Do you mark your books?

[Davmeister84]

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?

 

[pogre]

I mark mine with notes - at least the ones I use and do not intend to resell. My corebooks are all tabbed and heavily marked. I usually do not write my name in other books unless I know others at a table are going to have the same book. Not anti-theft, just identification purposes.

 

[Romnipotent]

good to see an "abstain" vote!

I write on them, they're not a novel, they're a text book. Annotations make it personal

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I put my name in permanent black or silver marker on the inside front cover of all my books.

 

[Starglim]

I mark each one with my name, just because it's likely that the others in my group have the same books and we tend to pass them around for reference during sessions.

 

[Yair]

I mark all my books. Too many have been MIA over the years.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always help...

 

[arscott]

good to see an "abstain" vote!

I write on them, they're not a novel, they're a text book. Annotations make it personal

Hell, I don't even write in textbooks.

I've never really had problems telling which books are mine, since except for the PHB, I'm usually the only one with the book.

I did occasionally make light pencilmarks in my 2e books and erase them afterwords, but with the background in the newer books even erase marks show up.

Of course, if somebody wanted to steal my books, he'd have to go through them and remove all of the little slips of paper documenting errata. and since they're usually a centimeter wide, they're pretty easy to miss.

 

[X-Marks!]

Times change

I used to put names in them, but I've both run into too many situations where I've wanted to sell old books (general, rpg & coffee table books) and had to try to remove those names, as well as wanted to buy rpg books second-hand and find them too marked up. So now, on principle, I'm against marking them. Besides, books I said I'd NEVER EVER sell often -- given enough time -- prove me wrong.

These days I do pencil in the price I paid for them (more for curiosity's sake) in very small numbers on the inside cover, which is both easily correctable and easily distinguishable.

As for errata, it's just way too hard to correct and keep up with, so I'll deal with any given situation/change as it comes up.

 

[Thanee]

I never mark gaming books, I like my books clean and tidy.

Bye
Thanee

 

[rushlight]

Everyone in my group puts names in books. During the session, books go flying around the table. At the beginning of the game I'll be using my PHB - by the end of the game I'll probably have used everyone else's PHB at least once, and mine could be anywhere. So after the session, we'll have to sort out who owns what.

Also, I update the books with the errata. I'll mark stuff out, write stuff in, whatever. Along with dates of the updates! After all, you don't want to cause some confusion. Like if the DM's book has different spell progression charts than the player's book. That happened when I was using my 1st printing ELH, and the player had a later edition. We'd gone back and forth arguing before someone put both books side-by-side...