Paperback VS. Hardback

[Jake]

I just wanted to see if anyone preferred one over the other for any major reason.

It sounds like a dumb question, yeah, but I have an acquaintance who's a prison librarian in one of the HMPs across the pond, and he's vehemently anti-paperback. Like, he's creepily militant about it. I can understand his reasoning, but on the other hand I just want to read books and have them around to read whether they're handwritten copies on legal pads or bound with iron.

I'm just wondering how many more people feel this strongly about it.

Do you give a shit either way? Why/why not?

[MoonBaseNick]

I enjoy trade paperbacks. Easier to carry around, don't take up much space in my book bag and they also look good on a shelf! (Trade paper backs are the taller versions of the much smaller mass market paper backs)

Ever so often I'll get a hard cover, but only if I can't wait a year for the paperback.

[Ratty]

Paperbacks for me as I an often clumsy with my books and don't feel bad about scuffing up a PB.

[bendrix]

I always buy paperback, which is how I answered the poll, but I prefer hardcover when checking it from the library. It's mostly a cost/storage issue, so when it's free, I choose hardback for the larger print size.

[Miyazaki]

I work at a library, so I don't really buy. If I had a choice, I'd always read hardcover though, I'm just more comfortable with it.

[nekkerbee]

Doesn't really matter, but I find my eyes appreciate the larger text of hardcovers more and more as I get older.

[felix]

Paperbacks of course. They're cheaper and more compact.

[Graham]

I find it depends on the length of the book...the longer the novel, the more unwieldy it is in hardback.
Started 'Cryptonomicon' in hardback, never finished it until the paperback came out.

[Jake]

That's true. Just the idea of Cryptonomicon in HB made me wet my chair a little.

[OCallaghan]

Paperbacks are the best to read, Hardbacks are best to impress others with the fact that you do!

[DanielRoffle]

Paperbacks are a lot less durable than hardbacks, so technically "better" but what with us having all information ever now this is less of a selling point than it used to be.

I prefer paperbacks because I read a lot on the go. Also I have a pretty big fetish for some of the major paperback lines (Penguin, Wordsowrth Classics, etc.)

[kungfumonkeyMike]

Hey, this is 2009, where is the "e-book" option?

I'm actually coming to find that I prefer them on a Kindle. I'm still not willing to pay for things on a Kindle, but I'm borrowing one from a family member.

In general, it is about ease of use for me. If I'm doing most of my reading on a couch/comfortable chair in the same place, I like hardback. If I'm reading on the go a lot, paperback. If I'm reading while doing other things, hardback (easier to keep open on a table).

Now, though, e-book wins out.

I still have issues with e-books. I don't like the idea of committing all information to digital form. I think we need (at least in the near future) physical libraries for example. I also don't like paying a similar price for something that isn't physical.

However, if I had all three in front of me for free for my personal reading, I'm now leaning towards choosing e-book pretty much every time.

[Eyeball Kid]

I prefer paperback because I do so much of my reading in bed, and in that position, paperbacks are just so much less tiring to hold for long periods.

Also, you can get a dozen of them at Half Price Books for the cost of one new hardback.

[flyarz]

Paperbacks. Whenever I do have a hardcover book, I always admire its beauty, but I feel bad when I scuff it up at all, or simply write notes in it. I have a similar problem with graphic novels (and in that case, it doesn't matter if it's a paperback or hardcover).

[RathBandu]

Originally Posted by flyarz

Paperbacks. Whenever I do have a hardcover book, I always admire its beauty, but I feel bad when I scuff it up at all, or simply write notes in it. I have a similar problem with graphic novels (and in that case, it doesn't matter if it's a paperback or hardcover).

I have to favor hardcovers, but I hear what you're saying. There are a couple of instances where I own multiple copies of books -- one for posterity, and one to make notes in.

[billylove]

I used to prefer paperbacks because they were superior in portability. However, they have horrible shelf and wear life. They also have almost zero resale value unless you have some mint rare first print copy or something.

I now buy hardbacks because they look so much better on the shelves, last a million times longer, and much much better resale value.

[DanielRoffle]

Originally Posted by kungfumonkeyMike

Hey, this is 2009, where is the "e-book" option?

I'm actually coming to find that I prefer them on a Kindle. I'm still not willing to pay for things on a Kindle, but I'm borrowing one from a family member.

In general, it is about ease of use for me. If I'm doing most of my reading on a couch/comfortable chair in the same place, I like hardback. If I'm reading on the go a lot, paperback. If I'm reading while doing other things, hardback (easier to keep open on a table).

Now, though, e-book wins out.

I still have issues with e-books. I don't like the idea of committing all information to digital form. I think we need (at least in the near future) physical libraries for example. I also don't like paying a similar price for something that isn't physical.

However, if I had all three in front of me for free for my personal reading, I'm now leaning towards choosing e-book pretty much every time.

My main concern with ebooks is that I already spend 80% of my time staring at screens.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by DanielRoffle

My main concern with ebooks is that I already spend 80% of my time staring at screens.

Yup. My feelings about e-books are probably somewhat similar to my acquaintance's feelings about paperbacks. They're just not the same as having something tangible with that old book smell and the paper feel and all of that nerdy fetish shit.

[Clarence Boddicker]

It really doesn't matter, but dusk jackets can be a pain in the ass when they slip off easily.

[CocoaSugarbaker]

Originally Posted by MoonBaseNick

I enjoy trade paperbacks. Easier to carry around, don't take up much space in my book bag and they also look good on a shelf! (Trade paper backs are the taller versions of the much smaller mass market paper backs)

Ever so often I'll get a hard cover, but only if I can't wait a year for the paperback.

Right here.

The regular paperbacks are too small to read, and I get annoyed if it's difficult for me to read in the dark with my night light.

I prefer hardcovers, but they really are too bulky and take up way too much space in my purse. I'm all about portability.

[Princess Kate]

Jake,

I prefer hard cover. It's easier to keep the book open with one hand when you're laying on your side reading.

[Arjen Rudd]

I generally prefer paperback, so I'm a little annoyed at myself for pre-ordering the ridiculously long new Stephen King book. Guh, it was 9 bucks, which is less than paperbacks now, I guess.

[ShadowBalder]

I prefer to read trade paperbacks because they tend to have better binding than mass market paperbacks, and are easier to read in bed than hardcover.
I will buy the hardcover version of a book if it's one I particularly cherish though, cost be damned.

[Cleo]

I don't really give a shit, but I'm at the point now where I think I'll refuse to borrow paperbacks off my boyfriend any more. He somehow manages to read them without creasing the spine at all. Maybe he has x-ray vision or something? As soon as I open the book, lines appear, and I get shouted at

[englebert]

As someone who still buys textbooks, I hate hardback.

[Graham]

Audiobooks are the way to go.

[IggytheBorg]

In general, I don't care either way. Most of the horror stuff I read is from Leisure or other small press outlets anyway, so hardbacks aren't really an option with those. One area I do prefer hardbacks is Stephen King novels. When I was younger, my mom joined the Stephen King Book Club thru an ad in a newspaper magazine section, and ordered, over the course of several months, almost all his early works for me in hardback, because she knew he was my favorite author (at the time), and thought it'd be nice to have all his work in hardback form. I thought was really nice, so I try to keep that tradition going and get all his stuff in hardback as it comes out. But other than that, I'm not particular.

[Timothy Q]

Somehow I'm actually agreeing with PK on something; it's easier to read a hardcover with one hand on my side so that's a plus. I also like the bigger print but lets get real here, soft covers are cheaper and if I'm buying I'll always go cheaper with a book.

Cleo, as a reader of soft covers that never creases I would like to say that you're a savage and I'm glad your boyfriend yells at you for ruining his books!