/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.13632562]

What kind of people are buying paperbacks? Are they just humans on the lower end of the range of incomes? Could they be cheapskates being too miserly to pay a few coins for a real cover around their book? Is it some sort of chav culture where people think giving an impression of working class culture is the current fad? Do paperback purchasers not care that their bookcase will look terrible with their throw-away products? Is it the kind of people that willy nilly buy a book and, having read it (or not, we are talking about impulsive consumers here), simply discards it as thrash (which it actually is of course).

[Anonymous No.13632586]

>>13632562
Some people just want to read at a cheap pricem they aren't interested in what faggots they of their collection. Only classics come in harcover these days,

[Anonymous No.13632651]

I prefer paperbacks, even for classics and heavily studied books. Take a look at your professor's bookshelf next time you're in their office. It's likely mainly paper backs.

[Anonymous No.13632768]

>>13632562
Imagine having such limited reading tastes that you think you can find hardcovers of everything you want to read (even if you cared about the binding enough to pay 2-10x as much per book) Piss off, OP.

[Anonymous No.13632795]

i have a shelf full of paperbacks but am planning on getting two leather-bounds a year for christmas and my birthday and building up a small pile.

[Anonymous No.13632815]

>>13632651
I don’t go to community college, so its not. Also, nice appeal to authority.

[Anonymous No.13633199]

>>13632815
Jesus wept. Look, only an appeal to IRRELEVANT authority is a logical fallacy. Referencing relevant authority is one of the prime foundations of learned debate.

[Anonymous No.13633234]

>>13632562
Looks don't matter because I don't buy books to show them off to hypothetical guests who will visit my place one day.

[Anonymous No.13633273]

>>13633199
How are professors relevant in the debate between hardcover and paperback? Are you talking about professors who earned their degrees in bookbinding?? Or did you brain just think “ohhh professors read a lot of books hurr durr” and then claim them to be a relevant authority on the matter? My grandmother, who never went to college, has read well over a thousand books (probably more than the average professor). Should her authority be held to a higher regard?

[Anonymous No.13633364]

>>13633273
Because professors are generally not on the lower end of income ranges, are not generally cheapskates, not part of any chav/working-class culture, and don't tend to throw books away after reading them. You started by asking what kind of people are buying paperbacks, and she said professors are. As an adjunct professor myself, I can confirm that (and we're generally looking for less expensive editions for our students' sake as well). So, she directly answered your question in several regards. Old leather and gilt bindings are lovely, no question, but it's 2019: if you want to read modern books, you'll have to take them as they come or pay for custom binding at absurd cost.

[Anonymous No.13633573]

>>13633364
Not OP, just some argumentative asshole.

>professors are generally not on the lower end of income ranges
Clearly not from the US...

>You started by asking what kind of people are buying paperbacks, and she said professors are
I guess that depends, really. I haven't seen any paperback books on my professor's walls. I attend a well respected university in the US.

>we're generally looking for less expensive editions for our students' sake as well
I would argue that an influx of paperbacks would crush the used book market, thus increasing market price. Paperback books are essentially planned obsolescence. Why not save the environment and just buy digital copies?

>Old leather and gilt bindings are lovely, no question, but it's 2019: if you want to read modern books, you'll have to take them as they come or pay for custom binding at absurd cost.
Used hardcover books, especially for popular titles, can be had used at a decent price.

My suggestion to the average reader would be to pirate or buy the ebook initially. If you enjoyed the book, purchase a hardcover version for your bookshelf. Maybe someday you'll pass it on to your children!

[Anonymous No.13633585]

>>13633573
>anything cheap is planned obsolescene
jesus christ

[Anonymous No.13633849]

>>13633585
ebooks are cheap and not planned obsolescence, which is why i recommended them.
>jeebus christ!

[Anonymous No.13633869]

>>13633849
>paying for ebooks

[Anonymous No.13633972]

I buy books to read them not to display them. Simply implying that the cover change the quality of the book is simply absurd so i guess the op is either baiting or buying books for a nice bookshelf overall .

[Anonymous No.13633980]

I like looking at the cover and the feeling you get when closing the book.

[Anonymous No.13634482]

>>13632562
Anon, you are low IQ. Your brain is inferior to everyone else on this board. Do us a favour and leave.

[Anonymous No.13634587]

>>13632562
>Do paperback purchasers not care that their bookcase will look terrible with their throw-away products?
There's the rub, at least, for someone who only cares about vanity. I buy second-hand paperbacks primarily because its more ecologically sustainable– like you've said, they're simply going to waste, so shouldn't it be our ethical injunction to prevent that rather than producing more (and more lavishly) than necessary?

[Anonymous No.13634745]

I haven't had a stable living situation for the last 8 years. If my life ever gets back on track I'll invest in a nice library, but until then it's paperbacks and ebooks. I've done the whole lugging 20 lbs of books around thing, and it's ridiculous.

[Anonymous No.13634754]

Some people prioritize literature over the "book as an object." Some do not.

Simple as.