Structural Integrity

Fr. Ray Blake of Saint Mary Magdalen ruminates on the need for catechesis,"I am now reading the tired old inaccurately translated prayers of the Missal for what I hope is the last time."

From your mouth to God's ear, as I believe I've said in every play or musical I've ever done in whihc I played a Jewish character.
Though in real life, I think I've only ever heard New jersey Italian Americans say it... but i digress.

I'm finding myself constantly remarking on something along the same lines, my feelings of anti-nostalgia (is there a word for that?) increased by my coming liberty; sometimes, admittedly, rather unkindly, Thank GOD, I will never have to play/direct/sing thusandsuch beloved and textually-suiting-the-Mass-perfectly but just NOT VERY GOOD anthem.
(There's one setting of the Beatitudes that in particular makes my skin crawl...)
There are a number of items in our traditional pre-Midnight concert that i will be delighted never to touch again.

Fr Blake also reminds me of a pet peeve:

"One appeal: please, please, please could we have a Missal that is not going to fall apart, please. Compare the Missal of 1746 with that of 1976."

Why do missals and hymnals look like crap after very short use?
While I understand that part of the problem may be due to to changes in societal attitudes and mores, e.g. a lessening of reverence for books, a lessening of respect for the property of others, the general carelessness with objects that prosperity seems to bring -- some of it has to be the construction of the books themselves.

Surely those who deal with altar books are as gentle and respectful with them as ever, right?

I have, for instance, hymnals rescued from oblivion after being replaced after thirty or forty years of actual pew, (not choir,) use whose bindings and hinges are in far better shape than ten year old current hymnals that are not subjected to any but choir usage.
Did they know something when putting together the Episcopal 1940 Hymnal, some secret that GIA should be let in on?

Is planned obsolescence really in the mix?
When I was in middle school I took Latin.
The majority of students took French, German or Spanish.

Their curriculum, and therefore their books, changed every few years, while Latin was taught out of the same text books that our parents had used.

But the Latin books were in just as good, or better shape than the newer ones.
They hadn't been anymore gently or respectfully used, they still had the same cruel drawings of long-retired teachers, students' names with addresses that went into detail as to which galaxy they called home, outrageous genitalia or raunchy speech bubbles added to illustrations of people, origamic dog-earring.... but the bindings held, the endpapers were defaced but in place, and the corners though bumped were intact.

I do notice variations in the wear of my various libers, and wonder whether it betells use or original construction, (none of them were new with me -- I think my Triplex and Liber Cantualis are the only genuinely new chant books I own. Oh, and the Parish Book of Chant, but of course!)

(Meanwhile, I absolutely insist that every church musician find room in the budget for a roll of this)