/lit/ - Literature

This happens to me all the time
I have no clue why anyone on earth would highlight text in a book

>buy used book
>has a love note from 1930 in it

feels sad man

>>11651876
What the fuck is that text?

>"...and dat makes you lak uh king uh something"
????

>>11651876
These sort of books usually have some a name and contact information of the note-taker.
I sometimes track the past owner down, and find their online presence and proceed to message them, or send them letter or even call them if their number is public information and politely explain that their notes and highlighting is in my book. The main question I ask them is why, what was so important that they had to do this to the book. I try not to be rude, they often apologize for it without even demanding one. That brings resolution. What they say though is fascinating. These people often really took these books seriously, more seriously than I ever could and look back with fondness. They have very unique opinions that could never be gained from your formal academic. Sometimes if I acquire a large collection of unique books, I will look for the owner simply to have a conversation about the books with. The yellow books from heavy tobacco smokers have the best results. It's very sad to sometimes realize that the owners have long passed away and that I can never talk to them. I'm tempted to contact their decadents and ask for the rest of their collection but it's probably gone, and even if it wasn't, they probably would tell me to hit the bricks because people assume some sort of ulterior motive for having done this.
Such is the life of a used book buyer.

>>11651876
got a copy of Being and Time that was pretty heavily marked, from beginning to end as well, which I was impressed by
was actually kind of fun and helpful, and it felt like I was reading along with someone else (because I myself was annotating and highlighting) and I enjoyed comparing what this other person had considered compelling compared to what I did

>>11651876
>buy 1910 german cook book
>it has usefull and less known (both) war make-do magazine cutouts in it

Borrowed Symbolism of the Cross by Guenon from the library and it was filled with text by some arab. Some of it was helpful, like he drew coordinate systems and the representation Guenon described but the text he added was annoying asf

>>11651910
Yeah the jabrony who annotated my book left his name

I'm sorry but it's your fault for being a poorfag. It's well known that people can't look after jack shit. Save up cash and buy a new copy of whatever you want, or get a digital one

>>11651894
Holy kek

>Father gives me his school poetry book
>still has all his drawings in it
>thorough notes on paradise lost, rape of lock, Canterbury Tales, Shakespeares sonnets, Yeats' poems, etc

>>11651876
This was and still is an encouraged practice. They were analysing the book. Some people are dumb and don't know what they were doing.

>>11651910
Precisely. These interpretations and reactions are personal to the reader. They weren't told what to think or funnelled into thinking their ideas were original.

>>11651910
holy shit this is the gayest post I've seen in 10 years

>>11652042
Life must be tough as a 10 year old.

>>11652024
does that guy have a massive peener or what?

>>11652062
dude I'm sorry but you are just extremely gay, not in the strict homosexual sense but you sound exceedingly effeminate, sensitive and weak.

>>11652073
Nah it's average size.

>>11651928
>buy 1940 german cook book

There are good and bad annotations. I personally like having them in my second-hand books since it gives a glimpse of someone's life.
Books are made to be read and used, not stored and left to yellow untainted by the hand of a reader.

>>11651910
BASED and REDPILLED.
more people need to do this.

>>11651892
Just write back dude.

>>11652079
I think he sounds cool. You sound like /pol/ has a downtime.

>>11652024
Your dad is cool

>>11652565
>I think he sounds cool
I sure hope (You)'re not samefagging anon

>>11651910

Odd, I would have expected this to be some tactic of bad high school English teachers (Aka all high school English teachers)

>>11651921
FUCK YOU ZACHARY. GO BACK TO MEDITATING.

>Quality: Very good
>Books may contain helpful highlighting

>>11654106
It is. You only highlight in pencil through underlining important sentences. All examples here are disgusting amerimutt "helpfull insights".

>>11651910
Please have my children.

>>11651876
>get book, used
>heavily annotated for the first chapter and a half
>fizzles out and absent by the 20% mark
lol pseuds

>not making sure first that it is clean
>even if you have to email the seller to find out