# What % of library books are/have never been checked out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723 "2018-07-11T16:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723/61 "2018-07-16T15:42:12Z")
While researching for my book on the history of robots, I went to the rare book book of my local university library because they had an extremely rare copy of a 19th century boy’s weekly magazine about an inventor’s Steam Man. It was printed on newsprint and quite fragile. I took it into the reading room and started taking notes. I turned the page and was lost. Took me a moment to realize I was reading page 4 instead of page 2. The copy had never been cut. I had to bring it back. There was only a student at the desk and she had to find a librarian to open it up, which meant I had to come back at another date. When I did, I went back to the reading room and excitedly turned the page. And was lost again. Sure enough, I was on page 4. The librarian dutifully cut the side that had been folded. But not the top of the page. I took the still unreadable copy back to the desk. Where a different librarian used the edge of a business card to cut it. No collector would do that to a book, since modern collecting is all about getting copies in as close shape to the first copy ever printed as possible. But for a library an uncut book is unresearchable and research is their business. The edge of a stiff card is perfectly acceptable as a knife in such a situation. Ragged edges were the norm in those days and a perfect sharp cut was unnecessary overkill. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723/62 "2018-07-16T17:19:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And if you bought a book but had no reason to read it at first, it might stay that way on your bookshelf until you do want to read it. Reminds me of a passage in _The Great Gatsby_ which would likely be utterly lost on most modern _adults_, let alone the teens the novel is pitched at these days: > [@](#): > > “See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too—didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?” This is, of course, a visitor describing a book in Gatsby’s library: It’s an actual book, but it hasn’t been cut. Gatsby owns books, but he doesn’t pretend he _reads_ them. The whole thing is as artificial as a stage play, much like the rest of Gatsby’s life, but he knows when enough’s enough, much like Belasco, a famous playwright and play producer who was known for the realism of his play productions. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723/63 "2018-07-16T17:23:39Z")
I remember the teacher explaining that when we read _The Great Gatsby_ in sophomore high school English (and yeah, I don’t think any of us would have understood it on our own). ETA: This is the reason I know what it means to cut the pages of a book. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723/64 "2018-07-16T18:21:51Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Just slip a bitcoin in the electronic copy, then. You nutty kids… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-library-books-are-have-never-been-checked-out/817723.md?page=3)