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Chopping up books when they're physically too big

2026-09-15 | original

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Why This Matters

This lighthearted editorial pushes back against the idea that physical books must remain intact, suggesting readers literally cut oversized paperbacks into smaller, more manageable sections. While niche, it touches on broader conversations about reading ergonomics, personal ownership of physical media, and how consumers adapt products to their own needs rather than accepting them as-is.

Key Takeaways

The author advocates physically cutting large paperbacks (800+ pages) into smaller, easier-to-hold sections.
This is framed as a personal, low-tech solution to the ergonomic problems of reading oversized books, especially in bed or while traveling.
The piece champions the 'you can just do things' mindset, encouraging readers to modify their own physical property without concern for social or authorial disapproval.

Worth a Look

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20260915

Chop up your books

This is my appeal to readers everywhere: you should take a knife to your books.

(And no, not in the sense that the destructive AI-scanners do.)

Like apparently everybody else, my book club recently picked out Lonesome Dove. I’m not a Western guy, but it’s clear that this pulitzer-winner earned it. It’s good.

But come on: this is an 850+ page paperback! It is what I call Too Big.

It’s going to tire out your hands to hold up an 850-page book for the time it takes to read an 850-page book. If you read in bed, it’s going to tire your arms out, trying to hold this giant tome over your head. If you want to take this book on a plane or bus, it’s going to take up half of your bag.

So, I would like to recommend you to a practice I call Chop That Book Up Into Reasonable Sizes.

It takes a few minutes and very few tools. You also can enjoy reading reasonably-sized volumes of big books.

At the risk of parroting ‘you can just do things’, I’m telling you: You Can Just chop up your book. Nobody will call the cops. Authors don’t mind! (well, I don’t think so, and I wouldn’t mind if you chopped up my book, which I freely admit is also Too Big).

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Explore topics: lonesome dove book chopping paperback books book club reading habits