info that it ALL deserves to be underlined. That’s when I star the paragraph(s) and draw a line alongside the text.
For the record, I hate — HATE — getting someone else’s underline, and will buy pretty much only new books for that very reason.
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David: Thanks for your input!
zhayena: I’ll admit, I fall into that pit at times. If the readings assigned are truly helpful, I do my best to read them, but often, the profs just assign stuff that doesn’t really pertain to what they’re teaching. Even then I’ll try to read the material, but only if I have ample time. Otherwise I drop ‘em.
Renee: My books are the same.
I’m okay with getting used copies, even with underlining in them, but I generally like them to remain in the condition I receive them in. That is, I’m extremely anal retentive when it comes to my books. For that reason, I very rarely lend out books unless it’s to a friend who I KNOW will take care of them.Nils: Underliner! Grrrr!
Zeitlos: Hah.
Can you elaborate on the Skripte copies? I don’t really understand what you mean, but it sounds interesting.Gnorb: That sounds like a better way to underline – but alas, I still wouldn’t do it. Regardless of how helpful it might be – and I’m certainly not arguing that it’s not helpful – I can’t bring myself to write in my books.
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Glad to know I’m not the only book looney
I think Zeitlos’s skriptes are the same as what dutch unis call ‘readers’: glue-bound bunches of articles and chapters that in other countries you have to look up and print by yourself. They’re a tad more expensive than doing the copying yourself as they include copyrights but it’s just so much easier! -
@Renee: Exactly
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