/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.21337902]

>I only buy leather bound books
What kind of person do you imagine?

[Anonymous No.21337911]

>>21337902
A fetishist who fixes on book-as-objects rather than books as the medium for literature

[Anonymous No.21337912]

Are there books with actual evil MCs? I want to read one where the MC is a rapist and murderhobo. It seems like authors don't really want to write these types of characters.

I tried writing my own story on RR but it wasn't posted since the start of that story has the MC committing a school shooting and raping a girl before getting transported to fantasy land.

[Anonymous No.21337920]

>>21337912
Rage by Stephen King
Diary of a Rapist by Evan S. Connell

[Anonymous No.21337923]

>>21337911
What if I’ve listened to the audio book and now I want to own a physical copy? The only books on my shelf are books that I’ve read or heard in some form.

[Anonymous No.21337940]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRX13oJu5OQ

[Anonymous No.21337946]

>>21337902
Fat as fuck, ugly oversized dresses, weirdly shaped glasses, stupid ass haircut

[Anonymous No.21337956]

Somebody with a lot of money and no time to actually read them

[Anonymous No.21338014]

>>21337902
Me. A racist Italian Canadian.

[Anonymous No.21338044]

>>21337902
90% insufferable pseuds, 10% legit autists

[Anonymous No.21338065]

>>21337912
American Psycho. Blood Meridian...

[Anonymous No.21338068]

what about early 20th century style fabric bound books?

[Anonymous No.21338130]

For me, it's vellum.

[Anonymous No.21338177]

>>21337902
>less comfortable to read
>BUT IT LOOKS COOLER
anyone who buys hardcover instead of paperback is a massive consoomer pseud. Also they look ugly and dirty, not cooler. it's the book equivalent of those dirty multicoloured scarves english lit students wear.

[Anonymous No.21338179]

>>21337923
That's basically what they said. You would be focusing on the physical object of the book rather than the contents. If you plan on reading it at some point then it's not a problem to me. But why not just buy a cheap used copy? I say that but it's your money to spend how you like. I do the same thing by only buying new books...

[Anonymous No.21338246]

>>21337902
smelly person

[Anonymous No.21338247]

>>21337912

[Anonymous No.21338257]

>>21338130
Aesthetic

[Anonymous No.21338339]

>>21337912
The Stars my Destination by Bester.

Scifi about a guy marooned in space takes out a ventdetta on the ship and crew that observes his SOS but abandons him. It consumes him.

[Anonymous No.21338391]

Dark academia tiktok girl or antiquarian schizoid

[Anonymous No.21338395]

I've been autistically checking eBay for months to see if they have the 4 books I want for their buy-3-get-one-free deal in very good condition because I refuse to buy any book that isn't anything less than very good condition. They never have all 4 of them available

[Anonymous No.21338474]

>>21337940
Go away

[Anonymous No.21338489]

>>21338130
>For me, it's vellum.
Animal Vellum looks good, and may hold up better over time than either cloth or regular leather.

[Anonymous No.21338566]

>>21337902
someone who cares about longevity, but more than likely is vain

[Anonymous No.21338724]

>>21337902
For me it's half leather binding. But really any binding where the pages are sewn is good.

[Anonymous No.21338727]

>>21338474
No you go away

[Anonymous No.21338766]

>>21337902
Based if the rest of your house matches the aesthetic
Funkpop tier cringe if not

[Anonymous No.21338772]

>>21338177
I tend to fidget a lot when I read and if I'm Reading a paperback I tend to destroy them pretty quickly because I absentmindedly fret at the pages and cover, bend it in ways it shouldn't be bent and fold the book over the wrong way. I can't do that with hardcovers.

Plus I like the noise they make when you close them *thwop* :)

Kind of a moot point for me though because I read electronically most of the time so I can pirate the books

[Anonymous No.21338858]

>>21337902
My only Easton book is Moby Dick bought for $25 from a used book store, but I would never pay $100 or whatever for a new copy.

[Anonymous No.21338859]

>>21337902
Shitty esl

[Anonymous No.21338876]

>>21337902
someone who recognizes the point of physical books: furniture.

[Anonymous No.21338901]

>>21337902
I hate paperbacks so much. If i have to pay 20 bucks more for a hardcover, i fucking do it

[Anonymous No.21338927]

>>21337902
Easton Press is honestly just a scam. They are reprints of reprints of reprints, usually with the most outdated translation possible, tacky fake gilt edges, and the absolute cheapest """"genuine leather"""" that can be legally called so.

Have owned some myself and don't understand why anyone would want them. It's not like quality hardbacks are some rare and hallowed prize to be found; pic related

[Anonymous No.21338935]

>>21337902
Some kind of pretentious fuckwit

[Anonymous No.21338954]

>>21337902
I don't.

[Anonymous No.21338974]

>>21337902
My personal library exists solely to stunt on people who visit my home. My books are leather bound and jewel encrusted, several are worth multiple thousands of dollars. Several are signed by the author, most are first edition. I have an entire bookshelf devoted to books on advanced mathematics that I've never read. I have books in six or seven languages even though all I speak is English and a little Spanish. My bookshelf mogg's your bookshelf out existence, and when I die they will all be burned with me on a massive pyre.

[Anonymous No.21339003]

>>21337912
Simplicius Simplicissimus, kind of. For part of it at least.

[Anonymous No.21339141]

>>21337902
A retard, leather books are nice but most folio society/modern editions are very soi/reddit from what I have seen.

There is nothing wrong with only owning quality editions and harbacks, but there are many other worthwile bindings, like fabric.Fabric is really based.

>>21338068
Very based. Classy without being pretentious.

[Anonymous No.21339229]

This presents a real conundrum. Books in fine bindings are a true joy, but the best versions of the content are usually simple paperbacks.

[Anonymous No.21339405]

>>21338068
Imagine the smell

[Lands of Lords: Why won’t he go away? No.21339409]

>>21337902
Bonded leather lmao. There’s not a single leather bound book in that picture. I doubt you’ve ever even seen one before.

[Anonymous No.21339431]

This u?

[Anonymous No.21339655]

>>21337902
Only the neckiest; only the beardiest, fine sir!

[Anonymous No.21339862]

>>21337902
Look at all that dust. Have some fucking self respect and clean your collection.

[Anonymous No.21339931]

>>21339409
>Bonded leather
Easton Press is not bonded leather. They use mainly Cromwell Saderra pigskin, finer editions use cowskin.

[Anonymous No.21339968]

>>21337902
They look sexy as hell

[Anonymous No.21340204]

>>21338927
>usually with the most outdated translation possible
Older translations are usually better. The Everyman's Library you're praising uses Pevear for all of its Dostoevsky
>>21338927
>and the absolute cheapest """"genuine leather"""" that can be legally called so
Regardless of how cheap it is, the leather of even the oldest Easton editions still looks brand new

There are publishers I prefer, but Easton's paper is thick opaque cream. And the text is large, printed on spacious pages. They're nice books to hold and read that will last longer than we will

[Anonymous No.21340213]

>>21338068
Soulful and look good, but I try to avoid mouldy books that are falling apart

[Anonymous No.21340230]

>>21337902
"If you found the hidden room in my basement I would go to prison for the rest of my life"

[Anonymous No.21340342]

>>21339229
I’m running into this problem as well. For my favorite books I prefer to have fancy hardcover editions, but they usually have inferior translations or no supplementary material (notes, introductions). Like I can’t find a good hardcover of something like Notes from Underground because I hate the P&V translation that’s used on hardcovers

[Anonymous No.21340345]

If you want to build a library or pass on books to your grandchildren or their children, paper is the most important. Lots of paperbacks from the 1970s are falling apart because the wood-pulp paper got brittle because of acids/ pages falling out because of the glue.
Paper quality is again deteriorating since 2014/2015 with recycling paper containing a lot of mystery components, so be careful with that. Archival paper is made out of pure cotton (rags) and will last hundreds of years. So if you are interested in long-lasting books you should look for that and thread binding. Book covers are less important and can be replaced.

[Anonymous No.21340351]

>>21339229
custom made bindings from your local bookbinder is the solution

[Anonymous No.21340355]

>>21340345
how to identify the good paper?

[Anonymous No.21340370]

This u?

[Anonymous No.21340373]

>>21340370
Forgot img mb

[Anonymous No.21340375]

>>21337902
what is all that discoloration on the pages?

[Anonymous No.21340391]

>>21340345
Also consider getting an actual bookcase with glass doors for rare/valuable parts of your collection. Only meaningful dust-protection the book itself could have is gold plating which can be always be done by a bookbinder. A bookcase however is the cheaper option and can also be used to safely store your schizo books so visitors can't see them.

[Anonymous No.21340392]

>>21340342
>>21340351
>>21340345
hmm
I wonder if maybe there could be a system to organize the "best" version of a work (including any desired supplementary stuff, fixing typos, etc), showing how to print that out on high-quality paper, and providing guides to give to actual local bookbinders on how it should be bound
since it'd be a lot of work to figure that stuff out individually, but with the power of a few dozen /lit/ autists it might be simple to get ideal editions of every book under the sun

[Anonymous No.21340398]

>>21340392
I’ve been wanting something like this, book publishers are pretty terrible at keeping track of their own publications. Their official websites don’t list all of their releases or editions over the years.

[Anonymous No.21340400]

>>21340398
hell, if it was done with no regard for legality, it could combine elements of various other editions to become form the absolute best (read: the one most desired by the organizer)

[Anonymous No.21340406]

>>21340398
doable
>>21340400
too much work

[Anonymous No.21340445]

>>21340355
If the publisher had the book printed on high quality paper it usually also says so in the imprint. There you can also find eco/recyling-labels or similar statements. A good test is to hold one page against light. If you see some kind of pattern or lines its usually good sign since it means there is actual fabric in the paper and not just wood pulp (made up of short fibres). Cotton paper might also be softer, but testing this is less reliable bc of coatings.
With older, used books it is quite easy: if the pages are evenly discolored it is acidic paper.

[Anonymous No.21340454]

>>21337902
Leather club is two blocks down

[Anonymous No.21340486]

>>21337902
What publishers even make these?
>inb4 Easton Press
They don't ship to my country. Maybe some other publisher who does similar bindings does?

I've got some faux-leather ones from Canterbury Classics, but I've never come across any for the Three Musketeers, Moby Dick and other such titles. I always try to get the Hardcover version for longevity, but I always just find the typical hardcover look, nothing else. Some are clothbound, some have that fabric look. I'm mainly buying the classics in the Everyman's format, then whatever I can get for the rest. Eg I've got the new hardcover Book Of The New Sun releases, the Golancz Conan, the Arcturus Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost with the paintings, and so on. But I would like some good leather versions of certain books. My Everyman's look presentable and have a nice selection of the classics, but I'd like to set up another section with some true leatherbound books.

And as someone who tries to collect them, I honestly do it mostly for the aesthetics, yes. I like to imagine I'm some great wizard with forbidden tomes of arcane knowledge. Sure, the actual information is in the paperbacks too, but if you're buying you're collecting, and if you're collecting, why not try to make it look good? A lot of those leatherbound and such books look very tacky, which is why you have to be careful with what you buy.

[Anonymous No.21340584]

>>21337912
Child of God by McCarthy is word-for-word what you described.

[Anonymous No.21340960]

>>21340204
>last longer than we will
Nigger you planning on using your books for a mop after you've read them? hardcovers don't just spontaneously combust after xx years.
modern library and everymans have neat, quality, portable editions that I find much much nicer to read and hold - which is why i mentioned both of those specifically (although i do agree and wish EL didn't use p&v) - but there are more options aside from those too.

>the oldest Easton editions still looks brand new
okay this is just straight up shillery. you can go to ebay search easton press and see pictures of cracks and flakes in the ""leather" and scratches on the cheap gilding on the first page of results

[Anonymous No.21340971]

>>21337911
FPBP

I swear all this fetishist materalistic book buyers aren't better than the medium consoomer

[Anonymous No.21340993]

>>21337911
fpbp

[Anonymous No.21340995]

>if they're rich
Cool, no reason not to if you like them.
>if they aren't high income
Reddit tier don't collect expensive toys like that and blow all your money.

Most people ITT are just jealous
>FETISH FETISH FETISH
This word is so damn overused.

[Anonymous No.21341058]

>>21340960
>modern library
I like their graphic design, but the paper in old sewn Modern Library books is already brittle and ratty-looking, and the newer ones are all glued
>>21340960
>everymans
I own a lot of these. Aside from using higher quality, less coarse, more resilient cloth; a spine titling method that doesn't flake off when you blow on it; less transparent paper; and printing that's more consistent and crisp, there's not much I would change about them. They're pretty nice books
>you can go to ebay search easton press and see pictures of cracks and flakes in the ""leather"
They're not bound in titanium or diamond. Any book will show wear if it's abused, but you could read old Eastons a hundred times and they'd look brand new. The gilding is a lot more fragile than the leather, and I'd rather they weren't gilded at all, but even that's easy to keep pristine if you take care of your books

I don't own or want to own any of their newer stuff, but main things I'd change about classic Easton books:
1. Chill on the gold foil. It's ugly
2. More consistently crisp printing
3. I don't like how gilded pages look
4. I don't want illustration in novels

[Anonymous No.21341162]

>>21338068
Not great. They look fantastic, but look at their state - barely a century has gone by and they're ready to fall apart.

[Anonymous No.21341234]

>>21341058
>Any book will show wear if it's abused, but you could read old Eastons a hundred times and they'd look brand new.
no they wouldn't. the leather isn't peeling/cracking because the book was abused, it's because its shitty notleather. i don't know why you're insisting on this. proof is available.

agree with the rest of your post

[Anonymous No.21342174]

>>21339931
Pretty sure Easton Press used have a bonded leather selection for a lower price point. Judging by the OP pic and the shine, I'd say there's likely plastics over it like patent, and it's definitely not the highest grade of any leather whether bonded or not. If you think about the consumers of the product it doesn't make sense to have a leather you have to take care of, nor is it cost effective to think about gassing problems that won't occur until generations later when the press will probably be defunct.

[Anonymous No.21342328]

Is this, by chance, you, op?

[Anonymous No.21342521]

>>21337902
Your library actually looks nice, OP. I can imagine how cozy it is. We're all just roasting you for fun. I already too my turn teasing you too >>21339655

[Anonymous No.21342627]

>>21341058
You can tell by that picture that it isn't a real leather bound book. It's a paper-thin leather composite glued onto cardboard that scratches right off. That's garbage. I have some real leather bound books, the leather is thick and if you scratch it there is just more leather under it. A full leather binding will cost at least $500 these days for material and labor. I have shopped around for binders to get some of my cloth books rebound. No one is mass producing them these days. There's no shame in not being able to buy real leather bound books, but there is in buying this imitation shit. Just buy nice clothbound books and stop larping as a patrician.

[Anonymous No.21342647]

>>21337902
Someone who doesn't understand aesthetics but wants to

[Anonymous No.21342778]

>>21337902
>these ugly kitschy things cost more than 100$ each
I'd literally rather drop that money on comic book omnibuses. Buy your books in normal 20-30 $ hardback editions with some nice cloth. If you want a fancy library of collectors' items, hit up the antique shops for some genuine leatherbound books and specific editions. This picture just screams bad taste.

[Anonymous No.21342786]

>>21337902
These bindings upset pseuds not only because they're new and lack any visible signs of wear, but because by virtue of being well-crafted hardcovers they're unlikely to accumulate them any time soon. These are very disturbing qualities in books to your average il/lit/erati who yearns to demonstrate nicely creased and cracked "definitely perused and totally not pseud" paperback spines more than he wants to actually read the very pages they hold together. In their eyes, investing in a sturdy, luxurious leather or nicely decorated buckram bindings to please the owner's eye and provide the books with more longevity is antithetical to the one and only reason of owning physical books at all; that is to serve as an achievement display that would quickly and unambiguously communicate to the two drunken girls and three college dudebros who visit their studio apartment once a year just how authentically e/lit/e and genuinely well-read the owner is, whilst definitely not trying to pretend to want to hope to look like it. Plus, the price factor also breaks some typical self-imposed illusions of being a chosen member of some semi-secret class of penniless bohemian intellectuals, engaged in cultural guerilla warfare on the back line of a grand army of philistine en-pee-see bougies, that so many younger members of /pol/-for-smart-people seem to be under. These are quite hilarious idiosyncrasies and I can wholeheartedly recommend skimming through some older shelf threads to find people both accusing someone of buying particular bindings to show off and chastising the others for not having their spines project the required aura of "well-readness" quite strong enough all in a single post.

[Anonymous No.21342969]

>>21342627
>You can tell by that picture that it isn't a real leather bound book
I don't need a picture. I've held them. They're bound in a leather that's reasonably thick and durable, and almost all of the 50-year-old copies you find--with the exception of usually faded silk endpapers, and often scratched gilt on the text blocks--look like new. They're not made like a horse saddle, but how often do you strap your books to a horse?

I don't even really like Easton Press books, but aside from comments on aesthetics, criticisms online are usually wrong

[Anonymous No.21342977]

>>21342786
I just assume it's Easton Press shills, especially around Christmas time but hey I'm a schizo. I didn't even know they existed before going on /lit/, I just buy my books used. It's cool that they exist and do what they do though. Is there any info about how these books are constructed? I can't find much on Easton Press' homepage. Like are the headbands sewn or glued to the spine?

[Anonymous No.21343082]

>$900 for a reprint of the Gutenberg Bible
I‘ll just buy the original for that price. Sheesh.

[Anonymous No.21343320]

>>21338177
You pleb, leather bounds are for your library display, you read your book on ereader.

[Anonymous No.21343323]

What's with all the hate from you plebs? I would personally prefer ivory and gold bound books or leather bounds in more classical conservative style like you get with multi volume collections but certainly don't get the hate. Most of you probably can't afford them lmao

[Anonymous No.21343327]

>>21342786
Based and mostly true

[Anonymous No.21343330]

colorful leather is tacky

[Anonymous No.21343339]

>>21340995
>Tfw dirt poor but very nice collection of leather bound books purchased at the expense of many missed meals

[Anonymous No.21343972]

>>21343320
>You pleb, leather bounds are for your library display, you read your book on ereader.
My leather books are for reading. My ereader's only for reading when I'm in water. A big leather book feels great in the hands

[Anonymous No.21344005]

>>21337902
A rich autist if they're buying real used leather books. A woman decorating her shelves if it's fake leather

[Anonymous No.21344137]

>>21337912
A Clockwork Orange

[Anonymous No.21344164]

>>21337911
>t. uses a kindle

[Anonymous No.21344678]

>>21337912
The monk. It's a classic gothic horror novel from the 1700s where a monk is pious then one day decides he needs to rape and do black magic.

[Anonymous No.21344692]

>>21338927
> They are reprints of reprints of reprints, usually with the most outdated translation
Those tend to be reprints of Limited Editions Club originals and have dated translations because they were originally made 50-100 years ago. They’re reprints of reprints in the sense that Heritage Editions was created to offer these at an affordable price and now finally EP is doing it.
You present it like it’s a bargain basement thing when it’s actually keeping alive books that were originally created for an elite customer base and had limitations of 1000-1500 books.
I’m not saying you have to like them but know what the fuck you’re talking about at least.
>cheap leather
Top grain leather for books is rare and when used people complain it’s ugly because it’s top grain and therefore has natural imperfections. There was an idiot claiming they had bonded leather earlier. Know what you’re talking about. Understand what you’re asking for.

[Anonymous No.21344697]

>>21342174
It’s not bonded leather or patent leather you fucking idiot. It’s amazing you can live with the ability to research anything in minutes and still rely on your personal headcanon of opinions instead of checking a fact.

[Anonymous No.21344949]

>>21338130
Based Hearn enjoyer