Another Thursday and another question from Booking Through Thursday! This week it's:
All other things (like price and storage space) being equal, given a choice in a perfect world, would you rather have paperbacks in your library? Or hardcovers? And why?
Some of the most adorable books in my library are these small, hardcover books, with a red cover and gold-edged pages, that I bought from Barnes and Noble a while back. They even have thin, red ribbon to use as a book-marker! One of my favorite things about them is that they are small enough to fit into nearly any of my purses, so I can carry any of them around with me; a great classic novel that I can take anywhere without having to lug some big, thick tome around with me - Wonderful!
While my library is, at present, almost completely composed of paperbacks, I think I would prefer hardcovers, if all other factors (read "price") were equal. At the present, hardback books cost too much more for me to buy them, but they are more attractive sitting on your shelf. They also have the advantage of not falling apart as easily. There are a few books in my collection that have been read so many times that I fear it will fall into a couple pieces. I also don't feel so bad about cracking the spine of a hardcover... I always feel just a bit guilty for opening a paperback and putting a bend in the spine of the book (I can't dog-ear pages either... it's something about "damaging" the book - I just can't manage it without a bit of guilt).
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Format - BTT
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8 comments:
You make a very interesting point here, namely that it isn't just a question of hardback or paperback; there are so many other issues to take into account. One of my f2f groups has a number of members who are very much influenced by the size and production of a book.
I feel pretty much the same way about everything you said, including "book damage"! LOL...
Happy BTT :-)
I'm with you, I don't like to "damage" a book either. My books usually look brand new after I have read them and I'm very picky about who I lend them too. haha! I prefer trade paperback, get the big size but still not as heavy as a hardback.
Nice answer. I agree that I don't feel as guilty about cracking the spine of a hardcover...
And I hadn't thought of those nice hardbound classics from B&N as being so convenient...I might just have to go pick some up!
Table talk- There are a lot of options... which of course only makes my visits to the bookstore more troublesome... can't say that I mind too much though!
Marianne and Kris- It is so nice to hear that I am not the only one who worries about damaging my books. One of my friends will write in hers and break the spines and I just can't do it...
Trish- I haven't seen the little books that I love in the bookstore lately. It seems as though B&N has discontinued them in favor of the larger hardcovers, which breaks my heart. These little red ones are about 4x6 inches - smaller than a typical paperback - and they fit anywhere. I love them! If you find some, you should definitely grab them.
Now there's a thing ... those beautiful ribbon bookmarks: you don't get them in a paperback. And I agree about worrying about damaging a book. It's horrible when I have to write notes in one ... I make them in pencil, hoping to do less damage!
I've got a set of Sherlock Holmes books that look just like those you described!
And, I worry about the damage to my paperbacks, too.
Mine's up at:
http://cjreading.blogspot.com/2008/02/booking-through-thursday-21.html
cjh
Angela - The ribbons are nice. My friend once got in the habit of taping the ribbons to the spine of her paperbacks, but I don't recommend that.
CJ - Aren't they cute! And they are convenient to carry around with you, as well. The one I am reading is thin enough that I can put it in my back pocket of my jeans, should I desire to.
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