/lit/ - Literature

I have never bought a second hand book in my entire life, nor do I intend to.

second hand because if it ends up unread or unfinished at least i didn't waste 20 currency units for it compared to 0,5

Almost all of my books are second hand, the only exceptions being those I either want to have a nice copy of or don't want to wait for a copy to show up in a thrift shop.

>>15378378
Second-hand is cheaper usually. So I “prefer” it out of a cost concern, but if I see a good deal on a new book I get it.

Library books are of course irrelevant to this subject; you get what they have.

>>15378378
I tend to buy both. The thrift shops in my town kind of suck, though.

>>15378378
Second hand books are usually the one which I find on some sales, where I see an interesting one or sth that I would't find in a store. If I am searching for a specific title, I order it or find it in a shop. I guess I don't have a preference over one or other

I try to buy new if the book is less than 10 years old in order to support the author (to the extent that a new book sale does). After that threshold, which I admit is arbitrary, I tend to buy used unless there is a good deal or sale on a new edition (e.g. overstock or something like that).

who cares as long as it's readable

>>15378381
>nor do I intend to
for any special reason?

>>15378431
It feels odd. Even in the few occasions I read books that were lend to me by my friends, it didn't feel like I wasn't having the proper experience. I need to feel like the book I'm reading is mine, and I'm having a conversation with the author and no one else. The only exception is if I'm in a library, but even so, I don't really like taking library books home; I prefer to read them only in the library, even if it means I have to go back there multiple times.

I don't know if that sounds too autistic, but I at least hope you understand what I mean.

>>15378431
they may have girl germs

>>15378473
it didn't feel like I was*

Second hand if it is acceptable condition. It is always way cheaper.

That being said it is difficult to find the exact titles I want from secondhand sources so 80% of the time I buy them new.

>>15378381
I buy second-hand books exclusively. Here's why.

A. Better to give the money to a local small business
B. They cost less
C. You find books with character; maybe an older edition, or annotated, etc.
D. Modern books frequently have (((edits))) that are added covertly.

If only buy a new book if I'm giving it as a gift.

>>15378378
I prefer new books

Based second hand book shop near me stamps the side of the pages so you can just go back and perpetually trade £1 bookeronis.
Can't wait for it to open again.

>>15378499
I give second hand books as gifts. how based is that??

>>15378378
Paperback is ideal. Would rather second hand but only if there’s no notations/pages missing.

I can cope with dog ears as long as it’s not excessive.

If I buy a book new I take care of it but never buy hardbacks. Anyone care to explain why they find hardbacks appealing?

I buy almost everything from thrift shops, I love it. The thrill of seeing a book you’ve been wanting to read is so exciting to me. I often find things that I had never even heard of, but they’re from a publisher or author I otherwise like, and I get to discover new things that way. Plus some of the books are so nice - I’ve found gorgeous Folio Society stuff, older Modern / Everyman’s Library books, tons of Norton Critical Editions, this one really lovely hardcover version of The Silmarillion which came with a giant fold out map. It’s the best

>>15378473
This sounds extremely autistic. Does this mean you spend a lot more on books than you would? Or do you not read enough for it to have a financial impact?

>>15378473
yeah, it does

>>15378378
I usually only go secondhand if something is expensive for scarcity reasons, otherwise 3-4 books a month isnt breaking the bank

Every time I cop a used book i hope for some dank marginalia, but usually its nothing more than signatures on the frontpiece and perhaps chapter 1 has 4 underlined sentences. buying a used book and getting shitloads of someone's marginalia would be pretty cool for once

>>15378513
Actually based.

I would love someone to buy me a secondhand book

I love looking around in second hand book stores. A more diverse array of books than stores like Chapters, and you can usually get a feel for the owner’s personality just by browsing the shelves.

>buying books
I check out digital books from my library and strip the DRM to read on my eReader, or barring that, use libgen

>>15378532
>never buy hardbacks
why not? I love them

library > request the library to order it for me if they don't have a copy > serendipitously finding it at a used book sale > il/legal epub >> illegal pdf >>>> paying for a physical copy new

can't recall the last time i bought a book new desu.

>>15378566
I think it’s because you get the same content either way, so it’s like people who buy whiskey that comes in a wooden box. Reading back that analogy sounds shit actually

>>15378378
Second hand.
Support your local bookstore Anon.

>>15378545
I don't mind spending money on them.

>>15378378
I like ordering hardbacks from abebooks for $3. Thanks Bezos.

>>15378809
same

>>15378809
>tfw $3 books but $15 shipping to canadaland

I buy used books. Firstly, there's a bigger chance to get a hardcover, especially for classical books. Secondly, every book I buy used is one that is not thrown away. You wouldn't believe how many people do this.

>>15378822
Still dirt cheap, if you order in bulk.

>>15378378
I buy used books, but prefer them to be in very good condition.

>>15378473
Lmao what the fuck, that is extremely autistic but whatever

since quarantine, new from (((amazon))) just because i value getting them quickly to read as soon as i can. otherwise, i dont mind going to a half priced brick and mortar to peruse

>>15378378
i almost exclusively buy new books, unless its an older one thats gone out of print, or if it had illustrations originally which are never in the newer editions.
used books usually smell bad, the binding is falling apart, or there's fucking notes and underlines. i guess if i went to a physical store and looked at it beforehand i would be more open to used books, but i've had too many disappointments buying online.

>>15378473
i know exactly what you mean. its like kisiing a girl who's been kissed by 10 different guys, or eating cereal thats had 48 dicks in it.

>>15378378
Second hand all the way
They're cheap as fuck at thrift stores, they're usually a dollar or 2. I found a Franklin Library hardcover "Divine Comedy" and "Paradise lost" (Among other classic works) For 4 dollars each, they got for 200-400+ online

>>15378877
I actually really like getting used library copies of hardcover books. I like the plastic binding on them that protects the cover.

>>15378378
The used book store in my town closed down so now my only options are libgen (I hate ebooks), overpriced Chapters or supporting our all mighty overlord Jeff

>>15378902
>I like the plastic

>>15378907
i go with jeff because he respects autists like me not wanting to talk to anyone in order to buy things.

>>15378916
Oh yes, that is truly very onions of me.

>>15378378
I guess I don't really care one way or another. I buy whatever is more convenient at the moment.

>>15378499
>(((edits)))
This is not /pol/, sir.

Books are clutter

>>15378902
The ones I got didn't have that plastic public library cover but they did have a really nice design. The Alice in wonderland book is gorgeous, it has hearts and aces as well as a design of Alice looking up at the Cheshire cat

>>15378378
Corporate booksellers are pretty shit on a selection front as well as on pricing, so used bookstores often have more of what I would like to read. That being said, all things being equal I prefer to support the author, so I try to buy from independent booksellers (like Powells) or direct from the publisher.

Depends how expensive new is, or if the book in question is even still in print. Typically I prefer new, but yea, if it's $40 for Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of History I'm gonna buy that shit used.

>>15378378
Generally I prefer new ones, simply so that they would last longer. But more often than not, I simply can't find a used copy of the book I'm looking for anyway (or vendor's price plus delivery cost just doesn't make it viable compared to a brand new one in the first place). I did buy a used Arabic grammar book but because it was out of print.

Some books can only be bought to Amazon/eBay and the delivery cost/time to my Fatherland is already painful so I might as well buy a new one and minimize the possible grievances.

The only used books shop I knew in my city had a shitty selection, and it went out of business anyway.

>>15378874
Screw you, Cheerios.

>>15378378
Brand new. I bought second hand (mostly) before and during college. Now I buy new books.

I bought a book at a thrift store and found a 20 being used as a bookmark once. Funny shit.

>>15378378
Second hand when it's cheaper and I can get a copy in decent condition
New otherwise

>>15378378
Second hand if there's an offer that is in decent condition, otherwise new.

>>15378378
i rather buy new online. second hand only in person.

>>15379467
This
I don't want some dudes sticky pages

>>15378378
>buy secondhand
>marvel at the utter retardation of the highlights/notes and try to puzzle out what the fucking GENIUS was trying to piece together
highlighters were a mistake. no one over a 95 IQ has ever needed a highlighter in their life.

I buy second hand because there's a large surplus of books that were printed under communism, and I can get them for very cheap and good condition.

>>15378378
I buy secondhand so it looks like I actually read the books I own

Second hand always unless it's a recently released book.

>>15378378
Only if the cost is severely discounted while being in no less than slightly used condition. I got a couple cheap Amazon used books but I dislike seeing people's handwritten notes on pages.

New
You can get pretty good prices on Amazon and Abebooks. I don’t like used things in general. Except cars are alright, you can get a gently used vehicle for so much less than a brand new one

>>15378378
mostly second hand as it's cheaper and i'm broke as fuck. sometimes new ones if i can't find them second hand

>>15378378
I like finding second hand books that are full of notes and highlighter marks. Gives you a kind of insight on the previous owner that no one else will get in their copy.

I buy secondhand whenever possible. It's way way cheaper and my local bookshop is super comfy. Only time I buy new is when I really can't find something, which is unfortunately more often than I'd like.

>>15379816
>there's a large surplus of books that were printed under communism
what country?

>>15380437
Oh shit you're from Wellington, Pegasus is great but I usually go to Unity just because of all the book vouchers my parents give me.

>>15381196
I'm a palmy boy but at welly for uni. Moving back tomorrow cause the halls are reopening.

>>15378533
This. Thrifting is treasure hunting.

Second hand mostly, except for books by favourite authors or books I otherwise know I'll love.

>>15378378
Only suckers pay retail

>>15378473
I agree with you 100% and I know that it is because, as a man who has never had much of anything and always struggled through life financially, I have a desire to stake a claim in ownership of something. My life, for the most part, is not my own, I take care of my aging parents through my soulless job and I get little to no say in the upkeep of my residence to keep them both happy. Call me a cuck, I don't really care. However, I do know that I have to own something that is my own, and that is my brand new book. The brand new book that I paid 20 bucks for just to break the spine in and make sure that it is just mine. That's pride of ownership.

>>15378378
I only buy physical books if I can get them cheap, typically used.

half of my books are stolen , so that it enhances the experience of reading

>>15378874
>or eating cereal thats had 48 dicks in it.
what grocery stores do YOU shop at??

>>15378378
mostly second hand because a lot of the books i'm interested aren't available new. i buy new books occasionally though, for example a new german translation of mishima's golden pavillon was released recently, and i want more accurate mishima translations so i bought that one new.

I prefer second hand books because not knowing what you're going to find is half the fun

>>15382818
>tfw there are only a couple of secondary translations of mishima in your language

>>15382519
I'll have what he's having

Where do you guys even buy your second hand books? I've searched op shops (australian thrift stores) but it's all YA shit. Libraries sometimes have the old books being sold but they're usually farded and shidded childrens' picture story books

Are there second hand bookstores hiding around corners? Am I doomed to buy new/read ebooks/library books for the rest of my life? Why was I born to suffer so?

>>15383066
I am also Australian. Op shops are usually a miss but occasionally I'll find something neat. There are two used book stores near me but both are a half hour drive away in more tourist oriented towns. There used to be at least half a dozen in the same range but they've all slowly died, I am a bit worried one or both will follow if this virus stays around all year.

I don't like second hand books because I can't stop thinking about all the germs as I'm reading

>>15383066
I live in Japan, I buy them at Bookoff, Mercari, Yahoo Auctions or Jimbocho (a neighborhood full of old bookstores).

>>15383066
betterworldbooks

>>15378378
Both.
Sometimes there are obscure books that you simply can't find second-hand, but if I find cheap, second-hand ones then I will buy those.

>>15378378
Second hand is possible and sometimes thr books are only available second hand. The online stores for used German books are great because the book shops cannot give discounts, so you can easily get 50% off for an unread second hand book of almost anything. I bought a hard cover copy of the new translation of journey to the west for 50 instead of 80 and it was never opened before. Stuff like Fischer Taschenbuch goes for 5 euro in new condition and you have almost as much choice as at amazon.

>>15378841
shipping is paid for each book
fucking jews

>>15383066
Eurofag here. Sometimes I use bookfinder.com if there's a book I really want in physical form but is too expensive new. Shipping is often really expensive though. I sometimes check our equivalent of ebay/craigslist too. My local thriftstore is dirt cheap (I recently filled a bag of 14 books for 10 bucks) but yeah it's mostly YA/normiecore/boomer christian lit. Sometimes i'll find some nice editions of classics though that look unread. I recommend you check out more thriftstores. You'll probably find some good stuff in the bigger ones.

>>15381898
>That's pride of ownership.
that's commodity fetishism, that's you submitting to your lords who pay you pennies so you produce the garbage you buy from them at luxury prices that they assure you is a way for you to be empowered

>>15378378
imagine buy dirty books of people that used to fap-read-fap

>>15378378
New most of the times, but I do have second hand stuff as well and am satisfied with it as it was cheap and in relatively good condition.

Whichever is cheaper so I can spend more time and money at the brothel