Anti-Climacus

QUOTE: Terry Teachout discusses reverence for books:

"Never in a million years could I do such a thing. Just to read about it makes my skin prickle. I can’t even underline or highlight passages in the books I own—even though I approve in theory of underlining, and I love reading other people’s marginalia in used books and library copies."

I have very, very similar feelings on the topic. I was once urged in junior high, by a Sunday School teacher to underline parts of whatever (non-Bible) book we were reading for discussion, and the thought of writing in a book just horrified me. Pretty much every passage I like in pretty much every book I've read I can find without needing outside reference (as with Ivan Karamazov's declaration of hating individual people but loving humanity in The Brothers Karamazov, or Stephen's "I'll tell you what I do not fear" conversation in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man--or I just memorize the relevant passage). Moreover, I subscribe to the believe that intelligent people ought to have lots of books--I have maybe 400+, which is a decent start. Then again, I grew up in a house where there were shelves of books everywhere, piles of books on the floor, and various and sundry books elsewhere in the house, so maybe my norms are just way, way off.

Sasha Volokh also has good words on this topic:

"I, too, grew up believing (1) that owning books is good and noble and that you should own a lot if you're an educated person, and (2) that books are sacred and that you shouldn't deface them in any way..."