Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way around make you flinch or squeal in pain?
I like my books to end up in about the same condition they were in before I started reading them when I finish. If I picked up a book at a library sale that’s in not-so-good condition, I’m less careful with it and mind less if the spine is already cracked or a page or two folded.
However, I will NOT do these things myself. If I have a new or fairly new book that I’m reading, I’m very careful with it. No bending the cover around, no dog-earing the pages. Other people can do whatever they want to their own books; it doesn’t bother me. But the minute they start doing them to ones they’ve borrowed from me–intentionally or not–I am not a happy camper!
I guess it’s because even though I read my books (meaning they’re not just for decoration), they take up so much of my wall space when I’m not reading them that I want them to look nice. Books are an investment that I paid for, so I like to spare them unnecessary damage.
I have these book shelves that I got at Barnes & Noble where the books look like they're floating in midair, so the books become art. However, I think having the well-read look actually enhances their look.