Hardback or soft cover ?

[Daniel Lee Severn]

Paperbacks, they are easier to carry along with you and give you more room to stock-pile more books, lol.

[Shasta]

I love my Kindle! I worried at first that I wouldn't like it, but after a while you just don't even think about it. The story unfolds in your head just the same either way, and it's way more comfortable to use than a standard-size paperback. However, I wouldn't even THINK about using it while taking a bath. The risks are too great.

I absolutely just cannot get into it. There's not much more that I love than a physical book and the e-readers just don't do it to me. The feel of the pages, the smell - it's just not the same.

[unclelouie]

Pros and Cons of both..

Hard Cover Pros:
More durable than paperbacks
More attratctive to the eye, especially with a book jacket

Hard Cover Cons:
Harder to travel with (heavier than paperbacks and harder to pack away)
More expensive (harder to find them used and in stores that trade)
They hurt worse when someone throws one at your head

Paperback Pros:
Easier to buy used. Cheaper
You can fold the covers back while reading
Easier to travel with


Paperback Cons:
The binding can eventually come... unbinded (see an original pressing of "The Bachman Books" for a great example of this)
The cover can rip easier
Hard to hold the front cover open when starting an extremely long novel (ie The Stand, DT VII, et al).

[Mary19]

I like soft covers so I can pass them on to other people, I need hard covers of books that are special to me. The Ereader is most comfortable to hold but I don't feel like my money is well spent on electronic books.

[Shoesalesman]

Paperbacks are easier to manipulate, but I absolutely *love* reading old tattered hardcovers. The smell of old paper & binding... the thicker pulp of the pages... HEAVEN! When I finally picked up The Shining, I searched for an old hardcover instead of a new paperback for those reasons. If I'm reading an old hardcover... I um, smell the pages every few chapters.
Is that so wrong?

[AchtungBaby]

I like both - a book is a book, no matter the format!

[mustangclaire]

As i've got older, i've "treated myself" to more hardbacks. When a new SK one comes out that is.

[jacobtlong]

Paperbacks for me. I only shell out the dough for a hardcover if a) I really like the artwork or b) It's a limited edition of a book I probably won't see available in any other format for years or maybe never again.

But honestly paperbacks are just cheaper and that's why I prefer them.

[TheInterloper]

What was the point of asking, hardback of course. I buy a paperback it gets torn in a couple days and I get pis#%

[Kati33]

I'm a paperback fan. But, I do own a fair amount of hardbacks and won't turn one down if I find it for the right price. I also enjoy my Kindle. I'm planning to re-read UTD here soon and I'll likely chose to read my ebook version vs. the hardcover I just bought (for $5- woohoo deal!) due to the weight of the hardcover.

And I too love the smell of books. My husband shakes his head and walks away when we walk into a bookstore and I immediately pick up a book and smell it. Weirds him out for some reason.