Do you mark your books?

[danbuter]

I generally never write in my books. I tend to have a weird obsession with keeping all my books (including normal paperbacks) in mint condition. No real reason.

 

[Psion]

I put either a small sticker on name label in most books I bring to the table, just so they don't get mixed up.

 

[rgard]

After reading this thread, I was wondering exactly how many people do mark their books for anti-theft purposes, or really for any reason.

I myself don't mark them with my name, but I'm paranoid to the point of keeping my books in my room at all times save when they leave the house with me and me alone. They never get lent out as a rule, with some exceptions for people I trust beyond a doubt.

So, the question having been offered up, do you mark your gaming books or not and why?

I used to mark the books. I printed off 8.5x11 book plates (glued it into the front cover) of an explosion informing the person holding it that he or she just took 20 odd points of damage from my Glyph of Warding.

Now that I own a FLGS, I wish I hadn't done this to some of the books as it makes them harder to unload in the used game section.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Altalazar]

I write my name, in small letters, right in the upper left of the inside cover on most of my books - that way I can mark them as mine amidst the many books that may float around a session. Though with my new books, I've not done it as I haven't even had time to look at them, much less game, for the past three years (law school...)

I won't generally write any more than that - I like to keep my books pristine.

The exception was my 1E books - I wrote in them extensively, all in pencil, all sorts of things - the most memorable to me being the extension of the experience tables for each class down to like level 40. I'm not sure why I did that, except that I like to plan things out way ahead (though I never had a character advance from 1st level to anything further than about 17th level - I had some characters higher than that, but they started higher as well)

Then, years later, I went through and erased all of the stuff inside those books, though shadowy remnants of it still remain - enough to make my mark on each of those books as uniquely mine.

The inside cover of each also has green label-maker labels with my full name on them - and I also had these cute dinosaur stamps - stegosaurus - that I stamped repeatedly in the covers, also as a way to mark them as mine (back when I was still quite young).
Because of those touches, all through those books, the nostalgia I feel looking at them is much higher - and not as present when I look at other, otherwise identical copies of the 1E books.

 

[greymist]

is errata still avalible for the 3.0 books? If so where?

Twofalls you can find the 3E errata here: www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a

I write in errata info in my books. I also write my name in the front, in pencil as I keep meaning to add nameplates! The name is more to prevent mix-ups than theft, as I usually only have my books at gaming sessions, and none of my friends would steal my books, although we have taken the wrong ones home by accident a few times.

 

[twofalls]

Twofalls you can find the 3E errata here: www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20040125a

I write in errata info in my books. I also write my name in the front, in pencil as I keep meaning to add nameplates! The name is more to prevent mix-ups than theft, as I usually only have my books at gaming sessions, and none of my friends would steal my books, although we have taken the wrong ones home by accident a few times.

Thank you very much Greymist. I'm thinking of doing the same.

 

[twofalls]

As far as tabbing rulebooks, you can get these sticky clear plastic tabs that just clamp onto the page. You then have a piece of paper you can write on which then inserts into the tab. I think you can also get more expensive ones that clamp on with pressure and don't actually adhere to your page. Another way is to buy entire tabbed pages which are make on heavier stock and just insert them loosely into your books. Post-its can work as well in a pinch...

Cheers!

Just returned from Staples with the plastic adhesive tabs. Thanks!

 

[Silverleaf]

No, I don't mark my books. Then again, all I ever bring to the gaming table are my '81 Basic/Expert books, a DM screen, possibly a module or Dungeon magazine, dicebag & pencils, and a sturdy binder that has my notes, maps, blank character sheets, photocopies of useful stuff from various other books, etc. (I don't like transporting lots of junk...)
It's pretty easy to keep track of that stuff, and the modules/magazines never get passed around in the first place. The only things someone could steal are my B/X rulebooks, and that's no big deal (they sell for around $5 on eBay...)

 

[Kesh]

God, no!

I can't fathom marking up my books. I could never even bring myself to use highlighters on my college books. So, even putting a personalized nameplate or just writing my name in them makes me shudder.

 

[Kesh]

As far as tabbing rulebooks, you can get these sticky clear plastic tabs that just clamp onto the page. You then have a piece of paper you can write on which then inserts into the tab. I think you can also get more expensive ones that clamp on with pressure and don't actually adhere to your page. Another way is to buy entire tabbed pages which are make on heavier stock and just insert them loosely into your books. Post-its can work as well in a pinch...

Cheers!

You can also get those new Post-It arrows. I've been dealing with them at work, and they're great for making non-destructive tabs on pages, and they don't waste space like a regular sticky note.