I usually buy my books used if possible. I flip through to see if there is any highlighting or underlining. Doing a quick flip through, I don't usually see any highlighting or underlining. If I do, I continue looking through other books until I find one that I don't see any. However, there is always a few chapters, where someone has decided to underline or highlight 80%+ of the text for a chapter.

Is there a point to this that I'm just not grasping? If not than people who do this, please stop doing this. I know I get what I pay for when buying a used book but it's annoying to read anywhere from 5 - 40 pages that has been almost entirely underlined in black pen, or been gone over with highlighter to such an extent, that the individual must have gone through several highlighters to get the 'important points' of the chapter. Some people say that doing this helps them, but I don't see how. If you really need to do this, please try following along with your finger instead.

Of course, this is being written during exam time. I had a few experiences earlier in the school of year of pushing through anywhere up to, as mentioned, 40 pages of underlined or highlighted text. I know I could just torrent most books, but I really prefer doing lengthy reading from a book. I guess I could print off readings, but this seems like a bit of hassle.

Originally Posted by AndrewS

I usually buy my books used if possible. I flip through to see if there is any highlighting or underlining. Doing a quick flip through, I don't usually see any highlighting or underlining. If I do, I continue looking through other books until I find one that I don't see any. However, there is always a few chapters, where someone has decided to underline or highlight 80%+ of the text for a chapter.

Is there a point to this that I'm just not grasping? If not than people who do this, please stop doing this. I know I get what I pay for when buying a used book but it's annoying to read anywhere from 5 - 40 pages that has been almost entirely underlined in black pen, or been gone over with highlighter to such an extent, that the individual must have gone through several highlighters to get the 'important points' of the chapter. Some people say that doing this helps them, but I don't see how. If you really need to do this, please try following along with your finger instead.

Of course, this is being written during exam time. I had a few experiences earlier in the school of year of pushing through anywhere up to, as mentioned, 40 pages of underlined or highlighted text. I know I could just torrent most books, but I really prefer doing lengthy reading from a book. I guess I could print off readings, but this seems like a bit of hassle.

If it bothers you that much, then use one of the alternative methods you mentioned. A person has every right to highlight or underline in their own textbook if they want to, they don't need to justify it to you nor do you need to see how it helps them. For some people, it DOES help, and that's just something you need to accept whether you understand it or not. Following along with a finger isn't the same.

A person also has the right to sell their textbook, as long as there is someone willing to buy it. If Titles is willing to buy it, then why not? They have now bought it back and are trying to sell it. If you now are willing to buy it, then great. If not, don't. If you have an issue with not noticing the highlighting until you have already bought the book, either you should spend more time looking, or the highlighting really isn't that bad.

Asking people to stop highlighting their textbooks because they MIGHT sell them back to Titles and you MIGHT not look closely enough and purchase one is pretty ridiculous.

**I have never once written in or highlighted in a textbook. Ever. It doesn't help me. I also don't buy used textbooks with highlighting or underlining in them. I'm not writing this because I'm offended or anything, I wrote this because I think what you're asking is unreasonable.

Originally Posted by AndrewS

I usually buy my books used if possible. I flip through to see if there is any highlighting or underlining. Doing a quick flip through, I don't usually see any highlighting or underlining. If I do, I continue looking through other books until I find one that I don't see any. However, there is always a few chapters, where someone has decided to underline or highlight 80%+ of the text for a chapter.

Is there a point to this that I'm just not grasping? If not than people who do this, please stop doing this. I know I get what I pay for when buying a used book but it's annoying to read anywhere from 5 - 40 pages that has been almost entirely underlined in black pen, or been gone over with highlighter to such an extent, that the individual must have gone through several highlighters to get the 'important points' of the chapter. Some people say that doing this helps them, but I don't see how. If you really need to do this, please try following along with your finger instead.

Of course, this is being written during exam time. I had a few experiences earlier in the school of year of pushing through anywhere up to, as mentioned, 40 pages of underlined or highlighted text. I know I could just torrent most books, but I really prefer doing lengthy reading from a book. I guess I could print off readings, but this seems like a bit of hassle.

Im going to highlight every page of my books in hopes that they end up in the hands of someone as lazy as you that they feel the need to rely on other's work instead of doing the readings for themselves

Just to throw my 2 cents in: if you were buying a highlighted textbook from someone in person or on the internet, you usually get it at a discount due to it being a "Damaged" product. Excellent quality books are naturally worth more than highlighted books in the used book world. The problem with titles is that they get away with selling you highlighted books (and not everyone thinks to check them like you do!) for the same price as non-highlighted books.

Highlighting doesn't really throw me off. In fact, it saves me time from having to look at the whole chapter. In all honesty, at least half of what's written in textbooks is useless bullcrap, and I'd rather spend as little time reading as all. I wouldn't damage my pretty books with markers myself though, because my brain doesn't need to etch things out in the book..I can just skim..

it doesn't bother me when people highlight an important definition / point, what i find odd is the whole textbook is clean except for 2 chapters right after each other, each line is underlined >.<

i think this is what happens with most people XD :

I pretty much only get books to do the problems. Sometimes people scribble/highlight or circle random questions but that doesnt really change the purpose of why I bought it.

But if the highlighting really bothers you that much, just buy it new.

i dont highlight anymore. if i really need to mark a point to go back to, i just mark brackets around that part with pencil.
i understand what the OP is getting at, but a used book is a used book

Originally Posted by shreebee

i dont highlight anymore. if i really need to mark a point to go back to, i just mark brackets around that part with pencil.
i understand what the OP is getting at, but a used book is a used book

Yeah but what the OP is complaining about is like someone buying a used car and then complaining that it already has 50,000km on it. Its what you paid for!

I bought a commerce book and it seemed to have a lot of highlighting. As I read it I realized it was all the important facts and sentences done. So I guess it depends.

How am I relying on one's work? I didn't say I wanted anything highlighted? I'd rather no highlighting.

Unless one takes the time to look at every page, one doesn't know how much mileage the book has.

I realize that a used book could entail some highlighting or underlining. If one is highlighting or underlining everything, how do they borrow books from the library, or a friend? Are all of their books at home like this?

if books have whole pages hihglighted then that person is a retard. shitty you got the book from titles. easy to miss pages like that from titles, but no one should be highlighting a whole page unless they wanna troll someone. i might start highlighting pages.

Originally Posted by AndrewS

How am I relying on one's work? I didn't say I wanted anything highlighted? I'd rather no highlighting.

Then release the stranglehold you got on your coin purse and buy new