Why do I keep staining my books?

Often my books will get dark stains on their side. It is very annoying and unaesthetic. It's also worth to mention that I never eat or drink while I'm reading and I always wash my hands before touching. (Which is probably one of the reasons I'm so annoyed by these stains/marks/lines). I've included a picture in case my description wasn't clear enough. Have anyone here experienced the same problem? Can I avoid it?

https://imgur.com/a/d5Oe7qy

Looks like a fairly recent book and so dark a stain that I'm thinking of ink as the most likely cause. Could it be that you're resting thumbs on the text while reading, then moving them across to the edge of the page, with natural oils-or-whatever having helped liberate some ink?

I do rest my thumbs on the text, and I figured it's part of the problem but I can't seem to find another place to put them. I mean, what other way is there to keep a book open?

I do rest my thumbs on the text, and I figured it's part of the problem but I can't seem to find another place to put them. I mean, what other way is there to keep a book open?

I think it's the book, not anything you're doing. The ink on some paperbacks can smudge easily, not that much different from newsprint.

It's a recently-published (within the past ten years, say) paperback, right? Cheap paper and soy-based ink, as mentioned in the previous message. Welcome to the world of modern, cheap, disposable books.

It's not your fault. To avoid smudging like that, you need to buy the book either as a hardcover or as an eBook.

Thank you both for the reply... I suspected that is the reason

I hope it wasn't the silliest question ever asked here... I'm not from an English speaking country and in my country the paperbacks have that kind of white paper that is usually on hardbacks. I just started to read English books so I was unprepared for all the smudges and stains

>8 nazelet:

I for one was intrigued. It's not a form of staining I've noticed, but then I'm mostly reading older books where the ink is more stable and there are usually generous margins - I think my thumbs mostly rest there rather than on the print. Given what I've seen of recent British trade hardbacks I wouldn't be confident that their ink or paper would be of any better quality than the equivalent paperbacks, but there may at least be wider margins. Paper and binding in the USA have long tended to be better, and I generally buy American rather than British trade hardbacks when I can, though I'm in England.

Well on the mass market paperback editions of ASOIAF and Kingkiller Chronicle the margins are pretty much nonexistant

If you're willing to inconvenience yourself a bit, you could wear thin gloves or put finger cots or grips just on your thumbs.

Since you're not a native speaker and I don't know if these translate very well, this is what I'm referring to:

Finger tips/grips, usually found at office supply stores. There are a range of sizes; you'll need a larger one for thumbs:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/swingline-54033-size-13-large-amber-rubber-fing...

Finger cots do look like something else, but they work for your purpose. Usually found with first aid supplies:
https://smile.amazon.com/Disposable-Finger-Rubber-Fingertips-Protective/dp/B00UR...