[joeriddles]

I disagree. I love buying used books and seeing what other people found interesting, whether it's by way of notes in the margins, highlights, etc. I also love it when people write their name in the front of the book and when they read it. I like the idea of a single copy of a book making its way among many people, all adding their own thoughts.

[mangodrunk]

Same reason I miss those library cards found in the back of books. I enjoyed seeing the history a book had, how years could pass without anyone checking it out or seeing a flurry of checkouts.

[momoschili]

wow I hadn't thought of those in a while and I also used to love seeing that history and thinking about where the book had been. Thanks!!

[wingworks]

Me too! Those library card were more interesting than the book sometimes.

[johongo]

If only people did this with care. I have seen too many books where people just highlight everything.

[usef-]

The same is true in every realm: taste matters. But that's not a reason to blanket-discourage expression.

(I do wonder if the people here who hate it are picturing students who blindly highlight pages, and the people who like it are remembering the times they've seen a few pencilled sentences in margins of an old book)

[fsckboy]

>But that's not a reason to blanket-discourage expression

nor was there a reason to blanket discourage treating books as precious and worth preserving. i'm interested in the part where you note what you noted and let the other glaring transgression pass. That was a choice.

[InvertedRhodium]

Knowledge is precious and worth preserving, sure, but a specific copy of a book? Unless they're doodling in the margins of historical documents or rare manuscripts, I personally can't see any reason why it should matter.

[the_af]

Books as objects are also precious, they aren't just packaged information.

Not all books, of course. If you're reading a self help book or some technical one, scribble away at your heart's content.

[Wistar]

I once picked up an old copy of Bartlett’s Quotations and found that the prior highlighting owner found it nearly 100% profound.

[imp0cat]

Yeah, I am always reminded of the "property of the Half-Blood Prince".