I've gotten a number of mass market paperbacks lately with bent spines.  That is, they're not straight - they lean.  Any idea what causes that?  Does it happen in the mail?  Is it a problem with the binding itself, or maybe from careless handling or something else?  I've read a lot of paperbacks over the years but have never bent a spine! I have books that I've read a zillion times that aren't bent like that.  What's up? 

Thankfully, although the spines are bent, they seem intact so I'm guessing the books are still tradeable.  If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know. Thanks!

-Lynn

Rolling the pages when reading.  My DH does it.  (And he puts books face down.)  I just cringe.  And leave bookmarks all over the house.  I try to always get to the books we share before him.  Or get him hardbacks.

Gotcha, thanks Emily.  I couldn't figure out how that was happening!  By the way, my DH used to fold page corners as a subsitute for a book mark (he always lost the ones I gave him).  Then when I got him to stop doing that, he started putting open books face down on the coffee table.  I found a way to stop it though.  He's a thrifty soul so I told him he'd be saving us money if he stopped doing it.  I explained that I could no longer trade the book if the spine was broken and that it would force me to buy more books at the store instead of being able to get them for free.  He's never done it again! 

-Lynn

I've always wondered how it happened too.  Fifty plus years of reading and I've never done that to a book.

When I get one of those in the mail my husband has a way of stretching it that takes most of the tilt out.  You can never get that last little bit out, though.  He has very strong hands and he has to pull on it hard enough that he either makes it better or tears it.  That's okay with me.  If it proves to be a keeper I'd have to buy a new copy anyway because bent spines on my bookshelves drive me nuts. 

edited to say that as far as I know they are perfectly postable that way, just irritating as all get out to me.

Yep, I have to admit that it annoys me as well, especially knowing that it's avoidable.  I keep trying to push the spine straight, which seems to help for all of two seconds, then it goes back to the way it was before.  Honestly, in the big scheme of things I know this isn't a biggie, and at least the books are still postable.  It was just something I'd noticed and always wondered why it was so.  Now that I know why, though, I'm going to be mentally rolling my eyes every time I see someone rolling back a paperback book!

-Lynn

The rolling paperback technique just drives me crazy.  Lately, it seems that the books are glued so cheap that the pages start to separate from the spine from that rolling thing.   We were at a resturant and this guy was doing that to a brand new copy of a paranormal and my partner looks me in the eye and says, "You can't save every damn paperback for swapping.  Just relax!".   LOL

Its not just the paperbacks that are glued more cheaply nowadays.  I bought a new HC the other day.  I used a bookmark, I don't break the spine.  The third day I went to read it, the first 170 pages came out as I opened it!

When I recieve books with the spines like that it bothers me too. I know it's still postable, but I guess I'm just nit-picky like that. I use my pharmacotherapeutics textbook (which is a giant) to try and press the spines straight again, and it helps a little, but they still remain bent a little forward.

When I recieve books with the spines like that it bothers me too. I know it's still postable, but I guess I'm just nit-picky like that. I use my pharmacotherapeutics textbook (which is a giant) to try and press the spines straight again, and it helps a little, but they still remain bent a little forward.

I do that too and I thought I was the only one...LOL..But yea, lately I been getting many paperbacks with bent spine

"It honestly doesn't bug me to have a slanted spine. Usually the ones I get that way are old-20+ years-of reading and sitting on a bookshelf. I figure that after that much time, a book is entitled to show a little wear-just like me! "

I can relate to that!  Unfortunately, it seems like the ones I've been getting lately are recent releases.  Somebody out there is rolling the living daylights out of these new books!

Rosie, thanks for the tip! I'll give the textbook method a try!

-Lynn