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Book lovers, we’ve all been there. You’re cozied up with a brand-new book, ready to escape into another world, when bam!—a typo smacks you in the face. Or worse, you turn a page, only to realize it’s missing entirely. Nothing shatters the bliss of reading quite like these bookish betrayals. Sure, we can laugh about them later, but in the moment? It’s enough to make you dramatically close the book

Today, the Bored Panda team scoured the internet to find some of the most triggering book crimes that readers have shared online. Whether it’s peculiar mistakes in a children’s book (yes, the irony) or entire missing pages, these moments are enough to make any bibliophile scream. Keep reading to see if you can stomach these bookish horrors! And don’t forget to check out our interview with Karishma Kothari, a first-time author who knows a thing or two about the struggles of writing, and the inevitable (but painful) tiny mistakes that slip through.

#1

Proofreading This Book Couldn't Have Been That Hard

Poorly designed book showing an incorrect number of bananas for counting.

UltraLaser23 Report

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    #2

    Checking In Books At The Circulation Desk At My School's Library, When Suddenly

    Illustration from poorly written book showing a sleeping child dreaming of a wedding cake.

    lincompris Report

    #3

    Brought A Book To Read On The Bus. All Of The Pages Are Out Of Order

    Hands holding poorly designed books with overlapping page numbers in a casual setting.

    Geeky-Female Report

    If you’re someone who gets excited just by looking at books or who loves the crisp scent of a freshly printed novel, you know the magic of holding a new book in your hands.

    The joy of flipping through untouched pages, the thrill of diving into a new story—it’s unmatched. But along with that joy comes the occasional heartbreak. A typo. A missing page. A weird formatting error that makes you pause mid-sentence. It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

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    #4

    This 200 Us Dollar Textbook Is Just A Printout Of The Online Version Complete With Useless Hyperlinks And Video Thumbnails

    Poorly written designed books featuring a PSA film scene with a woman holding a card in front of a colorful backdrop.

    reddit.com Report

    #5

    This Illustration From A Children's Passover Book

    Illustration from poorly-written-designed book showing a family lighting holiday candles with Hebrew prayers below.

    LaughingJelly Report

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    #6

    The Worst Bit Is That Its From A Math Book

    3D pie chart with colorful segments labeled 10% to 80%, visually representing data distribution.

    whatman640 Report

    To understand things better, we spoke with Karishma Kothari, whose debut book, I AM MAGIC, was recently released. The book explores those uncertain moments in life when you’re caught between who you were and who you are becoming. It’s a quiet, comforting read for those navigating change.

    With her first book out in the world, Karishma shared her thoughts on writing, editing, and the little imperfections that sometimes slip through.

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    #7

    Colouring Book My In-Laws Got My Daughter. It's All AI Images

    Poorly designed book with mythical creatures for coloring, featuring dragons, unicorns, and various characters.

    I know it's fantasy, but I'm not sure even pretend unicorns should have horns on the side of their heads. As for the amount of extra legs throughout the book, it's got to the point you can't tell what to color in and in what color.

    minisrugbycoach Report

    #8

    This Book That Explains Covid-19 To Kids Has People Wearing Their Masks Incorrectly

    Illustration of people with masks maintaining distance, a depiction from poorly-written-designed-books.

    alli-katt Report

    #9

    This Typo For N In My Nephew’s Alphabet Board Book. The Editor Had Only 26 Words To Review... And Somehow This Was Missed

    Alphabet book with design errors; "Nut" illustrated with a nest and eggs under "Nn."

    andrewt29 Report

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    “For a non-writer, it might seem easy—just put words together. But it’s not that easy. It’s an entire process to put together words that make sense. Writing isn’t just about stringing sentences together. It’s about choosing the right words, crafting meaningful phrases, and making sure everything flows. It’s a long, intricate process that demands patience and skill.”

    She explained how easy it is for small mistakes to go unnoticed during the writing process.“When you’re in the flow of writing, you might not focus on the spelling. Your brain moves faster than your fingers, and before you know it, you’ve typed something incorrectly without even realizing it. These tiny mistakes don’t seem like much at the time, but later? They stick out like a sore thumb.”

    #10

    This Board Book For Kids Is Pretty Confusing!

    Poorly designed book page showing three red circles labeled incorrectly with text.

    redundant_bobbin Report

    #11

    My Wife Ordered A Beading Pattern Book, But Instead Of Patterns It Only Contains AI Written Instructions On How To Make Such A Book

    Open book displaying text with unclear instructions for beading wild animals, exemplifying poorly written and designed books.

    ShilkaLive Report

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    #12

    I Bought A Second Hand Book For My Kid And Didn’t Look Closely At The Cover. It’s In Latin. We Don’t Speak Latin

    Book cover of "Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis" on a floral background, related to poorly-written-designed-books.

    Irksomecake Report

    Editors play a crucial role in refining a book before it reaches readers. “That is why editors are crucial. They bring fresh eyes to the manuscript, catching things the writer might have overlooked. No matter how careful an author is, self-editing isn’t enough. Editors ensure clarity, consistency, and, most importantly, a polished final product.”

    At the same time, she emphasized the importance of the author taking responsibility for their work. “But I believe the book is your baby, and nobody knows it better than you, so you should check everything. Even after an editor has worked their magic, a writer needs to go over their book again. Editors help, but at the end of the day, your story, your message, and your voice matter most. A final review by the author ensures that nothing gets lost in the editing process.”

    #13

    About Finishing The Book Only To Discover That 10 Pages Are Missing

    Hand holding a book with pages numbered 170 and 181, showing examples of poorly-written-designed-books.

    AlphaPlutonium Report

    #14

    Found This At The Back Of My 3 Yr Old's Counting Book

    Chart of numbers from 1 to 100 with multiple design errors, representing poorly designed books.

    Emailed the publisher, they defended by saying look inside the book, the numbers are correct. I said then what's stopping you from printing the write ones on the cover?

    Poweringthroughlife Report

    #15

    They Tried To Fit The Title Of The Book On The Spine In The Same Format As It Is On The Cover. It Didn't Work

    Poorly designed book cover lying flat on a wooden table, with blue color and unreadable white text.

    TomTheNeatGuy Report

    Giving the book time before reviewing it again can make all the difference.

    “But you need to give it time. When you write, you think everything is right. But step away for a while, then come back with fresh eyes—suddenly, you’ll notice things you missed before. That’s why the best writing advice is always to take a break before editing.”

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    #16

    Children's Book Error

    Penguin illustration in a poorly designed book about the Arctic, with text highlighting cold and icy conditions.

    Sebastian_Pelzer Report

    #17

    Came Across This In My Literature Book At School

    Page displaying "The Loch Ness Monster's Song," showcasing elements of poorly-designed books.

    SpectreOfMalta Report

    #18

    I’m Reading A Book On Forensics And It Has A Very Realistic Image Of A Fly On Every Page

    A page from poorly-designed books with text and a sketched fly on the margin.

    SafariNZ Report

    No book starts out perfect, no matter how skilled the writer is. “The first draft is never perfect. And it never is. The first draft is messy, filled with inconsistencies, and often makes no sense when reread. But that’s part of the process. Writing is rewriting, and every great book goes through multiple drafts before it’s ready for the world.”

    #19

    So I Found This In My Friend's Mom's Nursery Rhyme Book, From When She Was Little

    Illustration from poorly written designed books showing an old man falling down stairs with accompanying verse.

    summertime235 Report

    #20

    This Book Doesn't Teach You How To Draw The Number 8 Correctly

    Poorly written designed book page showing tracing instructions for the number eight.

    Bought this book to help my boy learn his letters and numbers. The guide for 8 doesn't work as the arrows are incorrect!

    dsykes10 Report

    #21

    What The Flip. So There's This Guy That Always Has A Box With Books In Front Of His House For People To Take, Today I Found This I Almost Couldn't Contain Myself From Laughing

    Cover of a poorly-written-designed book featuring a tiger against a moonlit background.

    dacjo213 Report

    Even after countless revisions, sometimes errors slip through.

    “Sometimes, some things might slip. Once everything is published, you can’t do anything. No matter how many rounds of editing a book goes through, mistakes still happen. And once the book is printed? That’s it. There’s no fixing it unless you’re willing to go through the long and expensive process of republishing.”

    #22

    Train On This Book Cover Isn't Even On The Rails

    Retro book cover design featuring a train, lighthouse, and large anchor emerging from waves, representing poorly designed books.

    i_lovepants Report

    #23

    My Son’s Book On Ocean Creatures Has Two Errors On One Page: The Octopus Is A Squid And Tortoises Aren’t Found In The Ocean

    Children's book with colorful octopus and tortoise illustrations, highlighting poorly written design.

    RamboZelda Report

    #24

    The Makers Of My Swedish Book Forgot About Belgium, Luxemburg And The Netherlands

    Map highlighting faulty weather symbols, demonstrating poorly designed books.

    IamNeverPro Report

    She acknowledged that fixing errors after publication isn't always possible. “The cost to reprint can be higher. So you let that one small error be. It’s not ideal, but there’s nothing you can do. Printing a book isn’t cheap, and reprinting it for a minor typo isn’t always practical. So, sometimes, authors have to live with tiny imperfections. It’s frustrating, but it’s reality. And honestly, as long as the story is good, does one small mistake really matter?” she added.

    #25

    My Senior Year Book A Few Years Back

    Poorly written text with "Congratuations Class of 2018" and commentary on cost.

    SneezingAtClimax Report

    #26

    Activity From A Children's Book.. What Is This Supposed To Be?

    Dot-to-dot puzzle showing cricket players in a poorly-designed book, with numbers forming an unclear image.

    reddit.com Report

    #27

    My Book Was Printed Without Any Periods Whatsoever

    Page from a poorly-written book with narrative text, beginning a chapter with the number one at the top.

    cheesy_fry Report

    Perfection is every writer’s dream, but some things are simply beyond control. “As a writer, you want your book to be perfect, but sometimes things are not in your control. No matter how much effort goes into it, something always slips through. And maybe, just maybe, that’s what makes books so beautifully human.”

    Books are love. Books are life. And sometimes, even with the occasional typo or misplaced comma, a great book is still a great book. So, fellow book lovers—tell us, which of these moments made you laugh, sigh, or cry inside just a little bit?

    #28

    Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

    Cover of a poorly designed book, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with a digital fairy and creature in a forest scene.

    theKidWithCam Report

    #29

    I’m Done With This Book

    Sheet music with text: "Can you spell the name Beethoven," illustrating poorly-written-designed-books.

    ben_is_great Report

    #30

    Forcea Forsmt. The Actual Title Of This Book Is Forecast Form

    Poorly-Written-Designed-Books cover with jumbled lettering, held by a person in brown pants and white shoes.

    coupledwalk Report

    #31

    My Daughter's Little Shapes Book. Pentagon?

    Poorly written or designed book page showing a starfish labeled as "Pentagon," highlighting an error.

    mightymikek Report

    #32

    I'm Not Sure What To Say

    Poorly designed book showing fish senses with humorous illustration and coloring.

    kingtrash7 Report

    #33

    The Text In This Children's Book Is Practically Illegible

    Poorly designed book page with colorful background and the text "My coat would be soft."

    diatriose Report

    #34

    Found This Giraffe With Five Legs In A Search And Find Book

    Children's book with a safari maze, featuring a rhino in a jeep. Example of poorly-designed books.

    OdenTheAnimator2007 Report

    #35

    My Kiddo’s Book Has Infuriated Me On A Level That May Surpass “Mildly”

    Poorly-designed book image showing "Six Yellow Lemons" text below an illustration of seven lemons.

    WitchSlap Report

    #36

    How About We Rotate The Author’s Name On The Last Book? That Will Look Soo Good

    Row of fantasy books with dragon covers, illustrating poorly designed books on a shelf.

    Seaship_lord Report

    #37

    This Beautiful Book Cover (The Book Itself Is Pretty Good However)

    Poorly designed book cover featuring "The Crimson Labyrinth" by Yusuke Kishi with intricate patterns and bold text.

    Ininko Report

    #38

    In The Middle Of A 9 Hour Flight I Found Out My Book Was Missing 33 Pages

    Open book pages showing text layout, illustrating poorly-written-designed-books concept in a casual reading setting.

    TheLonelySavage Report

    #39

    Amazon Is Selling Bootleg Disney Colouring Books

    Poorly-Written-Designed-Books: A Rapunzel coloring book with amateur illustrations and low-quality printing details.

    My wife bought this on Amazon, it's just a bound book of random low-resolution/quality coloring pages easily found on Google image search. Initiated a refund and they didn't even want it back.

    inv4zn Report

    #40

    Me And My Husband Looked For An Hour In Our Kids Coloring Book For The Word Smile. Is It Just Me Or Is It Not There?

    Poorly designed word search puzzle with emojis, featuring circled words like "smirk" and "money" in green.

    Smart_Construction89 Report

    #41

    This Children's Book Gives Up On Rhyming On The Last Page

    Children's alphabet book with illustrations; example of poorly written designed books.

    I took a picture of each page so you can get the full effect of reading the whole thing outloud, getting to the end, only for the last page to break the rules of the rest of the book. Did they not have the budget to do one more page and do rhymes for the last 4 letters?

    Rigtoofen Report

    #42

    The Way You’re Supposed To Read This Book

    Open book with highlighted text and notes, illustrating poorly-written-and-designed-books issues.

    Mjharget- Report

    #43

    This Book Covers

    Bookshelf with poorly-written-designed books, featuring white and colorful spines with illustrations and text in a foreign language.

    _iond_ Report

    #44

    When My Book Decided To Parkour

    Poorly-written-designed books page spread showing inconsistent text alignment and formatting issues.

    Leander_007 Report

    #45

    There Is No Differences Between These Two Images In My Toddlers Spot The Difference Book

    Illustration of dogs in a children's activity book; an example of poorly-written-designed-books.

    InterviewElegant7135 Report

    #46

    This Graph In A High School Year Book

    Bar chart showing high school plans. Poorly designed with skewed labels: college 91%, workforce 3%, military 1%, year off 5%.

    SmoobBlob Report

    #47

    My Nephew Received A AI Coloring Book For Christmas

    Colorful soccer-themed book cover and black-and-white illustrations, highlighting poorly-written-designed-books for children.

    Jolilap456 Report

    #48

    Posessed English Book

    Cartoon woman typing at computer, exercising verbs; example of poorly-designed books.

    Bruggilles Report

    #49

    BF Bought Me A Wordsearch Book That Has Only One Word In 200 Pages

    Book pages filled with repetitive letters challenge; example of poorly-written-designed-books.

    behappyandfree Report

    #50

    Books That Have This Much Paper Before Chapter 1 Even Starts

    Person holding a book with upside-down text, illustrating poorly designed books.

    Flufftacular Report

    #51

    This Dinosaur In One Of The Kids Books At Our School. The 3D Effect Just Makes It Worse

    A surreal elephant with human-like teeth in a forest, evoking a sense similar to poorly written or designed books.

    Cheese_peace Report

    #52

    Found This Bad Boy In My Text Book

    Illustration from poorly designed books showing a giraffe reaching for leaves with difficulty.

    CarBoy0001 Report

    #53

    My Son's Spongebob Activity Book Is Missing The Word Squidward In The Word Search

    Poorly written designed books; a word search puzzle missing "Squidward," noted by handwritten complaint at the top.

    schizm98 Report

    #54

    I Think My Book Is Frozen

    Page with unclear promotion text, indicating poorly-designed books.

    YeahYeahButNah Report

    #55

    My "Eng English Lish Gram Grammar Mar" Book

    Poorly written-designed book titled "English Grammar Theory and Use" with multicolored text on the cover.

    Myflappyforeskin Report

    #56

    Every Photo In This Children’s Book Has A Watermark

    Children's book with mislabeled emotions, illustrating poorly-written-designed-books.

    infernophil Report

    #57

    Found This Is My Physics Text Book

    Illustration in a poorly written and designed book showing adults holding a child's hands with labeled angles.

    DJDragonuv Report

    #58

    One Of The Books My Toddler Got In Her Frozen Book Set

    Open children’s book with "F is for frozen face" and a cartoon character, representing poorly written designed books.

    _Nitekast_ Report

    #59

    This Book That I Purchased Starts On Page 23 Due To An Apparent Manufacturing Error

    Open book with reversed cover, suggesting poorly-written-designed-books concept.

    DomoVahkiin Report

    #60

    Ruins A Good Book

    Pages of a poorly-written book with uneven text and creases, emphasizing design flaws.

    xKxIxTxTxExN Report

    #61

    Kids Learning Book Shows 3 Ducks For The Color Yellow. Guess They Ran Out Of Ideas

    Poorly-designed book page showing ducks, lemon, banana peel, and a butterfly with the word "yellow."

    Woonderbreadd Report

    #62

    This Book Has A Samurai On The Cover Instead Of A Ninja

    Cover of "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja" book, possibly poorly-written-designed, held in a hand near a desk.

    iSquanch Report

    #63

    Halfway Through A Used Book And Just Noticed That Almost 70 Pages Have Been Torn Out

    Open book on a soft surface, pages filled with text, representing poorly written designed books.

    beatriciousthelurker Report

    #64

    This Coloring Book

    Poorly written and designed book with black and white sci-fi character drawings.

    Puzzleheaded_Lemon51 Report

    #65

    Just In The Middle Of My Book

    Open book under a reading light, representing poorly written designed books.

    noturmommas Report

    #66

    Just Bought The A Song Of Ice And Fire Box Set And The 5th Book's Design Is Slightly Different From The Rest

    Boxed set of books by George R.R. Martin, showcasing various colorful covers.

    sommergirl Report

    #67

    These Books, Which I've Gotten As A Set

    Set of three colorfully designed books in a box.

    luke-alike Report

    #68

    This Image In The New Gravity Falls Book Has Got The Quick Play Overlay On It

    Poorly-Written-Designed-Books page featuring a cartoon character at a theater with a sign reading "Glove Story: A Sock Opera."

    TheRakeB5 Report

    #69

    Makes Sense

    Poorly written designed book with incorrect alphabet associations, such as "C for Horse" and "A for Tree," on open pages.

    abazwhyllzz Report

    #70

    I Just Bought These Books And Why Is 2 Uneven. Seriously I Ordered A Replacement

    Four volumes of "Berserk" manga displayed on a wooden shelf, relevant to poorly-written-designed-books discussion.

    Boomertheskylander Report

    #71

    There Is No Meter

    Word search puzzle page with highlighted words; example of poorly-written-designed-books.

    From a natural gas safety themed activity book for kids handed out at a convention.

    origin415 Report

    #72

    Great. So Everyone Can Know This Is A Password Book

    Poorly designed book cover with colorful text and a pink elastic band on a wooden surface.

    bantabot Report

    #73

    This Pie Graph In My Data Text Book

    Pie chart of classmates' eye color in a poorly-written-designed book.

    migrenz Report

    #74

    My Social Studies Book

    Map in a poorly-written-designed book with incorrect labels for North America and Greenland.

    DIcE190 Report

    #75

    Typo On The First Word Of A Book

    Poorly written text in an open book with a person holding the page, showing an example of design issues in books.

    Haselnuss89 Report

    #76

    This Book Has A Typo On The Front Cover "In In Which"

    Cover of "Sharpe's Devil" by Bernard Cornwell, featuring a ship illustration, related to poorly-written-designed-books.

    LumplessWaffleBatter Report

    #77

    Who's Genius Idea Was It Put Put An Ad In A Book. I Need To Have A Chat With Them

    Open book showing "The Hate U Give," highlighting poorly-written-designed-books flaws.

    not_gerg Report

    #78

    My Book Came With An Uncut Page

    Open book with misaligned pages highlighting poorly designed books on a wooden table.

    boatcucumberwire Report

    #79

    My Kid’s Coloring Book. There Isn’t A Difference That Anyone In My Family Can Find

    Poorly designed book page showing four versions of Ariel, with a question to find the different one. Answer highlighted as C.

    Teaching_Tomorrow Report

    #80

    When You Can’t Find The Moon In Your Toddler’s Activity Book. I Swear They Forgot To Add It

    Cartoon turtle reading a book with hidden pictures, representing poorly written designed books for kids to color.

    Acceptable-Site Report