Is anyone here knowledgeable on the subject of damage done to books by book worms and bugs? I have a book, one 1940s edition of a certain book, which has a hole eaten into the pages by what I think is a book worm. When I bought the book, there was no evidence of any worms or bugs themselves (ie, no dead little critters), just the hole, which could have been in the book for years, since it's old. My question is this: is this book safe to put with my other books? I don't want to put it with my non damaged books just in case they too get worms, but I'd like to know if I can do it. Any help would be appreciated. If it would help any I can post pictures of the damage, but it's a pretty generic hole that one sees in books from time to time.

hmmm... my favorite books are:

The Hunger Games trilogy
The Phantom Tollbooth
A Series of Unfortunate Events

....and, of course, Narnia. (My favorite of which is either TLB or VDT)

Sorry, I wouldn't have a clue, ForeverFan. Do you mean silver-fish? I hate those creatures! Stay away from my precious books!

Ack, I've had silver fish invade my bathroom but never my bookshelf!

That's not something I've ever actually considered, FF. I often buy second hand books with similar damage and throw them on my shelves without a second thought. Hopefully someone who knows more can advise, I'd think since you didn't find any actual bugs in there it's probably safe but I wouldn't want to say for sure.

Thankfully, silver-fish haven't eaten my books but they sometimes get squished between the pages. My story notes on the otherhand are often eaten (at least partially) by silver-fish.

*looks up silverfish* Nasty, those things! I'm not quite sure if the damage was done by silverfish, I'll have to check into it some more. I've always thought it was worm damage, but I'm probably wrong. A friend once showed me damage done to books by tiny little bugs which lay their eggs in books and apparently one of the only ways to actually get rid of them is to burn the books, but I know that's not the problem, thankfully! Thanks for your help!

Edit: I found an image of another book with the same damage as mine, although mine only has one hole, and not several.

Yeah, I don't know what that is but there's no way that's the work of silver-fish!

I finished N.D. Wilson's 100 Cupboards last night. The premise was intriguing and the first half of the novel was very good but I found the last half to be too confusing and dull (and I usually enjoy thought-provoking and mind-bending reads). Also, a witch? Really? Yawn. I have to say though, that the idea of being dragged through a cupboard in your bedroom by some creepy person from the Other Side does give me the heebie-jeebies. Wilson has an interesting writing style - sometimes I loved it, other times it just confused or annoyed me. That said, he really knows how to write children realistically. Besides all that, I wasn't impressed enough by the novel to consider pursuing anything else he's written (that is unless somewhere here can convince me otherwise).

I've read The Hobbit and I'm currently trying to make my way through The Fellowship of the Ring, but it's slow going.

I just finished reading "The Summer I Learned To Fly" by Dana Reinhardt and all I can say is WOW I don't know what it was, but between the way it was written, the characters, and the plot line, I fell in love with it
and it's the kind of book that you don't just like instantly, oh no. it draws you in like a fisherman drawing in his line. it sneaks up on you in the best way possible and makes you forget everything and makes you feel like you are living this story real time with the characters

I highly recommend it!

But what is the story about?

What, you don't know? Look at the cover art! It's about a pair of kids who can levitate, but only when they hold hands. It's probably got some deeper meaning, but what it may be I'm not sure, other than someone seriously needs to break out a weedeater on those weeds growing on the bottom of the book cover.

Is anyone here knowledgeable on the subject of damage done to books by book worms and bugs? I have a book, one 1940s edition of a certain book, which has a hole eaten into the pages by what I think is a book worm. When I bought the book, there was no evidence of any worms or bugs themselves (ie, no dead little critters), just the hole, which could have been in the book for years, since it's old. My question is this: is this book safe to put with my other books? I don't want to put it with my non damaged books just in case they too get worms, but I'd like to know if I can do it. Any help would be appreciated. If it would help any I can post pictures of the damage, but it's a pretty generic hole that one sees in books from time to time.

No, definitely not. Damage done by bugs and worms can spread to other books. Keep that book well away from other books, until you are sure what exactly caused the holes in the pages. Also, isolate and destroy any books with mould on them from water damage. If you prize the contents, get a current version, and if not, destroy it in the recycling bin. If it can be idenified as damage done by a previous owner, rather than an insect etc, then you may keep it.

I'd be careful of silverfish as well. They do get into books. It pays to look at books regularly, weed out any no longer required, and to upgrade favourites over the years. I've heard that the smell of bay leaves deters some insects, as does pot pourri, and herbs like rosemary and mint. Not to mention citronella.

Okay, thanks for your help, waggawerewolf! I do appreciate it! I will probably end up keeping the book itself (it's a rare, old one) but just keep it seperate. I'll also do some more research into the matter as well.

Edit: I found some information on bookworms and other insects that eat books, which I'll post here for posterity. One thing this site said about the kind of problem such as in my book was that 'Small, round, dark exit holes from older books, particularly pre-nineteenth century books, that show no powder associated with the holes are not active infestations and nothing need to be done to them.' Hmmm. That would certainly seem to be my book, but then, I don't want to take any chances here. ^.^

here's the plot for The Summer I Learned To Fly:

Drew’s a bit of a loner. She has a pet rat, her dead dad’s Book of Lists, an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese from working at her mom’s cheese shop, and a crush on Nick, the surf bum who works behind the counter. It’s the summer before eighth grade and Drew’s days seem like business as usual, until one night after closing time, when she meets a strange boy in the alley named Emmett Crane. Who he is, why he’s there, where the cut on his cheek came from, and his bottomless knowledge of rats are all mysteries Drew will untangle as they are drawn closer together, and Drew enters into the first true friendship, and adventure, of her life.

Hmmm... thanks, Liberty. I might skip that one. Sounds like it's written with teen girls in mind.