If anyone ever returned a book I loaned to them I might find out.
Yeah, I picked #2, but I really don’t know. When I loan a book to someone, I assume I’m never going to see it again, because that’s usually what happens. I’ve never understood why people who are otherwise civilized and decent will keep a loaned book forever without a second thought.
Fortunately, my Kindle renders this issue moot. Sure, I’ll lend you my book, but it will return itself in 14 days.
I inherited my dear beloved uncle’s library…and he was a spine-cracker. You can tell which books on my shelves are his and which are mine, as my spines are pristine, and you (usually) can’t tell my books have ever been read at all.
I lent a book to a co-worker once, and she, in complete innocence, broke the spine. I was utterly aghast, and employed intemperate language. But it wasn’t her fault; it was how she’d been raised. It’s one of those, “Who knew?” things.
Unfortunately it doesn’t. 
Years ago I showed a friend my new “PreHistory of the Far Side” book - and she folded one half over, completely breaking the spine right before my eyes! :eek:
She apparently didn’t hear the loud cracking OR the pained hiss my husband and I made, seeing the book totured like that.
The book was instantly ruined but she didn’t even acknowledge it or say sorry or anything. She just handed the broken book back to me and that was it as far as she was concerned.
That was about fifteen years ago and, no, I’ve never forgiven her. We’re not friends anymore and while this episode of course wasn’t the reason for the end of the friendship it was at least one of the reasons I wasn’t sorry to see her go.
I have met people who think that you have to break the spine of a paperback book to make it readable. To them, it’s as routine as removing the shrinkwrap from a CD. When I tell them that I never do that, they say, “Then how the hell do you read the words near the inside margins?”
My parents both did this, and they thought it was hilarious that my books looked like they had never been read. When I returned from B. Dalton after spending my allowance there, I would do my best to sneak the books into my room without Mom and Dad noticing. If they saw me bring in some new books, they’d say, “Hey, did you go to the bookstore? Let’s see what you got!” and within thirty seconds my new books would have cracked spines.
As Commander Adama said, “This is a gift. Never lend someone a book.”
All these people that are okay with broken spines… must have gone to very different schools than me. If you broke the spine of a textbook, that was a major fine.
I never lent books to anyone who did any of these offenses, if they did, I would stop lending to them regardless of which one.
I did lend some books that I never got back, but that’s my fault as much as theirs for not staying in touch over the years.
I like to read my books like a feast - I’m not worried about what condition they end up in. That said, those are MY books. YOUR books are a different story, and will be treated with respect.
Of course their books already had all their pesky & dangerous corners cut off*!!*