Marking and defacing of books

The description should have warned you of that.

I've been very lucky with market-place sellers' books, but I try to find one with "excellent condition", or at least "very good".

They may have been used in a book group, number? Like you, I cannot imagine wanting to write or scribble in any book. There are guidelines on Amazon for the seller to follow when putting their books up for sale - maybe when you review your purchases you can say about the state they were in?

I used to buy a lot of my books from charity shops and car boots.( Horray for Kindle downloads ) I never came across any defacing or missing pages. I think you've been very unlucky.

Does make you wonder why anyone would do that though.

The only books I ever wrote in were English Lit, Latin and French novels and books of poems, and we were encouraged, indeed made, to write notes next to poems, paragraphs etc. I still have most of them and would not sell them in that state!

Ps I meant at school, when preparing for exams.

I've never had any problems with Amazon sellers thankfully but the only books I write in, apart from books used at uni, are cookery books. I write notes about how things turned out or add a reminder for the next time if I've made changes. Perhaps it's worth taking another look at the description and seeing if it warned you...

I confess I used to write in the front:
'If this book should chance to roam
Box its ears and send it home
To: then complete name and address
Finishing up with
'England'
'United kingdom'
'Europe'
'The Earth'
'The Universe'

Which took up a whole page. However I have not done this since I was about 14.

I always do go for the ones said to be in good condition, but I suppose Amazon have to take people at their word, they can`t read all the books to check. It`s just that it`s the first time it`s happened to me, and it`s annoying.

Can you complain to them if the condition was described as good, or even reasonable? That sounds like 'poor' or 'unreadable' frankly.

Makes you wonder what sort of person would actually put such items up for sale!

I'd complain ... at least have your say. You bought in good faith and this isn't fit for purpose by the sounds of it.

I too tend to annotate cookery books (and also quite often decorate with splashes of curry sauce, sticky/greasy finger marks and the like). I am particularly annoyed by plonkers people who underline or annotate /deface library books

I can remember my mother being incandescent with rage when she found library books that had been written in. I quite like it when I find one where someone has corrected the author and I know that the "correction" is wrong!

I used to find quite a few library books like that, it's very annoying [and you should always tell the library, if there are a lot, they get rid of it and buy a new one.]Rarely get library books these days as I tend to read most books on my Kindle.Have a good 'riffle' through the book when you are in the library before you take it to the counter. This doesn't help of course if you are buying them, I guess it's a chance you take because they are cheaper?

Maybe the odd word, but in this case there were also sentences crossed out, and on one page a whole paragraph crossed through!

never mind the words, I don't like the silverfish that live in old books. I love old books (hence my nickname) but I have an absolute terror of the little blighters. they also live inmy base kitchen units meaning I have to bleach them every few weeks. Anyone else hate them

Found woodworm in a paperback book that was in a box waiting to go to my ex's house. Wouldn't like to find writing in a newish book but love it when found in very old books; a link with the past.

I don't mind writing in a very old book. I had a family bible that had birthdays and deaths etc scribbled in at certain dates it was really interesting as I had to ask my mother who they were. It got sold at auction for several thousands so someone must have liked it

Decades ago I bought a tatty old book for 10/- - it was printed in blackletter and was a collection of sermons - there were many notes in the margins, and they were fascinating, having been written in the 17th Century, in a flowery Elizabethan style. I never read the sermons, but the notes were very interesting...

We have some very old books sitting in piles on the dining room table waiting to be thrown out sorted. That is what worries me about old books, nasty little creatures lurking inside. No first editions, nothing valuable of course! But where to send them?

The paper recycling plant.

My best ever teacher wrote notes in all her favourite books and did lots of underlining so that she could find particular quotes again.

Once upon a time when books were all hand written, it would have been a shame to spoil the works of art that they were, but nowadays books are precious for the ideas and information they contain rather than for their physical beauty.

I annotate cookery, garden and other informative books and have a few treasured books where I have highlighted phrases or passages that have a special meaning for me. It's my book, I can do what I like with it.

Agree totally with Bags that books these days are precious for their content..

So why send old ones to the paper recycling plant

Most charity shops don't want them but surely someone somewhere might treasure them? But who? (Cannot be bothered to ebay them and need to clear up the house quickly).