This is why……why I don’t loan out my books - ever

This post is titled “This is why……why I don’t loan out my books”, but I really wanted to name it “Death of a Book – and Possibly a Friendship”.  This post is a rant and its purpose is to raise awareness of book abuse.  This problem is real people and must be stopped. 

A co-worker/friend stopped by my home-away-from-home (a.k.a. my cubicle) this morning wanting to know if I had read a certain book yet.  Although I have not, I do own the book and it is currently sitting in my mountain of books to be read at some point in my lifetime.  She was going to loan it to me if I did not have it, but also wanted to show me something.  What she had to show me was so sad and so heartbreaking I almost broke down and wept at what I saw.  See, my friend loaned out her book to another person.  At the time, the book was pristine and in perfect condition.  She expected it to be returned in somewhat the same condition, but this is what she got back:

I know……truly sad, right?  I just could not believe my eyes.  I mean, how could someone take another person’s property and totally destroy it like this.  This book had stains on it of some unknown origin (gross), the cover in total shambles and what appeared to be water damage on most of the pages.  

Let's take a moment and say a prayer for this travesty.

Okay...moment over....let the ranting commence.

I treasure my books.  Yes, I know they are just books, but I take great care in trying to keep my books in the greatest condition possible.  This book is a really good example on why I do not loan out my books.  If a friend wants to read a book, I will recommend something to them all day long, but if they want to borrow it, then they can a) either go borrow it from the library or b) just go buy it. 

When I loan something out, whether it be a book or whatever, I expect it to be returned in the same condition it left.  No excuses.  The way this book was returned would be grounds for hard feelings and possibly loss of friendship.  My answer to this problem is to not even loan out my stuff…..never, ever.  Problem. Solved.

So, I ask you, do you loan out your books or do you just recommend something?  How would you have handled a situation like this?

Don’t be shy……let your voice be heard!