Jump to content

Have you ever stolen a book?


dex

Recommended Posts

The reason I'm 'complaining' about people stealing books in this thread, instead of other crimes, is because this thread is about stealing books. Other crimes are/can be dealth with in other threads.

 

Well said. Let's keep this thread to book stealing, please.

 

Cause I do not see what the big problem is, as long as you don't steal a whole bunch of books.

 

One person stealing one book may not present a huge problem, but added up, it equals 'a whole bunch of books'. Did you ever stop to wonder if the outrageous prices that you complain about are a result of people stealing? When companies are stolen from, they have to put up their prices to cover their losses.

 

I don't care if you have the sweetest friends in the whole world, stealing is stealing. 'Stealing is wrong' is one of the first things we're taught as children. Don't they teach that in Sweden? Have you questioned the local police or some lawyers about whether stealing is bad? I'm willing to bet they would have very different answers to your friends...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Yes I have, but not conventionally. I downloaded The Steal Remains from a torrent site since the damn thing wasn't available in my country and I was itching to read it! Of course I bought it for Kindle a month after to redeem myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well said. Let's keep this thread to book stealing, please.

 

 

 

One person stealing one book may not present a huge problem, but added up, it equals 'a whole bunch of books'. Did you ever stop to wonder if the outrageous prices that you complain about are a result of people stealing? When companies are stolen from, they have to put up their prices to cover their losses.

 

I don't care if you have the sweetest friends in the whole world, stealing is stealing. 'Stealing is wrong' is one of the first things we're taught as children. Don't they teach that in Sweden? Have you questioned the local police or some lawyers about whether stealing is bad? I'm willing to bet they would have very different answers to your friends...

 

Well said. As a librarian, I know how much it costs libraries to replace the books that are stolen. If there weren't so many stolen, they'd be able to provide more books. I'm talking school libraries and public libraries. I know school libraries here (in NZ) have VERY small budgets, and one stolen book can severely dent that. Public libraries here are run by local authorities, and aren't much better funded in some cases. There's a lot of talk of charging for issues, maybe they wouldn't be talking about this if less was stolen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can only remember stealing a book once, a couple of years ago. My sister and I were on a sun holiday, and when we arrived at the hotel I discovered to my delight that they had two bookshelves. You could just grab a book from it, read it, and then put it back. It wasn't controlled - this was a hotel on the Greek island, and the books were mostly just books left behind by guests, they didn't purchase them or anything.

 

By the time we had to leave, I was in the middle of one of their books. I'd checked via the internet and it wasn't available anywhere near me at home, so I decided to just take it with me to finish it. I don't even think it was missed since I doubt they kept track of the books there. I'm not even sure I stole it because it didn't mention in any info brochure or wasn't ever said by any member of staff that you had to put them back and couldn't take them home. But in all honesty, I guess I kind of stole it.

 

I could never steal a book from a store or so, because I'm a really bad liar and I'd be blushing, nervous, and just way too obvious about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read quite a few books in which characters steal books from libraries/stores/other characters. This is an interesting thread. :)

 

In high school I neglected to return a prescribed book at the end of the year. I think I still have it somewhere. Not sure if it counts as stealing, but I've been feeling guilty about it for years. :blush2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^^ The university takes RIDICULOUS prices for coffee and food. One cup of coffee in the nearest cafeteria at the building I'm always in cost 12 kronor. (Almost 2 dollars). And let's just say my coffee mug at home is bigger.

In 2008 when I began my studies there, the same cup of coffee cost only 7 kronor. So over the past 4 years, the price of coffee/tea has gone up 40%. They are ROBBING US BLIND!!!!!!!!

Not to mention the city recently increased the bus tickets with 20%.

 

I could be so weeed with this, but I have no energy to bother.

 

only 12? Mine charges 25. You pay seperate for the mug and lid T-T They won't give us any lockers either so taking food to school means you have to carry it around the whole day.

 

I wonder though. If you borrow a book to someone else then this person does not pay for it either. It is in a way the same as pirating. You download it, you read it, you delete it. So, would borrowing out your book to several other people (like a reading chain) be the same or simular to stealing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder though. If you borrow a book to someone else then this person does not pay for it either. It is in a way the same as pirating. You download it, you read it, you delete it. So, would borrowing out your book to several other people (like a reading chain) be the same or simular to stealing?

 

It's not the same. If you download a book/CD/DVD online for free illegally, you download it from someone who doesn't have the right to share it in the first place. And once you've downloaded it, you can keep it forever.

 

If you borrow a book and read it, it's not like you can keep it and then go sharing it for profit or non-profit. You wouldn't scan all the pages of it and then post them on some website for people to read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still. The ones you borrow it too don't pay for it either. I trade my books a lot or buy them second hand for a very low price. The authors don't get any for that either.

It might be on a smaller scale but its similar to pirating. The first to put it online has often payed for the product too.

 

You wouldn't scan all the pages of it and then post them on some website for people to read.

 

well......... Its very common practice at the uni to copy the relevant chapters of reference literature so not everyone has to buy the entire 2000 page book for just 20 pages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One person stealing one book may not present a huge problem, but added up, it equals 'a whole bunch of books'. Did you ever stop to wonder if the outrageous prices that you complain about are a result of people stealing? When companies are stolen from, they have to put up their prices to cover their losses.

 

I don't care if you have the sweetest friends in the whole world, stealing is stealing. 'Stealing is wrong' is one of the first things we're taught as children. Don't they teach that in Sweden? Have you questioned the local police or some lawyers about whether stealing is bad? I'm willing to bet they would have very different answers to your friends...

 

There is a difference between schools and companies. Their funding and economics don't work the same way.

 

The police in Sweden would NOT care if you take a book from school. They would care if you take one from a book store though. Of course we are taught not to steal. But somehow there are differences between different crimes. It's like most of us follow an unspoken code of what is considered "not too bad" and "that's criminal". The book-taking I've done would fall into the category of "not too bad".

 

It's just cultural differences. Of course I would never take anything from a store. That is stealing to me too. But from school or your own work place....... Well, it's not as frowned upon. Unless it's something very valuable like a phone or computer. It's like we have a built in code of what is okay to take from school/work and what is absolutely not okay.

 

It's hard to explain. But it's like knowing what grammar is right and what grammar is wrong. I know what stealing is illegal and what stealing isn't really a big problem and not anything the police would care about. Shoplifting of course is illegal and a matter for the police.

 

It's funny and interesting actually. But at least in this culture, there are differences. Stealing isn't always stealing per say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder though. If you borrow a book to someone else then this person does not pay for it either. It is in a way the same as pirating. You download it, you read it, you delete it. So, would borrowing out your book to several other people (like a reading chain) be the same or simular to stealing?

 

Makes me think about COPYING from books. You can copy from books at the library. It's said that it's ok to copy up to 10% of the book, but most people copy far more than 10%.

These copies are next to free, you only pay the library for the papers basically. And you can keep the copies forever. The authors don't get one single cent when students copies their work.

 

Shouldn't that be considered stealing too then?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stealing isn't always stealing per say.

I can't agree with this statement at all. If something doesn't belong to you and you take it and don't return it, then that is stealing...

 

steal Pronunciation: /stiːl/

 

Definition of steal

verb (past stole /stəʊl/; past participle stolen /ˈstəʊlən/)

  • 1 [with object] take (another person’s property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it: thieves stole her bicycle (as adjective stolen) stolen goods [no object]: she was found guilty of stealing from her employers
  • dishonestly pass off (another person’s ideas) as one’s own: accusations that one group had stolen ideas from the other were soon flying

 

 

The thought that this practise is acceptable just because it's a school you attend, or your place of work, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fine. Stealing is stealing. But IMO there are many degrees of stealing. A bubblegum vs a car for instance. One is next to nothing in the eyes of the law, the other is a crime.

 

You can't just draw everything over the same line, there are always different degrees to everything. FEW things are either black or white. There are millions of gray zones.

 

You know speeding is also not okay. Few people always keep the speed limit. And you always have to wear the seat belt. Many people don't. Why do I bring up speeding into this conversation? Well, just cause it can become a matter of life & death, unlike taking a book. That means speeding should be a worse offence as you can put other peoples lives in jeopardy.

 

 

And thing is; many people take stuff from school or work. What can you do about it? You may disagree, but people won't care. As long as it's not something rare and expensive and necessary for other to be able to do their job.

 

Sweden is a very liberated country. However, our crime rate isn't high compared to other countries. And our economy is one of the best. And people take stuff once in a while, and commit petty little crimes that are so petty you can't get jailtime for it. How it adds up, well, I don't know the secret. ;)

(I do however think our sentences for some crimes are too mild. Former neighbour of mine strangled his girlfriend to death while drunk, he was released after only 8 years in jail). Murder is very rare in Sweden, which you wouldn't think if you read Swedish crime authors........ ;)

 

This explains why there are so many Swedish crime writers around these days . . . :P

 

You'd think so. You'd think murder is common in Sweden if you're a fan of Swedish crime novels. Sorry to disappoint though. Murder is very rare here. Even though you usually only get 7-10 years in jail for a murder here. It's quite fascinating IMO. Why the crime rate is so low compared to the mild jail sentences and how good the prisoners are treated in jail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just hit me that the scandinavians may love crime novels BECAUSE the low crime rate here. Could very well be.

 

And when I say "crime rate", I mean serious crimes, like murder. Not taking a book or pen. ;)

Edited by emelee
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or because they stole them . . .

 

Nah. Books like that are almost only sold in stores and online. Libraries seldom have many crime novels. Nor have schools. People seldom steal from stores. I've never done that and never plan to either. Nor do I plan on taking any more books from any school. I will keep to copying from library books and ordering like a good girl. ;)

However, I will never buy pencils. There are enough free pencils offered from so many places to last me a few lifetimes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OMG! Too funny! Author Maj Sjöwall was interviewed on TV today and she said that she and partner Per Wahlöö STOLE forms from a local police station as they were doing research for the Martin Beck series in the 1960s!!!!

 

If it hadn't been for that information they gathered, the Martin Beck series may not have been as successful and realistic. And the Martin Beck series revolutionized the crime fiction genre back in the day. That series inspired so many crime fiction authors.

 

And to think it started with stealing forms from the police. Just too fitting for this thread! :o:lol::haha: :haha: :haha:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not really sure stealing forms from the police belongs in a thread about stealing books, even if the forms lead to realism IN books... This thread shouldn't really be degenerating so much into a general discussion of stealing - I think the definition of taking and not returning a book which doesn't belong to you should be sufficient for everyone posting to answer the original question. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That may be so, Argon, but on a forum, it's much easier to find the discussion you want if it is a) titled relevantly, and b) on topic. Therefore we try to ensure that, as much as possible, this happens. Please respect the requests of staff members. Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...