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/lit/ - Literature

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17321609 No.17321609 [Reply] [Original]

Illiterate here,
Are hardcovers better for books with lots of pages? I just meme'd myself into buying Mason & Dixon in hardcover and I still need to buy John Cheever's stories and Salinger's, but I'm not sure about sure about getting them in hardcover when the paperback is so cheaper.

>> No.17321623

>>17321609
Unironically an ereader, anon. Cheaper than a lot of hardcovers.

>> No.17321638
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17321638

>>17321609
>>17321623
Bing bong, Anon. Just buy an ereader. One-time lump sum of ~$100 for unlimited free books. Can't go wrong.

>> No.17321658

>>17321623
>>17321638
really? people really use those? I can't believe it. Do you also use them outside your house?

>> No.17321663

>>17321658
Either uh?
Get these?

Or be a normal human being and get a library membership for 3 dollers or something you know

>> No.17321675

>>17321658
>really? people really use those?
Yes? I have 500 books that fit in my pocket. Resistant to water, can read in the dark, not hard on the eyes. It's an incredibly device.
>Do you also use them outside your house?
I haven't left my house in a very long time, but yes I would be comfortable reading it anywhere I could instead read a book.

>> No.17321697

>>17321675
Does it tire your eyes? I've been reading books on pdf on my desktop, and I've got to say, it isn't optimal if its not a technical manual or textbook.

>> No.17321857

>>17321697
No it's nothing like reading on a screen. It uses e-ink, which is to say that it doesn't cause eyestrain like a phone or monitor would. It looks and feels like reading from paper for me.

>> No.17321922

you should only buy expensive editions of books you adore. otherwise the words in the paperback are exactly the same..

>> No.17321953

>>17321922
This desu. I pirate all my books and buy nice hardcovers of the ones I really really love.

>> No.17321995

Anyone know the quality of Cambridge hardcovers? And SUNY?

>> No.17321999

>>17321922
>>17321953
kay, felt like Mason&Dixon was an important piece of lit to own as a hc.

>> No.17322001

>>17321922
>>17321953
also it's worth mentioning that sometimes hardcovers are the most cost efficient book to buy. for example, OP mentions Cheever. well, the most effecient way to buy Cheever are the two Library of America hardcovers. those two books, which would run anywhere from 60-80 dollars, comprise the entirety of his output.

Another example (using Library of America because they are typically cost effective) is the collection of Western novels they just released. it includes Ox Bow Incident, Shane, Searchers, and Warlock and is 28 dollars on Amazon atm.
Well, the NYRB paperback of Warlock alone is 15 dollars.

Basically OP I'm saying shop around. very few books go out of print in a hurry, so pick your battles patiently.

>> No.17322011

>>17321999
>kay, felt like Mason&Dixon was an important piece of lit to own as a hc.
if you've never read it before then quite simply you are a lemming. one day you're going to blind buy a /lit/core book, fucking hate it, and have a moment of clarity, which will cause you to be more judicious in your purchases

>> No.17322023

>>17322001
>Basically OP I'm saying shop around. very few books go out of print in a hurry, so pick your battles patiently.
And finding a used hardcover of a good book for $10 is an unbeatably good feeling.

>> No.17322031

>>17322023
naturally, and everything I said about being patient and judicious and watching prices, applies to used books. I typically buy used books because they are the cheapest option and it doesn't bother me to read used books

>> No.17322043

>>17322031
As long as they're in good shape I actually prefer used over new. A used book has a certain poetic character to it that a starchy new one just can't match.

>> No.17322063

>>17322043
yes the little things like the flexibility of a broken in book and even the smell of it are small things I would consider "perks" of buying used. another perk is you are giving money to regular folk (like me, I sell books on amazon) instead of a faceless corporate monsters. also a perk of buying used is there is no tax

>> No.17322065

>>17322063
>(like me, I sell books on amazon
Link? I'd much rather support a /lit/bro than Chapters.

>> No.17322071

>>17322065
i don't sell book-books on amazon (margins are very low that it isn't worth it imo.), I use it to sell comic books. comic books go out of print very quickly and the fans are zealous so it's easy to flip books that way (not that I buy them *to* flip them, it just works out that way)

>> No.17322236

>>17322011
did you find it bad? I find it a bit challenging, but with the help of the Wiki I was able to get some of the references in the book.