Have you ever bought a used book with someone else's annotations?

Question

I bought a used book and it arrived. I found that has heavy annotations from the previous owner. Now I'm thinking if I should toss it in the bin or keep it? What would you do?

MsBittner · Accepted Answer

Is it a book you'll read as part of taking a class? Then the annotations may prove valuable, if the previous owner was a good student with adequate insight to the material. As you read it yourself, feel especially free to cross out annotations you think are BS and to pen in your own. The book's already scribbled on heavily anyway.

BTW, did the seller tell you about the annotations? You can and should object if they did not.

If the book is a pleasure read, I'd return it to the seller at their cost. Nobody should be writing in popular fiction, and no bookseller should be selling a used book with someone's commentary in the margins and highlighted passages.

Verity · Answer

Keep it.   Of course, keep it.

It's an insight to someone else's thinking process.

I am a collector of vintage books.  One of my favorites is the "Seybert Report",

a 19th century exploration of  Spiritualism--the idea of communication with the dead.

My copy was reasonably priced (or I wouldn't have it!) BUT---the annotated copy

owned by Harry Houdini was auctioned and sold at a price that the auction house

will not divulge-- and with good reason!

? · Answer

Granted, the seller should have warned you in advance, and lowered the price accordingly. But as long as the annotations don't prevent you from reading the book, why throw it away?

Anonymous · Answer

Yes! I have bought a few books with annotations only if the price of the book was less than two dollars. I use them for research and eventually donate the book to a charity.

Voelven · Answer

I bought a used book with an inscription to someone else (not by the author) and yeah, I wasn't happy about it, especially since I had not been made aware of it beforehand. I kept it, but I'm definitely not as happy with hit as I would have been had it not had the inscription.

Pearl · Answer

ive gotten books like that and ive kept them

Sir Caustic · Answer

I'd keep the bin. Definitely. If you throw your bin away you won't have anything to throw rubbish in, will you? No, you bloody well won't. So don't do it, Ray. Jeez.

? · Answer

I bought a book that had a 1937 Silver Certificate stuck between the pages.

Have you ever bought a used book with someone else's annotations?

8 Answers