"A warning if you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop, or in any other manner damage, mistreat, or show lack of respect towards this book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them.” 

— Irma Pince, the librarian at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who posted this in the Harry Potter novels as an ominous warning to book defilers.

There are two categories of book lovers: the first are readers who don’t ever dog-ear pages. The second? They’re all Satan.

Those that never would dog-ear a page probably think to themselves whenever they see someone do it, “People like you shouldn’t be allowed to own books!”

The divide between those who use bookmarks and those who crease pages is real, people. It’s, like, truly polarizing — as polarizing as people who like warm bagels toasted vs. people who like fresh bagels. (Don't even get me started…)

A dog ear is a colloquial term for the folded-down corner of a book page to mark a section or phrase that one finds interesting or has personal meaning, or to simply mark where they’ve stopped reading. Some call this “page folding” and “corner turning.” But no matter how you refer to it, it is usually frowned upon by those that want to preserve books in their original condition.

Opinions on doing this (we are not talking borrowing from the library or a friend — don’t mess with someone else’s book!) range from “I'd never do such a horrid thing” to “Meh. Who cares?” 

In a survey I found that was conducted in recent years:

• 56% said they never dog-ear a book. 

• 17% said they rarely do it. 

• 25% said they only dog-ear their own books.

• 3% said they’d do it to any book.

In fact, some book lovers are so intense when it comes to us monsters  — including me — who have the nerve to dog-ear pages, they’d probably refuse a marriage proposal if they discovered their partner fell into this category! Imagine someone being so blinded by range by anyone who “hurts” a book, and that includes writing vandalism on a page, they won't see the words “Will you marry me?” scrawled on the page they left off the night before.

Well, it would make for a memorable story. And hopefully, after all the yelling, the proposee will say, “OMG! Did you do this for me? Are you asking me to marry you? Yes! YES!” And hopefully, the proposer doesn’t take it back. (“Do I really want to spend the rest of my life with someone who went on a 25-minute rampage over what I thought was a pretty romantic proposal, since I know she loves to read before bed? Who knows what else will set her off? Can I go back and pretend the writing wasn’t mine?”)

And it’s entirely possible the pro-bookmark proposee will then begin to contemplate, “Hmm, I do love him, but can I imagine being with someone who doesn't understand they’re hurting books forever? And if he thinks this isn’t at all disrespectful, what other things might he find isn’t disrespectful?”

I wouldn’t be surprised if both sides go on to think, “Ah, not so much into this relationship’s mystique anymore!” Whatever the case, this hypothetical couple would remember that on Sept. 6, 2019 at 10:58 p.m, someone proposed in a book; one person was horrified, and the other terrified by their response.

(That was a fun scenario to imagine, wasn’t it?)

Dare I try to lower the temperature over public outrage and admit that I, Rebecca Eckler, fold down pages? Yes, I recognize that most people would never dream of defacing a book, even as e-reading devices have gained popularity. But there are some book lovers who still prefer reading good old-fashioned printed copies. (You can't kill an insect with your Kindle without the risk of breaking it, but you can with a book!)

I recently saw an ad on Amazon from an independent used bookseller that read, ”With a few dog ears here and a couple of torn pages there, but otherwise in impeccable condition.” I mean, THAT’S your description for Bridget Jones’s Diary? And how can it be in impeccable condition with torn pages? 

I don’t mind at all reading a book that has marginalia or highlighting passages. Who hasn’t at least once in their life borrowed a book from a friend, library, or relative and wondered, “Hmm, wonder what the hell was going on in their lives when they circled that passage,” or "Now why did they fold THIS particular page?” 

I have. I was visiting a friend's house, and on her bookshelf was a very well-known self-improvement business book that I already owned and read. I so, so wanted to ask my friend, "Why did you highlight that line on page two?” and "Why did you circle that entire paragraph on page 15?” and “Why did you dog-ear that page? 

Yes, I WAS trying to diagnose her. But it felt dirty, like I was breaking some sort of unwritten rule. Like reading someone’s diary. 

But with strangers, I admit it. I do like acting like a fucking therapist, trying to figure out why they underlined that specific sentence that means nothing to me but must have meant something to another reader. 

It drives me crazy! (See how a book could be entertaining in so many ways?) It’s kind of like asking someone what they’re thinking while we cuddle. While I’m thinking, “I’m so lucky to have found you," he’s probably thinking, “I wonder if I have any bbq sauce left, or do I have to go out and buy some?”

All this to say, yes. I fold over pages I'm reading, which may make many of you crazy. I know, how immoral! But there are others, like me, who are equally passionate about books and crease and fold books without a second thought. 

“I don’t think there’s a word in the English language that explains exactly how much I HATE people who dog-ear books. It’s blasphemy!”

— Maya Bee

Aside from a handful of books authors have signed for me — a handful of books that, no matter how many times I’ve read them, teach me something new, or books that are so well written, I can’t get rid of them — aren’t books supposed to be read and loved by as many people as possible? 

And do you really care that a book is slightly battered? Why are people so precious with books?

Now, I run almost all my ideas past Maya — our executive editor — so when I texted her, “Are you on the side of readers who dog-ear pages, or do you feel that people who dog-ear books should be executed?”

I was quite shocked at her very succinct response, which came back quicker than the greatest sprinter of all tIme, Usain Bolt. (I know this because I named my son Holt, and every single sports enthusiast I've meant since is always like, “How’s Holt the Bolt Usain?” 

“I don’t think there’s a word in the English language that explains exactly how much I HATE people who dog-ear books. It’s blasphemy!” Maya answered before adding, “I have had so many conversations over the last year in my book FB groups, and I didn’t realize how polarizing it is!”

So, while Maya and I have so much in common, I’ve been warned: I will only send her brand-new books for fear she’ll leave me and I’ll die.

Proscriptions against dog-earing pages are so ingrained and universalized, it must have always been wrong, right? 

Wrong!

When books were rarer, there was plenty of evidence that “page folding" was a common practice and, as Professor Gadd puts it, “did not have anything like the cultural anxiety or taboo it has now… No one saw it as anything but a sign of active, even pious reading," he says. “Don’t you love your books?”

I take a book everywhere. There’s a reason why a beloved book doesn’t look like it just came out of the bookstore; a dog-eared paged book is a sign of love, and you can’t tell me otherwise. (Even if the original book in question obviously used French fries as a bookmark. I hope it's ketchup, not blood!)

If I bend the page, well, that page is still intact. Why, then, is this considered vandalism or unforgivable (aside from library books, borrowed books, or a first-edition classic that’s never been touched)? Would you end a friendship over this? (It has happened before! So, spill the tea if this was a friendship-ender for you here.

I turned to help via Google — because, obvs, everything is correct on Google — and found this article 11 Things People Who Dog-Ear Books Will Never Understand About People Who Use Bookmarks so I can get into the mindset of people like Maya who consider folding pages in books “blasphemy!” 

Agreeing with Maya is Emma Saska, who wrote in “Why You Should You Use Bookmarks” …one thing that perturbs me is when people don't take good care of their books,” Saska says, “My books are among my most prized possessions. Therefore, I try to keep the dust jackets unbent and smooth, and I handle books with dry, clean hands only. Above all else, I never, ever, ever, EVER dog-ear pages. That's what bookmarks and sticky notes are for,” adding, "Whenever I see someone dog-earing a page, my heart actually stops." It causes me “great pain” to see someone abusing a book in such a way.

She admits she's a tad melodramatic and writes she often thinks, “that book never did anything to you; it does not deserve to be treated so cruelly! Now that poor book has to live with a creased page forever. Even if you unfold the dog-ear, the mark is still there, and the book is suffering.”

Sure, but I could also be a tad melodramatic and ask, “Did you ask any trees if they had the choice to become a Harlequin Romance? 

Apparently, there are a few things that bookworms don’t understand about using bookmarks. (So, here’s a bibliophile PSA: Use bookmarks!)

Some key takeaways:

1. All things in this life are temporary, bookmark people: When life is so short, why waste emotional energy getting upset about people dog-earing their books? Kiss your loved ones! Run in a stream! Read good books without worrying about tiny creases in the corners!

2. Do you really think that dog-earing damages the book? If you can still get emotionally invested in the story after dog-earing your own book, it hasn’t been damaged, has it?

3. What do you do when you lose a bookmark? What do you do when your book is open? When you lose your place? When you write page numbers on your arm like some kind of well-read serial killer? Dog-ear a page?

4. Can you guys just…chill? Do you think you’ve insulated yourself from chaos and confusion by insisting on bookmarks? You haven’t, book lovers. Your book could still fall in a puddle at any moment. Life is chaos. Take a deep breath. It’ll be fine.

***

In this article, “Things that people who dog-ear books would like to say to people who use bookmarks,” the writer says, “Not trying to dis any bookmark lovers, but it had to be said!” as if ready to explode with rage.

Ironically, it seems to me that readers who don't use bookmarks choose not to do so for the same reasons bookmark people use bookmarks…

1. What do you do when you lose a bookmark?: Look me in the virtual eyes, bookmark people. I know that you’ve lost a bookmark before, because bookmarks are not very good at their job. So what do you, then? Leave your book open? Lose your place? Spend ages flipping through all the pages in hopes of finding where you were? Or do you sometimes dog-ear the books? (Hypocritical much?)

2. Do you really think that dog-earing damages the book? I agree that dog-earing library books or priceless art books isn’t exactly the best move. But dog-earing your own book doesn’t ruin it or make it forever unreadable. Slightly creasing the corner of a page for a short amount of time doesn’t affect the content of the book in any way. And when it comes to reading, it’s the content that matters, not the way it’s delivered. As long as you can still get lost in the story, who cares?

3. Life is short! Live a little. I don’t mean to get so morbid in a list about bookmarks, but life is short, and you should enjoy it while you still can! Bookmark people, why are you wasting emotional energy getting mad about people dog-earing books? Read good books without worrying about creases in the corner of the page.

Do you have strong feelings about this? We would love to know them here! And don't forget to read our cute Q&A with an entrepreneur who has made quite the side hustle making bookmarks. She’s 11 years old!

Until next time,

Flip your hair and flip the page.

RE 

(P.S. Maya? I know Kung Fu! Just saying.)