Paper or plast-- I mean, hard cover?

[hedbanger]

(Don't take this discussion *too* seriously. xD)


Paperback will get /trashed/ if you travel with it (taking it in and out of bags, that sort of thing). Even if you don't move it around too much, paperbacks just don't last too long.

Hard cover is way more durable, but what if the book sucks? Then you just paid x amount more for something you don't actually *care* about.



Any thoughts on the subject? xD

[brandons34]

While hardcovers definitely have advantages (durability, appearance, etc...
) you simply cannot fold one in half and put it in your back pocket. this ability alone makes paperbacks desirable. also, is a hardcover necessary for a 200 page book?

[papayahed]

paperback. I don't collect books and try to only keep a small bookcase full (I wouldn't have room if I didn't) so I don't need hardcover.

[Idril]

Hardcovers are for displaying. A special edition of a favorite book perhaps but they're too big and bulky for easy reading and they take up way too much room on my book shelf. And then there's the dust covers, I never know what to do with the dust covers, they don't stay on, they sometimes make it hard to hold on to the actual book because they keep slipping but yet I don't like to discard them either because that's what gives the book character, otherwise it's just a plain, ugly book and that's not even discussing the issue of cost. See?! There are so many problems with hardcovers! ;)

Paperbacks are the way to go. :thumbs_up

[Niamh]

Hardcovers are for displaying. A special edition of a favorite book perhaps but they're too big and bulky for easy reading and they take up way too much room on my book shelf. And then there's the dust covers, I never know what to do with the dust covers, they don't stay on, they sometimes make it hard to hold on to the actual book because they keep slipping but yet I don't like to discard them either because that's what gives the book character, otherwise it's just a plain, ugly book and that's not even discussing the issue of cost. See?! There are so many problems with hardcovers! ;)

Paperbacks are the way to go. :thumbs_up

You could always take the dust cover off and leave it somewhere safe while you are reading the book. With hard backs especially special editions, the value of the book in years to come is greater if it still hass its dust cover.

[Idril]

You could always take the dust cover off and leave it somewhere safe while you are reading the book. With hard backs especially special editions, the value of the book in years to come is greater if it still hass its dust cover.

I know and that is a very sensible suggestion but it's only for people who live in normal houses, I do not live in such a house. :p There is no safe place here, everything is fair game and if I do manage to find such a place, chances are, I won't remember where I stashed it when it's time to reclaim it. :rolleyes: No, for me, hardcovers are just a nuisance, not that I don't own a few and if I'm looking for an older or hard to find book and the only form it comes in is hardcover, I'm not going to let that stop me but when given a choice, I'll always pick the paperback...unless, as I said, it's a special edition of a favorite book...but even then, I don't actually read those, they're just for display. My Tolkien books, for example, I have a couple of hardcover editions of LOTR and a few of this other books but I never read those, I have paperbacks of them all and that is what I read when I feel like reading a little Tolkien.

[bookseller]

They are the small hardcovers that are being sold at BN right now for $2.99. I love them because hardcovers are more durable than paperbacks, yet usually too big and clunky to carry around with me. These collector's library hardcovers are just right! Small, portable and comfortable to hold.

Otherwise, I prefer trade paperback most of the time, for the reasons previously mentioned. They'r more portable and generally weigh less so are easier for me to hold.

I have two editions each of David Copperfield and Nicholas Nickleby; a paperback for serious reading, and a beautiful Nonesuch hardcover edition to browse through and just enjoy.

[Whifflingpin]

"And then there's the dust covers, I never know what to do with the dust covers, "

Cover them with clear plastic, the way they do in libraries.

[Niamh]

I know and that is a very sensible suggestion but it's only for people who live in normal houses, I do not live in such a house. :p There is no safe place here, everything is fair game and if I do manage to find such a place, chances are, I won't remember where I stashed it when it's time to reclaim it. :rolleyes: No, for me, hardcovers are just a nuisance, not that I don't own a few and if I'm looking for an older or hard to find book and the only form it comes in is hardcover, I'm not going to let that stop me but when given a choice, I'll always pick the paperback...unless, as I said, it's a special edition of a favorite book...but even then, I don't actually read those, they're just for display. My Tolkien books, for example, I have a couple of hardcover editions of LOTR and a few of this other books but I never read those, I have paperbacks of them all and that is what I read when I feel like reading a little Tolkien.

Fair enough!:p (could always lie them out flat under your mattress:D )

Any hoodle,
Generally a book is a book. Doesnt matter what type it is. I really like hardbacks. To feel they have this feeling about them. I dont mind trade paperbacks and small paperbacks either. I generally buy them,infact the majority of my books are paperback(mainly standard small paperback) but if its a book by an author i like....Got to be hardback. As for lugging hardbacks around.... thats why i have a big bag.:p

[motherhubbard]

I like the paperback just fine. I only read most books once and a paperback is fine for that. If it is a book that I will come back to again and again I want a hard back. There are only a handful of books I want to keep and read again. For the most part I am a library girl or cheap as possible eBay paperback.

[StayGolden]

I prefer hardcover. It's too easy for paperback books to get all bent and tore up, they're more easily ruined if something gets spilled on their cover (because it will seep through faster), if they're read a lot the pages get...all distorted, if you know what I mean?

I think a few extra dollars for a more durable copy of a book is definitely worth it.

[Bartholomew]

I prefer hardcover, especially when I can find it cheaper than paperback. Some places just sell books for cheap.

[Stieg]

It means alot more to me when the book is new and mine.

And I am always digging around for obscure literature usually buy a used OOP edition either HC and PB.

But prefer HC I mean the quality going into the stuff put out by Canada's Ash-Tree Press, UK's Tartarus Press, and US's Arkham House nearly bring tears to my eyes they're so beautifully crafted. And Modern Library, Everyman's Library, and Library of America putting out great stuff.

For some of my horror needs particularly when collecting the likes of Richard Matheson and Jack Ketcum, independent presses such as Cemetery Dance, Overlook Connection, Night Shade, Gauntlet, and Subterrarean Press put out GORGEOUS volumes wrapped in vinyl.

But all of this is pretty expensive and so I sulk.

I'll take both.

[Niamh]

I prefer hardcover, especially when I can find it cheaper than paperback. Some places just sell books for cheap.

you see thats the great thing about Chapters bookshop here in dublin. When you small paperback edition comes out they get heaps of the hardbacks in and sell them for dirt cheap.

[crisaor]

I prefer hardcover, but such option is not always available.

I never regretted buying a hardcover edition, but I'm really picky when buying books. The only one I didn't keep was The Decameron, since it began to bore me with its excessively similar tales, and after I finished it, I knew I wouldn't read it again, so I gave it away.


And as Idril said, Tolkien is the notable exception to my hardcover preference.

[aabbcc]

I actually tend to prefer paperback editions (though in my personal collection there are a lot of books with hard covers), they tend to be more practical when travelling (which means a lot to me!), occupy less space, and I tend to associate them with... with trains, with docks, with reading whilst travelling, with cheaper prices, with being able to carry more books with you wherever you go; then, when they get that 'used' look they tend to just feel more personal... I do not know, it is hard to really put it into words, but I adore paperbacks, they suit perfectly into the 'atmosphere' of my life, to say so.

[Bakiryu]

I don't care. even thought my harry potter 1 paperback is falling apart. As long as I can read it, it can be a grass cover for all i care. Of course If I can't find on paperback I'll buy the hardback. But paperbacks are cheaper and that's all that counts. (Of course flea markets help with this. :))

[Brandex]

I prefer paperback books. I like to underline passages and write in the margins, and I don't feel good about it if I'm doing that to a hardcover. Paperbacks can last a fairly long time if they're not too bulky and you take good care of them. Only a few have worn out on me, and that was because I bought them used or owned them as a child.

[kratsayra]

I chose "I don't care" because it really depends on the book and the situation.

I bought Harry Potter 7 in hard cover because I just had to read it asap. But that is very rare for me. I own only a handful of hardcover fiction books that I've bought new.

Usually, I don't buy books-for-fun much (academic books are quite another matter) and prefer the library or buying used (usually paperback) if I come across something I want. I will buy a book (again, usually paperback) new from the store if I'm in one of those situations where I desperately need something to read, or if I'm going to be traveling or something like that.

I really like borrowing books from the library because there's something comforting about the idea that lots of people have enjoyed the same book as me, or something like that. Or maybe I'm just cheap (or maybe I'm spending all my money on academic books . . .). ;)

[Shalot]

I picked don't care and here's why: if I enjoy reading the book, I don't care how it's bound. A boring book is going to be boring no matter how it's packaged.

Now, if I really enjoyed it or something, I might go out and spend big bucks on the cool hardcover/cover art edition. But how do you know until you read it? This is why I just don't care. Just hand me a book I can get lost in and I will love you forever. :nod:

[Pensive]

I don't particularly care. I am okay with both if I get hands on the book I want to read! But if it's about very strict preference, I think I would go with paperback books. I have already hardly got any hardback books. And anyway, they are heavy and I have this habit of reading books while lying down and I find it difficult to hold a book for a lot of time if it's very heavy. Paper-back books are found extremely cheap here as compared to hard-back books, that's also a plus point for paper-back.

As for hardback having more chances of protecting the book, I agree but if you have a safe spot for keeping them (which I think I do), everything is quite fine.

[ukmiss]

It has to be a brand new paperback. There is nothing like putting that first crease in the spine. ;)

[Video Drone]

Hardcover, paperback keep closing themselves...

[kratsayra]

Hardcover, paperback keep closing themselves...

I totally know what you mean! It drives me crazy - especially when I'm trying to take notes. I'm always piling things on top of my books to keep them open.

[hedbanger]

I never thought I'd get this many responces. xD



Where did that poll come from? :F

[crisaor]

Why was the thread moved? :confused:

[NickAdams]

Which ever is a better edition.

[Bakiryu]

Sometimes paperbacks are better specially because if you pile them and they somehow fall they won't break your head~Unlike hardbacks! *shakes fits in anger at book-pile*

[shingo]

Definitely paperback (maybe a couple of exceptions to do with length). Paperbacks readily mould to your hand as they have a bit of give in them, hardbacks always feel awkward to hold and relax. Another downside to hardbacks is the variation in shape, some books you get are just an awkward size and shape which you try and balance around to read.

[hedbanger]

Why was the thread moved? :confused:

Good question, seemed on-topic to me. oO';

[Lezlie]

I buy hardcover books on sale!! I have alot of paperback books.....but all my favorites are trashed because I have read them so many times....so its hardcover for me now!