Paperback or Hardcover?

[Brookes2016]

I will read hardcover or paperback but if given a choice I would pick paperback. I like the flexibility of them and dust jackets are annoying to me.

[Kathryn Luisa Lauritzen]

Paperback all the way. When I read I like to do so whenever I have a chance and paperbacks tend to be lighter and easier to throw in a bag. I'm the same way with chess. I prefer a lighter, cheaper board so I can carry it with me anywhere and I don't mind if it gets torn up or pieces get lost.

[Liza Chulukhadze]

Yet I have both, I still prefer hardcovers, as they provide more stability and durability. I hate when a paperback is accidentally folded. Plus, hardcovers always look better even after years and as someone that wants to have their own library, I would stick with hardcovers.

[Ben Madeley]

I prefer a paperback as it is just easier to hold in my hands and not so heavy.

[Donna Walker]

Hardcovers look great on a shelf, paperbacks feel great to hold and read, and are more practical, but I now read mostly on my Kindle! I know, it's like a swear word to book enthusiasts; I thought I'd hate it, but I love being able to read in the sun easily and in bed with no light on, and to also have 20+ books with me at all times, literally everywhere I go. I am a complete snob when it comes to having the classics in hardcover, though. You just can't beat the feel and smell of a hardback book.

[Hannah Hampton]

I prefer hardback, but I own a lot of paperback due to them being cheaper! I love the way a hardback feels in my hands, and they also look really nice lined up on a shelf. At the end of the day, though, what makes a book good is the story inside.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Prior to the invention of ebooks, I loved paperbacks; they were smaller and lighter, so they were easier to carry around. Now we have ereaders and can carry 1,000 books with us at one time, sadly I no longer buy 'real' books

[Laura Ismajli]

Which do you prefer? I am neutral and have both. Lol. When ever I get a series though I tend to get them all in paperback or hardcover. I know... I'm a snob.

I do the same thing! Maybe I am biased, but I don't think it makes you a snob
I don't really curate my bookshelf to be aesthetically pleasing, but something about seeing four little paperbacks next to a massive hardback is a little ... uncomfortable? It just feels more coherent when they all match.

[Naghma Qureshi]

I prefer to buy a hardcover when the book is a collectible and I need to refer to it repeatedly, such as for self-help or research. But if its fiction but not a collectible classic, then I'd go for paperback.

[Jess Pumkin]

Well for me it us a question of what do I want the book for.
If it is to read then - Paperbacks.
Hardcovers for the coffee table.

[Jack King]

For ease I prefer kindle/eBook. That said I find it easier to go into a book shop and click through books and look at covers to find a new book or series. My preference is definitely for paperback, smaller lighter easier to use however I have started shopping around old and second hand book shops for first edition Star Wars books.

[Tamara Bengesai]

I read a lot of books. I don't mind either of them can do the job.

[Jack King]

I read a lot of books. I don't mind either of them can do the job.

Do you read ebooks as well or just physical copies?

[Gwen Johnson]

Everything is on my iPad these days. Mostly kindle. My eyesight is bad and I like that I can enlarge the text. I do miss real copies.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Everything is on my iPad these days. Mostly kindle. My eyesight is bad and I like that I can enlarge the text. I do miss real copies.

Gwen, I'm with you; my eyes are also not so great so enlarging the text, and controlling the brightness of the light, makes reading more enjoyable. I too miss real copies, especially the smell, but am thankful for the new technology.