Reply
Moderator
paulgoatallen
Posts: 7,326
Registered: ‎08-16-2007
0 Kudos

Hardcover versus Paperback

Just wondering about this – I know a few people who will only buy and/or read hardcovers. Does anyone here have this dislike for paperbacks? And, if I may ask, why? I actually love paperbacks. I can take them anywhere and I love the smell of the pages – it reminds me of when I was a kid and I started really getting into reading.

 

I know, this is completely tangential but I'm just curious if other people have this preference about reading only hardcovers...

Paul 

"There never can be a man so lost as one who is lost in the vast and intricate corridors of his own lonely mind, where none may reach and none may save..." – Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky
Inspired Bibliophile
Nelsmom
Posts: 2,628
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

Paul,

 

I like hardcovers if it is an author that I reread a lot because they last much longer but for most books I get paperbacks for the same reason you do, they are easy to carry around besides being less expensive.  Most of the authors I have in hardback are Science Fiction/Fantasy authors but I Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris are the two in Paranormal that I have in hardback.  And since both of their earlier books are being rereleased in Hardback as I can afford them I'm getting them.

 

Toni

Toni L. Chapman
Everyone needs some Tender Loving Care
Wordsmith
Chomp
Posts: 1,241
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

For me, choosing hardback over paperback has more to do with availability. If the book I want to read sooner rather than later is in hardcover, I will either buy it or get it from a library. Otherwise, I love paperbacks and own tons of them. They certainly are easier to carry around and take up less space.

 

Paul, I think the feeling some people may have about paperbacks as being somehow of lesser quality than hardbacks can be traced back to the "penny" novels that were so popular a hundred and more years ago. Up until the last twenty years or so, I think paperbacks were also viewed as being disposable, and therefore not as important. Certainly the rise in production costs has made paperbacks much more feasible for most publishers. 

 

The older I get, I often prefer paperbacks (as long as the print is big enough and dark enough) because they aren't as heavy. :smileywink:

 

Carol 

So many books, so little time...
Inspired Contributor
osha341
Posts: 78
Registered: ‎08-09-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I agree with Carol about them being heavy, the hardbacks.  Everywhere I go these days I carry a paperback book or 2 in my purse cause of lines, lines, lines, at the grocery store, bank, auto repair, etc.  When I'm in my office at work they only give 3 breaks a day, 15 minutes in the morning, lunch and then 15 minutes in the afternoon and yes I do smoke, chew gum, drink a soda and read a book too as I walk around the buildings getting the kinks out of the old bode from typing on the computer and reading a ton of information all day.  A paperback, whether the regular kind or softbound books are the easiest  to tote, don't take up any room at all and are the easiest to store in my home.  I've got two book cases and right now I have 29 books awaiting to be read and more on the way. God I love these threads !!! Gets the mind going even if its a Saturday.  Take Care ALL
Lindy...
Powerful Women's Motto: Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says... "Oh sh_t...she's awake!!'
Inspired Correspondent
Bonnie824
Posts: 951
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I read both, usually hardback from the library, and if they don't have it I buy paperback. Some paperback has too small font or is cheaply made (I can't read tiny print).
Inspired Contributor
osha341
Posts: 78
Registered: ‎08-09-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


Bonnie824 wrote:
I read both, usually hardback from the library, and if they don't have it I buy paperback. Some paperback has too small font or is cheaply made (I can't read tiny print).

 

Bonnie:  I agree with you on the tiny print.  Publishers need to make the font at least a 10 or 11 (computer not old typewriter pitch, too small) like large print books.
Lindy...
Powerful Women's Motto: Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says... "Oh sh_t...she's awake!!'
Contributor
werecat
Posts: 15
Registered: ‎08-30-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I buy paperbacks unless there is the next book in a series that I just can't wait for it to get to paperback.  Then I get the hardback and usually devourer the book in a day.  Then when it comes out in paperback, I check the used book stores to get it.  Then the hard copy goes in the library and the paperback gets worn to a tatter.

Moderator
paulgoatallen
Posts: 7,326
Registered: ‎08-16-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

Okay, so I guess I'm the only one with a "smell" thing going on with paperbacks... maybe it's because I have a huge nose.
"There never can be a man so lost as one who is lost in the vast and intricate corridors of his own lonely mind, where none may reach and none may save..." – Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky
Inspired Wordsmith
lilithesque
Posts: 360
Registered: ‎12-11-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I think I prefer paperback books for a couple reasons.  One, as mentioned here, the portability.  A second reason I prefer paperbacks is ease of trade.  Some of the second hand book stores I trade my books at wont buy the hard covers.  I don't know why that is but there you have it.  I only have one major bookcase and the majority of the books on it are nonfiction books on cooking, fixing, growing, painting, sewing etc.  I used to collect my books and shelve them, but really they mostly took up space because I am not a big re-reader.  I got into fung shui many years ago (casually) and thus got rid of most books and haven't looked back.  But I digress.  The point is I like buying books I can trade/sell fast and paper goes better for some reason.  Lastly, price.  I prefer the price of regular sized paperbacks better than hardback.  That is probably the deciding factor for broke ole me.   

  

On a different note,  I generally will not buy hardcover books by authors I am not in love with.  Same with the larger sized paperback books.  Quite a few of the monthly featured books on this thread have been 20ish dollar books because they are bigger then the usual paperback books.  They have been newer authors so I couldn't get it from the library either.  At least not in time for the month discussion. 

 

Given that I wont spend 20sh on a new author (to me) and the library didn't carry the book I had to pass quite a few of the book selections.  Some sounded good so I keep checking my library and read them later (Acevedo is one example).   

 

Anyway I guess I slid on a tangent there.  Sorry.

 

Lily   

Dude, Where's my book!
Frequent Contributor
Scraggles
Posts: 47
Registered: ‎08-15-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I tend to prefer paperbacks. I've got a touch of arthritis in my hands, and sometimes a heavy book is a real burden.


In fact, in recent years I've developed the almost unconcious habit of reading hardbacks at a table instead of instinctively curling up wherever I can find a cozy spot to read. This is bad only because it puts me within easy reach of the candy jar, and because it's all too tempting to get a cup of something tasty to drink while I read, which prompts me to have a snack ... . All those calories add up, and not in a good way. 

 

Another reason I tend to prefer paperbacks is that as I've gotten older, I've found that it's easier to store (and transport) paperbacks. In my various moves, a good number of odd sized hardbacks have wound up damaged from having been packed awkwardly, but my paperbacks tend to sail through. 

 

 

Moderator
paulgoatallen
Posts: 7,326
Registered: ‎08-16-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

Scraggles:

Your post made me remember the time when I was laying on a couch reading the last Harry Potter novel. The book must've been on some nerve or something because after a while, I felt my legs going numb! I think I called it a "lap numbing" read in the review I wrote!

Paul 

"There never can be a man so lost as one who is lost in the vast and intricate corridors of his own lonely mind, where none may reach and none may save..." – Isaac Asimov, Pebble in the Sky
Inspired Wordsmith
LordRuthven
Posts: 1,336
Registered: ‎09-07-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I prefer hardcovers if they are available cheaply. I am glad that some authors are having their older books reissued in hardcover.
Derek Tatum
Author
KatRichardson
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎04-01-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I have a preference for paperbacks, because they are easier to carry around and we have limited space on the boat for books.  I don't actually keep the majority of the books I buy because of the space and moisture issues on board; generally I read them, pass them to my hubby, then give them away to friends or the bookstore or put them in the laundry room at the marina.  If I want the book again, I buy it again or borrow it from the library or one of my friends.

 

The few hardcovers I own are signed copies, which I put away carefully in bags with dessiccant packs and then put in storage.  My author copies of my own book get given away or sold off to booksellers who don't have stock at conferences.  I generally only keep a couple of copies in storage for some day when they are very very valuable...  (yeah... right....)

Kat Richardson
http://katrichardson.com/
Inspired Wordsmith
LordRuthven
Posts: 1,336
Registered: ‎09-07-2007
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


KatRichardson wrote:

I have a preference for paperbacks, because they are easier to carry around and we have limited space on the boat for books...


With all due respect to everyone here, I think Kat is the winner of the most interesting post in this thread. Stuff I never would have thought about with regards to living on a boat.

Derek Tatum
Wordsmith
Chomp
Posts: 1,241
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


LordRuthven wrote:

KatRichardson wrote:

I have a preference for paperbacks, because they are easier to carry around and we have limited space on the boat for books...


With all due respect to everyone here, I think Kat is the winner of the most interesting post in this thread. Stuff I never would have thought about with regards to living on a boat.


True. Moisture is always an issue with books (says the librarian who is also OC about her own books), but living on a book takes it to a whole new level. :smileyhappy:

 

Carol

So many books, so little time...
Distinguished Bibliophile
TiggerBear
Posts: 9,489
Registered: ‎02-12-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


paulgoatallen wrote:
Okay, so I guess I'm the only one with a "smell" thing going on with paperbacks... maybe it's because I have a huge nose.

Oh I agree paperbacks have a smell, but Paul so do hardbacks. And I'm finding the newer post 1990's binding glue has less of a smell. After all, it is the glue creating the most fumes as it breaks down. And I am one of those people who actually likes the smell of slowly decomposing paper. (shrug)

 

Hardbacks I save for favorite authors. Softcover nowadays known as paperback, I get as they come. But true paperbacks those mass market ones, I'll pick up without any hesitation. Always the way I try new authors because if they suck I can trade them for 1/4 the print price easily. So they not a total waste. Paperbacks take less space, are more commonly available, more transportable, and well cheeper. 

Wordsmith
Chomp
Posts: 1,241
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

True. Moisture is always an issue with books (says the librarian who is also OC about her own books), but living on a book takes it to a whole new level. :smileyhappy:

 

Carol

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Uh, I was scrolling down through the posts looking for one I read yesterday, and noticed my ridiculous typo in this message. The above sentence was supposed to read, "...living on a boat takes it to a whole new level." Good grief. Although, from the sounds of it, with our huge book collections, some of us may indeed live on books...

 

Carol

So many books, so little time...
Author
KatRichardson
Posts: 262
Registered: ‎04-01-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback

I live on books--they are delicious! :smileywink:
Kat Richardson
http://katrichardson.com/
Wordsmith
Chomp
Posts: 1,241
Registered: ‎10-19-2006
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


KatRichardson wrote:
I live on books--they are delicious! :smileywink:

They are, indeed. Yummy!

 

Carol

So many books, so little time...
Scribe
SciFiCanuck
Posts: 2,072
Registered: ‎03-18-2008
0 Kudos

Re: Hardcover versus Paperback


paulgoatallen wrote:

Just wondering about this – I know a few people who will only buy and/or read hardcovers. Does anyone here have this dislike for paperbacks? And, if I may ask, why? I actually love paperbacks. I can take them anywhere and I love the smell of the pages – it reminds me of when I was a kid and I started really getting into reading.

 

I know, this is completely tangential but I'm just curious if other people have this preference about reading only hardcovers...

Paul 


 

Ditto.  I love the paperbacks because they are cheaper and more compact to carry around.  I haven't read The Host yet just because of that reason alone, LOL!

 

However....if I am waiting for a new release and it's only available in HC, then I buy it...online of course.  It takes too long for the mass market paperback otherwise.  I only delved into reading last year so I've mostly got paperbacks because most of the books have been out for a while.  I think I have about 5 hard covers.

 

Then there is my 19 year old daughter who won't have anything but hard covers.  She loves them....can't stand paperbacks. She also loves to keep them in prestine condition!!  It's soooo annoying, LOL!

My name is Teresa, and I'm a bookaholic
Current book(s): The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison (The Hollows #12)
Just finished: Black Arts by Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock #7)
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Paranormal-Urban-Fantasy/Hardcover-versus-Paperback/td-p/233855?nobounce
bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2014-10
553900
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:SS7TGRTW4THQYVX3LDR467BXDA4LOFI2
<urn:uuid:7b467db4-7d30-4e9c-9146-9de946f39eca>
2014-03-10T02:34:17Z
208.74.204.160
sha1:VGFBYYXF37E252K5OWDBY77MQWBCGQFW
<urn:uuid:22aed28f-5068-4c1c-88f9-1264981a3124>
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Paranormal-Urban-Fantasy/Hardcover-versus-Paperback/td-p/233855?nobounce
response
<urn:uuid:c53e9219-dc54-4193-bfac-3d59e8719e4c>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2014-10
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for March 2014
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf