I got my paperback edition of Metro 2033 at christmas, and it's already weary and rough. But, in the context of the books story, it fits really well. It feels like a lost relic and it actually made my reading experience a bit better
Paperback every time I have to wait for books to come out in paperback so I can Have the set for a series. There are series I’m waiting to start like lightbringer that I don’t want to start till the last book is out in paperback
I was inside a bus when it suddenly tipped over. Right before my face hit the asphalt, I used my hardcover copy of Arcanum Unbounded to cushion me. Literally saved my face. So hardcover if you need something as a shield.
@@FrankWinchester I don't read e-books for 2 reasons. First, it seems wrong that the most basic of pleasures enjoyed for thousands of years shouldn't require electricity as a sign of progress. Second, with wokeness causing some publishers to censor some books and in some cases actually rewrite hundred-year-old books not to offend modern readers, I don't want my library subject to 1984-like changes in reality. Part of my reading experience with Asimov sci-fi is seeing the future through the eyes of a 1950's man and what he sees as the norms of a reader in that time.
Frankly, I'd prefer the money put in the dust jacket to be put into the actual cover and spine of the hardback and the entire idea of the dust jacket ditched, even if that required simpler art on the actual cover of the hardback.
Harmonie Rainbow I don’t doze of for some reason I only fall asleep if I allow it. I can stay awake for 3 days if I allow it. I don’t bc I get sick if I miss a few nights.
For me the biggest thing that makes hardbacks attractive in terms of readability is that they actually stay open because the hard covers weigh down the pages. With a paperback, especially those tiny "mass market" ones, you can't easily just plop it down open on a table because it's not going to want to stay that way. Idk I guess some people don't care about this but it's a major factor for me.
I find hardbacks easier to curl up with because of this; I can rest them on my lap more easily. I also don't like cracking the spines of books so hardbacks free up some stress for me. I only really prefer paperbacks when travelling.
I used to be a “use the dust jacket flap as a bookmark” person but I’ve never been a “take off the dust jacket entirely” person. That would require not losing the dust jacket while you have the book elsewhere lol
Paperbacks are friendly. Hardcovers look down their noses at you. The way I see it, if you *collect* books, hardcovers are for you; if you *adopt* books, it’s paperbacks all the way.
To me, paperbacks seem very unfriendly because they don't seem to want to be read. Paperbacks fight to close ALL the time. It's a struggle to hold them open if you read for longer than 20 minutes. Just take the jacket off a hardcover, and it stays open SO much better.
Being a librarian I'm used to seeing book gore. Honestly I'd be curious for a part 2 where you get a library technicien to show the opposite, how to fix these flaws in your books and put them back together.
my budgie chewed a cover of a library book, i managed to restore it with some cardboard. I was very ashamed to bring back a book in worse condition than I took it, but the librarian was actually happy to see the restored version. So I guess librarians actually see a lot of book destruction 📚📚 also thanks to all librarians, you guys are magicians!
Thank you for your sweet comments ! Now I'll do a real librarian of myself and talk about rules 😂 : If you ever break a book, just come see us and be nice about it, we know all kinds of tricks to restore it 😇 I'd recommend not trying to fix them yourselves because it could makes it worst and be the difference between a minor fee and a book being "totaled" 😁
I personally prefer hardbacks, I live the feel of them, especially the slightly bumpy dust jacket you get on some of them. I love that some of them are so beautiful and designed to have a certain feel about them that I don’t get from paperbacks when reading them. And to be honest I don’t like bending paperbacks, I hate when the lie slightly open and have bend lines on the spine. But that’s my opinion. I like that hardbacks are supported too. But I can understand why someone might want paperback.
Same. Some people love wearing their books in, I like reading a book and it looks practically as good as new when finished. To each their own! I know some people who buy the cheapest paperback version they can find and, if they love the book, then they'll buy the hardcover version so it saves better and they could read it again later on.
@@CosmicApe That's exactly what I do. For me, reading is about being comfortable and an old used paperback that I'm not afraid of damaging is easily the most comfortable way to read a book. If I really like the book, I'll probably end up investing in a nice hardback to display on my shelf that I can revisit later.
@@bensmith3006"old used paperback I'm not afraid of damaging" paperbacks make me inherently afraid of damaging them, and older ones make me afraid of doing even more damage. I checked out a copy of Sourcery last year and never read it because it was an old paperback, and I was worried about it falling apart from me reading it.
Yep, I do everything I can to mitigate spine creasing in my paperbacks, which makes me prefer a hardcover any day. Plus I love that after I get about 20% of the way through, the hardcover will lie open if I set it on a table. I read during lunch at work so this is crucial for me!
I have a paperback War and Peace that was given to me that the original owner literally ripped in half because it was too thick and annoyed him to hold while he was reading. It's my absolute favorite book I own because it's so beat up. Abused paperbacks are far superior.
Ah yes, we all hear those warnings about hurricanes on the news - that a hurricane throws you around, slams you down into the ground, and then begins stabbing you repeatedly. Classic hurricane threat.😂
To be fair. There have been drinking straws found stabbed into tree trunks after hurricanes. Though i thought a front loading washing machine would have been a better way to test it.
One good thing (in my preference) about hardbacks is that if it is a bigger book like the hardback version of Rhythm of War, you can just open it and leave it open and don't have to hold it.
As a library assistant, two comments (and, dear god this got long, I do apologize!): - re: durability, in my experience paperback vs hardback matters far, far less than the overall quality of the production. Hardbacks *used* to be bound by thread, and they're bloody impossible to tear apart. Modern Hardbooks? Glue binding just like paperbacks. And there's a *huge* variation in glue quality. I sh*t you not, we've had books that fell apart completely before the first reader ever got their hands on them. (That's the kind of publisher that goes on our blacklist.) Ultimately, in normal (library) use, the most common signs of wear are liquid damage, people scribbling in the books, and pages coming lose. Hardback vs paperback makes no difference. (We do still prefer to buy hardbacks *because* they're less bendy, though, which means they look new for longer. People generally have a strong preference for newer(-looking) books here.) - your entire section about "don't buy hardcovers if you don't know yet if you'll like it" I was just waiting and *waiting* for you to suggest reading a library book and was deeply disappointed when you didn't. :P for your style of reading (with note taking and everything) it is absolutely unsuitable! But I think for a lot of folks, especially people who read a lot, a library is a very cost-efficient option for finding new things to love.
I am a known figure in my local library. I read almost all my books in the library before I purchase them. That way I can test out books and then support the author for books I like. Since I reread books all the time, it's never a waste of money either! My local library is tiny though, so they rarely have something I'm interested in, but since I live in Norway, all library books in the entire country (a few exceptions do exist) can be ordered in a couple days. Very convenient and cost-effective
I usually go there first if I'm not sure I'll like it or if I can't wait for the paperback (which is my usual budget). Unless it's a sequel to an old friend *and* my birthday ;)
I don't buy many physical books (it's the least likely format for me to actually get the chance to read), but this is useful information for when I do. Thank you.
@@dig8634 and, dear god this got long, I do apologize! - ME TOO when i was a student i spend a lot of time in library, especially when we go on a trip to town library, i love it - so may books in one place! town library is divided for children and for adult, and as a child i was afraid i will not be able to read all the books for children and sometimes i go to library every day (i was that kid who sit and didnt stant up until the book ends). but when i was transferred to adult section i found out that most of adults books are boring to me (like i could go to sleep reading horror or criminal book) and when i read everything i like in library i had to find another way to read books, and my town library to that day dont have a lot of books i love to read: Peter Brett, Terry Pratchett, Nalini Singh. So i start to read ebooks and now my personal library have no limits (i have about 1500 ebooks on kindle), i buy olny the books i love.
I believe there’s nothing wrong with buying books if that’s something that makes you happy, which I believe is the case for most people in this channel. Plus, you support the publishers and the authors, and also don’t have to wait weeks before getting a copy of a coveted new release.
I personally like paperback but the one thing that bugs me to oblivion is when I read a paperback book and enjoy it very much, find out there is a sequel and having to wait what feels like an eternity for it to come out in paperback. I want consistency in my series and the wait is a cruel way of torture.
This feels more of a "fear of missing out" thing rather than anything else. There's thousands upon thousands of amazing series that are complete, why not read those instead? In fact, there's not enough time in your lifetime to read even a fraction of all the good complete series.
It sounds silly but that is partly an essential part of the haptics. I love hardcover and paperbacks each in their own way. In my opinion, hardcover look better on the shelf. If you read them or just touch them, they feel like something valuable, a cigar box, a treasure chest. In contrast, paperbacks are more slapable. They give this feeling of something extensive, something rich. Like a ham or a thick bundle of cash. Of course, the most important thing for me is the content of a book. But I just love physical books. The smell, the cover-art, the haptics.
For me the paperbacks is for comfort, and hardcovers is for aesthetic. I first purchased the books in paperbacks, read them, decide if I like them enough to reread them in the future, and if I do, I'd try to collect the hardcover to display on my bookshelves. If not, then I'm gonna stick with the paperback. Contrary for peoples beliefs, paperback still can last long if you treat it right. For me, i always try to put plastic covers to my newly-purchased paperbacks. So the covers will not soak all that sweats from our destructive hands and make it last longer.
@@stefank2842 take your book and put it on a table or smt flat so the spine is on the table then slowly take a couple pages from both sides and press them down to the table and do that with all the pages
Vintage books are definitely awesome and that copy sounds awesome, but if it's that old then it is from a time where paperback was more akin to a magazine than what it is now.
I always opt for hardcover if possible. 1) I don't mistreat my books, so reading hardcovers doesn't wear them out. All my dust jackets are encased in mylar sheets to protect them. This also prevents them from slipping off while reading. 2) I find reading paperbacks tedious; my wrists ache after reading for longer than 10 minutes, especially if the pages are stiff rather than floppy. (I hate stiff books-floppy gang!) 3) They simply look nicer and feel more pleasant to hold. You can lay them flat on your lap or on a table. You still need to gently break the spine, like a paperback, but once that's done, there's no need to worry. I've owned hardcovers since the early 2000s that I've reread at least 5 times, and they're in excellent condition. Only one of my books shows notable wear, and that's because I bought it used. It remains in the same condition as the day I got it. For those curious, it's Greg Bear's "Songs of Earth & Power," a tragically underrated fantasy story.
I always remove the dust jacket before reading hardcovers. They get in the way, plus if you get some damage on the actual cover or whatnot, the dust jacket hides that once I’m done and replace it. That’s just me though.
I totally do the same thing when I have a hardback (even though I prefer softcovers). Often dust jackets are more visually appealing than the cover underneath which often is smooth one colour-ish so I don't want to damage the actually pretty part and can hide any scratches
My logic is that the dust jacket protects the actual book from getting damaged, so I don't remove it. I actually prefer how most books look without their covers.
He honestly should have used nothing but Terry Goodkind books for the torture test... Followed by the last test. Are paperbacks or hardcovers better at handling burning?!
@@CallumRickard Oh I know. I jest. But on a more serious note, better to pay money for a book by an author you love and give it honor by allowing it to be the one destroyed.
I like paperback, but a specifically TYPE a of paperback. I like paperbacks that are floppy, have a smooth feeling cover, and pages that don’t feel like they’ve been smashed together. Those are the paperbacks that I love and don’t mind having. But if they are stiff, have cheap cover material, and feel like the pages have been smashed together than I would go with hardback any day. With hardbacks, I know what I’m getting into, because the majority of hardbacks have the same material and look, but with paperbacks, i don’t know if they’ll be floppy or stiff, cheap cover material or quality material, freely flowing pages or stiff clamped pages. That’s why I’m always hesitant for paperbacks because I like to keep my books nice.
I way prefer hardcovers since 90% of my reading happens the first hour of the day w a coffee in hand, so I normally one-hand the book. Hardcovers stay open while I read, and paperback always want to be closed
I do that all the time and prefer hardbacks when I eat my breakfast and read or lie on my bed on my front and read as I don’t have to hold it open in a way I do for a new paperback. That’s why I get my books from charity shops because 99.9% of the time the spines are already cracked so I can attempt to keep it open.
I may be alone in this but I actually prefer the tactile experience of a hardback and I do love the aesthetic of a worn out dog-eared hardback book. That's why I love buying 2nd hand books. However, I do always feel guilty damaging a nice dust jacket, so I'll usually remove that until I've completed the read.
This is 100% correct. Dust covers need to stay home safe in a drawer until you're done with the book and only then is it returned to the book itself and shelved.
Omgg I do the exact same, when I'm reading a hard cover I automatically take the dust jacket off and leave it somewhere safe until I finish the book, and then I put it back on and it gets directly on my shelf
YES and invest in a nice cloth book sleeve. That's my advice. He's still young, so he probably hasn't had a book for more than 10-15 years, so he hasn't seen what'll happen. But if you want a book to last, I advise investing in a smyth-sewn book, leave the dust jacket when you travel, and put the book in a nice sleeve if you're going to throw it into your bag. But if you don't care about that, that's fine I guess. I just like to treat the things I own with tender care and respect.
This video should be age restricted. Daniel, I cannot believe you showed this kind of violence online. I’m contacting the book police. #DanielGreeneIsOverParty
Durability is an issue when a book is decades old. Paperbacks, especially the mass market size, are made with acidic paper that ages badly. It yellows and becomes brittle. Even worse, the spines are glued, and the glue deteriorates with age. I have many old paperbacks that have literally split in half along the spine. Hardcover books have a woven spine that will not disintegrate over time. Daniel, you're a young guy. You probably don't have a lot of books that are 40-50 years old. I do. Trust me, if it's a book you care about and want to re-read, a cheap paperback will not last. I've had to replace some of my favorite books that have literally fallen apart.
Good point! I’m only 18, but both my 1950s LOTR collection and Narnia collection is definitely too weak to read. It’s not the same with my 1950s hardbacks.
I'm younger than Daniel and I have paperbacks from the 50s and 60s. They've aged well. I think it depends both on how well it's cared for and how good the quality is. I do agree that generally hardbacks stand the test of time better though
In my experience pretty much any 50 year old book is too weak to read. I’ve accumulated many old hardbacks from neighbors and used book stores and most of them are just for display
I didn't understand what you meant by "book gore" until you got to it, then I wanted to throw myself out of the window. (I've just discovered your channel and now I'm binge watching everything, greetings from Italy!)
I'm surprised nobody has talked about the difference in actual word size which is the deciding factor for me when choosing between the two. I always go paperback unless the words are too small for my preference. (Which happens a lot) Maybe I'm just horrible with distractions but if my brain doesn't get the small "wins" of advancing to the next page fast enough I just get discouraged and usually don't end up finishing the book at all lol. That's why I love Kindle reading so much. You can change the size to be the same for every book.
I literally looked everywhere for the unfettered books. I thought they were limited, and you can’t buy them anymore. I was begging for that to not be the one he chose to destroy 😭
I usually take the dust jacket of when I'm reading the book. Also I find that a hardback opens a lot smoother. The only paperback I find more comfortable than hardcovers are really floppy paperbacks.
I'm so OCD about creasing my spines even with paperbacks that I hold them in such a way so that doesn't happen. I've got paperbacks that I've had for years and read many times that look brand new. I do agree to read the paperback version first and if it becomes a favorite, I collect the hardback edition. Love this video! Those books look like Pips used them for scratching posts...lol
Same with the paperbacks! I've just finished a 600+ paged mass market one and it still looks almost new The sentiment is also a bummer sometimes though, as I recently got a second-hand copy of the Kingkiller books, and though they were cheap, the spines are creased, and it's killing me
I FEEL YOU. My favorite paperback is about 630 somewhat-thicc pages, and if I read to like the half-way, the spine bends so much that the front and back covers touch. :(
Oh man, this reminds me of something I did in middle school. I had a really worn paperback and it was so comfortable in my hands. When the sequel came out, it was only available in hardcover... so I tried to manually wear it down to make it more comfortable like the paperback was. I'm not proud of what I did to that book...
I'd say that in a bag, with other items being added and removed, paperbacks are far more likely to be damaged. I've had many have front/back covers and early pages bend up, and even tear. Hard backs are protected by being rigid. Dusk jackets are a liability though, but I always remove them while reading a book
exactly! my paperbacks get bent so fucking easily, i rather spend more money on hardcovers that i can simply take the jacket off when i take them out, and put it back when i am at home. simple.
@@nicolearaujo3466 No, you take off the dust jacket when you read a hardcover (if came with one) no matter where you are (even at home) and then put it back on when you put your book back on your self.
When I get a bent paperback, I just place it flat on a surface and pile a bunch of other heavy books on top of it and leave it for a few days, that usually straightens them back out. I ordered a hardback the other day that was horribly bent and I could not do anything to straighten it back out.
Funfact: What I love is that in German (my native language) paperbacks are called ,Taschenbuch‘, which literally means ,bag/pocket book‘ 😅 Great video btw!
There’s actually a similar thing in Italian! I’m not sure whether it’s the same distinction ‘cause I normally talk about books in other languages, lol, but I believe “Taschenbuch” has an Italian equivalent in “tascabile” (translated: “pocketable”). This is really random but I felt like putting it out there xD
I really enjoyed my nook until it decided to just stop charging. And then the last WOT book got released and it wasn't immediately available on it. So i ran to barns n noble n got it begrudgingly on hardback.
@@amp7980 Same on the nook. I loved that thing. Then I moved to Amazon Fire. Then to a Samsung tablet. All three of these were awesome in their own ways and I love that I can carry every book I own no matter where I go. And if I forget my tablet, I can use the app on my phone as well.
I switched over to reading books on tablets because I have dry eyes and tablets make it easy to zoom in on text and therefore easier to read. Yes, I’m old. Get off my lawn.
I'm dyslexic so reading is utter hell and for years I hadn't read a single book (apart from school and even then j wouldn't finish them) I was horrifically slow and it was nearly painful and don't even get me started on reading aloud EESHH like felt such a fool stuttering some ciptic language. Reading was embarrassment and I hated how it made my feel so dum. Anyways I recently this year found audible AND IM IN LOVE I've listened to 34 books now and just wanted to say thank you for recommending light bringer I'm on the third book now ...SO GOOD!! It's such a wonderful experience finding such joy in something that I used to dread and hate 😁😁
Ive personally never used audible but i'm really glad you get to enjoy these stories with everyone else. I was thinking of instead of doing a reread of Wheel of Time trying audible for that, but each book is like 30 hours long LMAO.
I’m dyslexic as well and I recently discovered using audible too! It is a game changer! I’m sure you do but listening at a faster speed help us pay attention better! Also not sure if you do this but I LOVE to grab the physical copy and read along with the audio! Although I could never read a book on my own coherently, have the audio revolutionizes my ability to follow along. There is such a sense of accomplishment when something that seems so daunting and impossible before and is now an attainable goal. Sorry I know this is long and I’m sure you know both of these things just want to throw those out there! Just so very thankful to live in a time now of technology allowing people like you and me to enjoy books in ways that would be impossible without!!
I don’t have audible, but I’ve been listening almost non stop since I discovered my library has downloadable audiobooks (Libby and RBDigital) they’re perfect for when I walk my dog or cook or paint💙
I like hardcovers more. As you mentioned, my biggest peeve about them is the paper cover but it’s an easy fix for me. When I read it or taking it with me I leave the paper at home. Pop it right bad on when it goes to the shelf and looks good as new
And people who bend front or back covers of paperback books when reading the other page. Or when they bend it too much in the middle of the back. UGHHHGHGHHGHGHGH.
It freaks me out that people take the jackets off. My brain is convinced the jacket will get ruined or lost if it isn't physically ON the book at all times lol
One thing from the comic book world that I use for novels too is to never read it with the dust jacket. No matter how scuffed up the hardcover is, if the dust jacket is in good shape it will always look like new on the shelf. I'm a hardcover guy for two other reasons too. One, they lay open easier, and two, It's MUCH harder to damage the spine horribly. Not no mention larger text is easier on the eyes, there the first part of your body to go with age.
''When I handle a hardback I feel like I am devaluating the book''. This is so true, I am a Tolkienist collector and I am telling you that I handle my hardbacks with gloves and with such care it is chirurgical.
I bought Mass Market Paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return Of The King at a used book sale that was selling donated used books to fund the maintenance/slight restoration of a 250 year old historic mill in my small Canadian town and they were COOKED. The spines are deformed beyond logic, there are creased pages (not dog eared, literally creased in all sorts of weird places.) the cover of The Hobbit and Two Towers are f***ed, they open in weird ways, but they are still readable despite the fact that they were probably through their fifth used-book-buying owner by the time they reached me
Hurricane: soaks book with water and blows pages slightly. Daniel: stab. Stabystabstab. Yeet. Tap water. Daniels dad: give me the launch keys Daniel. Daniel: I shall bathe them in nuclear fire.
I choose an e-reader and e-books. They are cheaper, and I'm not afraid to hurt the book. Furthermore, very light-weight, no back breaking, no weird position, and reading in the dark is now possible. If I do want the physical copy of a book I loved, I will get a hardback because of durability (yep I have hardbacks that over 100 years old). Edit: for hardbacks, the way the book is bound will determine how it can sustain wear and tear. Case bound books (or books bound by glue) won't resist as well as oversewn books or Smyth Sewn bound books.
Interesting fact: if you leave most paperbacks in a hot car, the cover will start to detach, and can even come off and reduce the book to a pile of pages
They're partially designed that way. When books don't sell they usually get shipped back to the publisher for a refund and become bargain books. Mass markets and certain trade paperbacks however cost more to ship than they are worth so instead the cover is stripped and sent back to the publisher as proof the books were destroyed (usually torn in half and recycled). That's why if you see in any mass market book it says near the copyright "if this book does not have a cover it is stolen property".
I left a paperback in my hammock in the sun for an hour or two one time. I came back to read it, opened it and the first six pages fell right out cause the binding glue melted.
Daniel: *implies he's gonna put a book in a similar situation as a hurricane* me: "ah, probably chuck it into a washing machine and let it do its thing" Daniel: *_manual hurricane_*
I love your passion for the paperback, but I’m a recent convert to the hardback. I find them easier to hold, easier to clip a night light to the hard back, and I appreciate the larger font. For years I thought the hard back was for collectors who wore plaid or people who bought books but didn’t read them. But now I’m on team HB! 🎉. Thanks for an engaging video. At the end of the day, it’s an individual thing. As long as we’re reading!
My grandad had a massive book collection that he kept displayed in his office. It was one wall of books, but you could clearly tell that some of them had been there for 50+years. The bumped edges and bent spines tell people that you have the books because you like reading books, not because they look aesthetic on the shelf. My grandad had books that were covered in tea stains and little scraps of paper that he used as marks. It's nice to be able to look through these worn books and be reminded of him.
I love paperbacks, if I’m putting hours into reading a book, I want to be comfortable. I see some people saying they don’t want to crease the spine of a paperback, but I love doing it. I love looking at a book that looks read. It has character. Every time that book is read, it is adding to the character of the book, the story of the book.
I hate holding 1000+ page books, whether they’re hardcover or paperback. Besides being heavy and bulky, the font is generally too small and the line spacing too tight for a comfortable read. Why do I have to hold all of Edgar Alan Poe’s collected works in my hand, when I’m just trying to read a short story? I want to get into physical books, as I’ve been doing all my reading on an iPad Kindle app. Before I continue, I would like to mention a few benefits of e-books: 1. It’s nice to have your whole library with you wherever you go, with the page where you left off ready to go with a couple of taps. 2. By changing the screen brightness, you can read in daylight, all the way to pitch black, without straining your eyes. 3. You can read War and Peace without getting a hernia (even with the paperback!). 4. You can change the font and font size to suit you. With physical books, you have to beware, as some publishers with small fonts and tight line spacing torture you. 5. You can get book reviews on the iPad (RU-vid, NY Times, etc.) and if you have picked the next book you want to read, you can have it downloaded and ready to read before you finish your tea (or scotch)…you also don’t have to drive to the bookstore after drinking the scotch 😊. 6. You can highlight unfamiliar words you come across and get the definition, rather than soldiering on with context as your only guide, or get a dictionary (yeah, right). 7. Speaking of highlighting, I don’t do it, but you can certainly markup the ebook if you want to, without having those marks permanent if you want to remove them later. 8. Most of the old classics can be had in well formatted versions (most free ones are not well formatted) for a buck or two, which saves money and space. Anyway, there are a lot of positives about ebooks that don’t get mentioned by many booktubers. That being said, I’m getting close to retirement and have decided to re-enter the physical book community (why I’m watching your video). I’ve looked at the various classic editions by many publishers through people sharing their collections on RU-vid, and then looked at my own collection and realized that having a more readable book (font, font size, and line spacing) will be important to me, as well as the enjoyment from a thoughtfully designed and crafted book. So, my plan is to get hardcover and cloth bound editions that I will enjoy. It’s true that you can’t judge a book by its cover; however if you know you’ll like the content, having a beautiful edition can’t hurt! I have a couple of gizmos that can keep the book open while I’m reading, in case I get the hand fatigue you speak of. Then, for larger books (like War and Peace), I’ll just save the physical hassle and read them on the Kindle app. Thanks for your video and sorry for the novella length comment.
I really have no dog in this fight. I feel that, in the long run, hardbacks always look better, even the ones that get read heavily. If the dust jacket gets worn and/or torn I just remove the dust jacket and TA-DA I have a new book (and I personally often like the look of un-jacketed books better on the shelf). And speaking of removing the dust jacket, that's where we come to my real reason for commenting. First and foremost, when I'm reading a hardback copy the first thing I do is remove the dust jacket and leave it at home. The damn things are always slipping around or (like you yourself said) getting torn. Secondly, the most comfortable way I've found to read hardbacks (and the way I read most books) is to lay on my stomach in bed with a pillow or two under my chest and the book lying flat on the bed before me. There's no weird contortions, no digging, no hefting, and physics is on your side. In this setting I actually find it's easier to read a hardback as most of the time they lie open of their own accord. That, of course, would solve your problem in only one of the many settings you read books, so don't take any of this as an argument against... well anything. It's all bloody subjective anyway! That all being said... I buy paperbacks because we're both cheap. If I pick up a hardback, it's because it had an exclusive cover on release or it was on some stupid sale.
I'm reminded of my late uncle's college story about sticking hardcovers under his sweater when he heard sirens and the cops demanded everyone in the campus library he was at surrender because some protesters had fled inside. He'd say that those had saved him quite a few bruises from the nightsticks that were swinging around as they were loaded up and taken to the lockup. So, I'm now wondering how paperbacks hold up against nightsticks.
Angela McCollister I completely understand about the price thing, when decided between mm and out of print hardcovers, the mm usually win. I just hate the way you have to hold them in order to read. To me they’re extremely uncomfortable.
I only get mass markets for starts of series (like The Last Wish, I ended up loving it so much I got the hardcover though, the rest are regular sized paperbacks) or for an author I know I'll be getting a lot of (like Stephen King, got so many mass markets from Stephen King in my bookshelf...). The only mass market paperback I own that I really love is my First Jove/HBJ edition of The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long, and that's because it's old as all hell and smells fantastic (not to mention how well conserved it is for a four decades old book). The pages are so yellow!
One of my most prized possessions is a hardcover set of His Dark Materials from the Folio Society. I don't think I could ever have a library without a collection of hardcovers. That being said, whenever I want to curl up on the couch with a good book, a paperback is often what I'd want most. 😊 My favorite ones are vintage paperbacks that people have clearly read and loved. Currently reading through a beautiful 1978 Ballantine paperback copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Daniel Greene and his book fight club... literally where he fights books... fun video Daniel. Totally with you on the read ability of paperback. Hands down better than hardback!
Combo for me, read on Kindle, buy the hardcover for collection. Also use hardcovers for the art inside or read, only if at home (depending on the type of book)
To read: Paperback, for sure. Specifically since I stopped bothering about damaging it To have on the shelf: Hardbacks for sure. The perfect world would be to, when you finish a paperback, you could just change for the hardback to have on your shelf after
Hardcovers take up so much extra shelf space though! The covers are thicker, the paper is thicker, the font size is larger and the lines are spaced wider, pretty much everything about them makes them take up more space
Solution, get a little crafty, print the cover and spine past onto cardboard and make a sleeve for your paper back that is worth the effort, When your reading the book it's place is held by the cardboard sleeve
Read it first in paperback. If you love it with all your heart, buy the hardback. If you really, really love it, rescue all copies of it from used books stores like they're stray kittens.
@@Luka1180 Nah. Prioritizing ebooks, which are usually less than half the price, really sorts through a lot of books I would have previously bought. Now I almost only own books I know I love.
I like to read a lot of old books because the copyright has usually expired and you can download them for free. Also there's usually plenty of offers and sales for ebooks which bring the cost way down if you buy them at the right time. Also: second hand books. Buy your books second hand! It's way cheaper and more eco-friendly. I live in London so there are a lot of second hand markets and stores to buy at. (Although with covid that's slowed down a lot)
I'm the son of a librarian, and I feel that an important factor was ignored regarding durability, and that's repairability. I've had paperback books that started falling apart on the first read. The spine bent and pages started falling out. When that happens, there's nothing I could do. There is no damage to a hardcover book that I can't repair. Spines have split, and I've glued them back together with Shoe Goo or other thick rubber cements (they end up reinforced and stronger as a result). I've taped dust jackets back together and added superglue to the internal splitting to keep it from tearing apart. Name an injury a book could suffer, I've probably fixed it. Paperbacks have much less wiggle room to work with, there's just less material to reassemble when they fall apart. When the binding splits or pages fall out, that's it. There's no real way to glue them back in effectlvely. There's also the time factor. I have 25+ year-old paperbacks that have deteriorated to the point I feel like they'll fall apart if I actually read them, while my similarly aged hardcovers are as durable as ever. The pages are thicker and simply hold up better to the ravages of age. Yes, if I'm just buying a book to read once, paperback, for sure, but if I want a book that will last for my whole life and that I'll be able to repeatedly repair if necessary, I go for a hardcover.
I legit stopped chewing my chips when you drew out the pocket knife and said "book gore". I mean i love horror novels but that's way too horror for me, lol.
You have made me very glad one of my fav books is an old paperback bc yeah dang it probably wouldn't have still been so readable if it got juice spilt on it as a hardcover. I tend to feel less bad throwing hardcovers into my bag though because it feels like they'll be less damaged/won't get their pages bent so much
The hardbacks most of the time have larger easier to read print. And I only need a paperback when traveling. And being the year 2020, traveling have been drastically reduced.
Laws of Tomestry: 1) Hardbacks can be beautiful, and make your house a home and your home a library. They will survive to pass on to your grandchildren. 2) paperbacks are for writing in, traveling with, and reading comfortably. They are an inexpensive way to get a physical copy of a particular text. And like a drunk surviving a car wreck, their flexibility often makes them more durable than hardbacks to particular abuse. 3)Digital books are for portability and for reference materials, and the light weight of readers makes the thickest paper book easy to read in bed. 0th law) any book you enjoy owning or reading is a good book -1st law) Owners of Protestant Cannon Bibles will break all of these laws and use their Holy Book as a filing cabinet for church publications.
4:46 You need to distinguish between a perfect bound hardback and a sewn hardback. A sewn one is the best for durability and will last very long. A perfect bound hardback (usually mass marketed) is pointless imo. It's better to just get a paperback because they're always perfect bound and are cheaper. A sewn bound book allows for the book to be spread all the way open (I'd never do that with a perfect bound book, but I also wouldn't even bend a paperback cover so that's just me). The good thing about a sewn hardback is if you damage the book, you can take the book block and have it rebound.
Yes, 100% this. Most modern hardbacks are just as rubbish for long-term durability as paperbacks. Sewn books, on the other hand, even if they're 200+ years old, are absolutely impossible to rip apart!
"wear and tear on the covers" me who rawdogs my hardbacks (: but seriously reading is such an intimate experience, undress that hardcover before you spread its pages and delve into the depths of its plot ;)
Have you done, or planning to do, a video on how to best take notes in books? It would be cool to see a video showing the best note taking strategies for different genres. I want to re-read a lot of history and political theory books I have and do note taking but im not really sure how to best start 🤔
Andy Mckay I agree I’d love to see how he takes notes. Merphy Napier has a video about how she takes notes. I’m pretty sure it was uploaded in the last few months. Great channel that I discovered because Daniel is friends with her.
I get that same problem with hardbacks, and personally find it more annoying to deal with then, because it makes me feel like I have to rest my whole arm on it like I'm some pristine grade schooler trying to look good when the teacher or principal walk by
Probably gonna get lost, but as for readability, the hardback CAN in certain situations stay open by itself, so you don't have to hold it at all (e.g. lying on the floor and you "reading down" from the edge of the couch) + it usually is bigger, which can result in bigger font - better readability. Just my 0.2.
