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MARGINAL
December 23, 1992
A discussion from rec.arts.books:
From: marc.colten
colten@cbnewsb.cb.att.com
I never make marks in books. Over
the course of years I found I even
stopped putting my name on the Probably it is a
cover sheet. Perhaps it's some kind of reverence.
kind of reverence for the book. But then, I've
It's certainly not economic as I recently managed
NEVER sell my books. I think it's to overcome my
Exactly, but a kind of ego thing with some reluctance toward
maybe that's the people as I occasionally get a opening a paper-
virtue of marking second hand book with notations - back more than
up books. It's an arrow pointing to a sentence and 45 degress...
an assertion of the comment "right!" or "wrong!" or You've got to grow
your mastery over whatever. I hope when I see this up sometime.
the text. When you that they did it for school as I
begin to read can't conceive of any reason why
a book with pen they think a future owner would be
in hand, every interested.
statement is
suddenly open to
question. The From: Roger Squires,
exact opposite of rsquires@cyclops.eece.unm.edu
the "it's in
print, it must be As to whether marking books is
right" attitude. morally ok, my opinion is that my
notes, highlighting if any, It isn't likely
increase the value of the book, that a later
certainly for myself, and owner would
potentially for other users as well agree with you,
(the 'value' of the unmarked book but then there
is not an issue with me -- no one may not be that
gives a durn about $0.50 much reason
paperbacks, and I keep all to care.
The copy of _Losing technical books for myself; I also
Ground_ by MURRAY in mark library books, though limited Some
the Stanford to creating an index of interesting confusion
library has a topics on a bare page in front, of the
review by Lester which is often cut out by libraries Golden
Thurow stapled in when reselling the book anyway). A Rule,
the front of it. good example is my marking up of a treating
In a way, I copy of _The Growth of Biological future
appreciated this, Thought_ by Ernst Mayr, which was a owners as
because I wanted to textbook for one of my bother's you, the
look up some grad courses. On the inside cover present
criticism of the I wrote in a couple excellent owner
book anyway. On quotes from Gibbon and Jean de would've
the other hand I Meun, and created an additional liked to
think it a tad index on the inside cover of topics have been
obnoxious that (mostly definitions of biological treated?
someone took it terms) not in the main index (he
upon themselves to had already put in these self-stick
try to discourage plastic book markers on the long I think brothers
people from reading edge of the book that I've never are a special
the book with this seen before, like what you would case, certainly
rather shrill, use with file folders -- very with me. the
irrational, killer neat); he told me after I returned flow of thought
review. the book that he liked what I had is similar
done. As for the practise of book enough that it's
marking, I always use pen why in unlikely that
the Name Of Satan And All That Is one's comments
Unholy would you use pencil?! It will intrude on
The reason you smudges with the merest thumb the other.
use pencil is swipe, is quite difficult to get
that it's less rid of (why would you want to erase My first encounter
obtrusive and your own markings anyway), and is with "sociobiol-
a bit less much more difficult to read than a ogy" was a pop
permanent. good pen. I always print (not article in
Because there script) notes, which are generally "Analog" that
is no one limited to the supplemental index immediately
correct way as above) with few exceptions: Many sent me for
of reading a classic books have excellent quotes reaching for
book, and or topics that one may want to my pen. Then
anyone who's access in future, but which are my older brother
done this for nearly impossible to find without read it, he
any length of creating an index. Which brings us continued
time has to highlighting. disecting it.
experienced Someone reading
the discovery The Fine Art of Highlighting: We've this at random
that what you all heard the joke about freshmen might not realize
once thought mindlessly highlighting the entire that two of
was critical book, but I think that, properly us who marked
now seems used, a Highlighter can be an it up.
trivial. extremely powerful instrument. I
think that the Highest, Noblest, Like most other
Most Excellent use of a Highlighter tools. But high-
is as a tool to *condense* a book. lighters seem
I first did this with a textbook more often abused,
titled _Hegel, An Introduction_, usually I think,
by Raymond Plant (good book, BTW). by the inexper-
I bought it way before the semester ienced who don't
started, so I had all the time in yet understand
the world to read it. I sat under that today's
the pinon tree, and after chain of thought
ruminating a few pages would go should not bind
back and highlight, using the one forever.
I have trouble highlighter to connect blocks of
believing this text so as to form a readable Post-it notes
could work for narrative encompassing the argument are far more
any but the most of the section. So when I was valuable tools,
poorly written done, I had a readable book that I find. I keep
books... but then was about half the length of the a small stack
what would you original. Not all books are of them cut to
expect from a amenable to this approach: _Beyond tab size on
fan of Hegel? Good and Evil_ is not such a good the inside cover
target, but I found the technique of interesting
worked quite well with the essays books.
in _Genealogy of Morals_ for
instance).
Underlining is a phase that one has to go through, but it
isn't the final phase. The next step is to realize that your
own highlighting and marginal additions are also not the last
word, and a later reader (including later versions of yourself)
may find them more hindrance than help.
Really, I think all text needs to be electronic text, and any
reader should be able to attach a set of comments with
hypertext links that can be searched, filtered and viewed in
any number of ways, and let us hope that we may get to Xanadu
yet.
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