Marking errata in your books

[Asmor]

I just picked up Iron Heroes, finally, and was perusing the list of errata last night. It occurred to me that I should mark it all down, somehow, as a lot of it might not be obvious (for example, the Armiger class, who uses Armor tokens, has something like, "You can never have more than 5+character level aim tokens at once." Aim tokens are from the Archer, the class just before it alphabetically, and I figured that they just forgot to change the word, but really that entire sentence should be deleted (and that's important because the default is 10+character level if not otherwise specified, I think).

Anyways, I'm finding myself wondering how to go about marking up the errata. The book has nice, big, clean margins that I could easily write in, but the way I was brought up, taking a pen to a book is as uncomfortable to me as kicking a puppy would be (and I love puppies). I didn't even like writing my name in the cover of grade school text books.

So it occurred to me that I might get some non-permanent labels from staples and stick them in the margins where appropriate, to write on them. The idea being that the labels could be peeled off easily should I ever want to and leave no damage to the book.

However, I'm not sure that it wouldn't damage the book, and there's no really easy way to try. Even if I stuck a sticker on like the OGL page and left it over night with a stack of books on top of it, there's no way to predict how much the sticker would bond with the page over months or years.

Let me just be clear... This isn't some attempt at keeping the resale value of the books up or anything, this is purely a neurosis on my part stemming from a childhood where I was taught that books are sacred things. I suppose I might crack and just write it in the margins, but I'm afraid the moment pen touches paper they'll release new errata or retract old stuff, and I'll have to cross stuff out and it'll look all ugly... And that's assuming I don't make an error the first time I write it, as I frequently do. I may know how to spell, but my fingers often forget letters*... And I hate using pencil.

What have you all done, as far as adding errata to books? Especially interested in anyone's experiences with using labels or such.

*EDIT: For example, forgetting to type the 's' in letters.

 

[Job]

I understand your dilemma completely! I hate to write in most of my rulebooks.

I print out the errata and keep it in a folder, and I also use a variety of sizes and colors of post-it notes in the books. Some of the post-its serve as key bookmarks that I intentionally extend out beyond the page borders.

It's now been over a year, almost two, (albeit in a relatively humidity-free environment) and I've seen no problem with damage to the books from the post-it note glue. It's always possible that the glue will degrade over 5 or 10 years and maybe discolor the pages, but I won't likely remove the post-its anytime soon. And in 5 or 10 years, I'll probably be playing the next generation of books anyway.

Job.

 

[Thanee]

I would never write in my books.

Post-Its should work well enough.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Asmor]

I was considering post-its, too, but it seems like they're kinda big just for writing errata... How do you deal with them covering up text? Seems like a PITA to keep lifting it up...

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I was considering post-its, too, but it seems like they're kinda big just for writing errata... How do you deal with them covering up text? Seems like a PITA to keep lifting it up...

Try putting a post-it flag with a number on top of or next to the errataed text. Insert a page into the back of the book with the printed errata, numbered according to the flags, so you can find the erratum quickly. That way, you can preserve the full text of the errata without needing to mark the book or clog it up with post-its.

 

[Mark Hope]

I grab a pen, cross out the offending text and write the correct text in its place, either above the line or in the margins. Or, if there is a particularly large chunk to replace, I print it out in an appropriately small font and firmly tape it down over the old text.

To me, books are not "sacred things". They are like my battered old leather jacket or my trusty combat boots - regular parts of my life that I cherish and leave my mark upon through continual use. A book is an extension of my head-space and is therefore open to amendment, revision and expansion. Many of my non-gaming books have little thoughts scribbled here and there in the margins, sections underlined for emphasis and stuff like that. I enjoy going back to them years later and poring over the brain-morsels that I have left scattered throughout. Novels and works of fiction don't get this treatment - instead they end up getting carried around in my pocket, spines cracked, pages creased and dog-eared, ink smudged as they are read and re-read over the years. I love my books, and it shows.

Leave the pristine page for the library. They are your books - cover them with your funky, dirty word-love and they will only thank you for it.

 

[Megatron]

I write in my book margins, highlight, use post it's and occasionally print out errata and tape it to the back cover.
My philosophy is that I bought them to use them.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I kind of like the idea of using Avery labels and printing out the errata on them. You could always just stick them on a piece of printer paper and then stick that in next to the page where the text is revised. Honestly, I'd worry more about the print transferring from the label an onto the facing page. I had some character sheets printed out on a laser printer and stuck them into a Vampire book I had. After a summer afternoon in the back of my car Dallas I found that the toner had transferred. Luckily it was on the inside cover.

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

If your intent is not to cause permament harm to the book, be careful of any kind of labels. Acid in the paper of the label can transfer and discolor your book's pages. Post-It notes don't seem to do this (don't know for sure-only been using them for about a year now), and I just write notes on them or a reference number for a page in a binder I keep of printed out Erratas.

 

[Asmor]

Try putting a post-it flag with a number on top of or next to the errataed text. Insert a page into the back of the book with the printed errata, numbered according to the flags, so you can find the erratum quickly. That way, you can preserve the full text of the errata without needing to mark the book or clog it up with post-its.

I think this is what I'm going to do. Thanks! Perfect idea!