That's right, I'm asking your opinion

Here's something to ponder that came up in discussions with Stewie this weekend...

The subject of lending books.

See, we both collect limited edition horror fiction from places like (in alphabetical order):

• Bloodletting Press
• Cemetery Dance Publications
• Delirium Books
• Earthling Publications
• Gauntlet Press
• Subterranean Press
• And others...

These books, while some cost $100 or more, mostly run between $35 and $75 each. They're limited, so there's only so many printed (i.e. one of 1,000).

So your $40 gets you a hardback with a dust jacket, autographed on a limitation page. And in most cases thus far, some terrific fiction.

Now, I offered to loan Stewie a book sometime back so he could read something by an author he liked. He wouldn't borrow it. "What if something happens to it?" he asked.

Don't get me wrong. I've loaned out "regular" books and had them come back with the spines broken, pages dog-eared, etc. Twice, friends have had to buy me entirely new books due to unfortunate run-ins with liquids such as coffee.

But Stewie understands. He collects like me. He'd be careful. In fact, he'd probably be more careful than me.

He sometimes gets reading copies of books so he doesn't have to sit around messing with the pretty, costly, special ones. Not that I blame him or think he's necessarily a little nuts.

Well, at least not because of THAT.

So anyway, I was saying, the thing for me is, unlike Stewie, I read these books. You know, crack 'em open and page through 'em. Sometimes, while drinking, or eating, or even on the throne, where I get some of my best reading time in. I've got oily skin, so I'm sure I get fingerprints on them and stuff. In fact, one publisher thoughtfully puts its dustjackets in special plastic protectors (like book covers), and I take them out! (Because they annoy me.)

I mean, I take good care of my books, I'm careful with them, but I read them in the practical sense of the word. I've got an LE on my nightstand at home right now. And in fact, when we were talking about these books, I was at Stewie's, and I had that one crammed in my overnight bag. Yes, I kept it in its own pocket, but I'm sure I've rendered the dust jacket slighly less than "mint/near mint" condition over the past few weeks I've been trying to finish it in between all the things I should be doing instead.

I take my books on airplanes, the train into New York City, on road trips of all types. Crammed into my bag, usually.

So I don't see the big deal in loaning a book to somebody careful. Of course, I would never infringe on Stewie and try to force him to read a book of mine. I mean, duh. If he's not comfortable with borrowing it, so be it. I wouldn't ever want to make him feel uncomfortable, either forcing a book on him or debating his feelings about borrowing. That would be being a bad friend. And that's not my intent.

But I'm wondering, my readers... Who's right? Am I being careless with these books I'm so addicted to and have spent so much money on? Or is Stewie just more cautious than me, and to each his own? His copy of some LE will be pristine while I'm crying over my copy, which I just dropped in my sink or something? (Hope not. Knock wood.)

I don't have an answer. What do you think?

(And no, I have no idea how to make HTML polls. Yet. Be grateful I got the Monkey Waistline Tracker table on without hurting myself.)