When you’re getting books do you prefer to get new ones or secondhand ones?

I really enjoy the “hunt” for used editions of books that I want, and browsing through stacks in used bookstores is fun and neat way to discover books that I might not ever run across otherwise! But I’m kind of picky about the condition of books I buy, so sometimes I just go the easy route and pick up a new copy. Or if it’s a book I don’t want to wait to read I’ll snag a new one!

  • I personally love old books. When I buy a new book I’m afraid of tearing a page by accident, dropping it and cause it to get a dent, I feel like it has to stay clean etc etc.

    Feel much more relaxed handling a secondhand book. (I’m not mistreating books I’m just clumsy!)

  •  Fox   ( @foxtrots@beehaw.org ) 
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    fedilink
    English
    31 year ago

    I try to get used books over new almost always. The only exceptions are for books that just came out that I desperately need to devour instantly and the library physical/digital wait is months.

    This is pretty much true for most things in my life, I look for used/freecycle first for anything I need for environmentalist reasons. I remember seeing a comment years ago about how even those who are anti-consumerist still have a huge blind spot when it comes to books, and that was totally me - I had dozens of books I’d bought before ever reading, only read once, and didn’t even like that much. Having to declutter all of those books for a move was exhausting - used bookstores wouldn’t even take most of them for free, regardless of condition or how much I’d originally paid for them - and I’ve been trying to only purchase books I’ve already read, know I’ll reread, and that I can find used in good condition.

    • I try to make environmentally conscious decisions and I’ll admit books are still a huge blind spot for me in that regard. I do still try to get used when I can, but I’m much more likely to unnecessarily get new books than I am to get new clothes, for instance. Books don’t feel like a “consumer good” in quite the same way for whatever reason.

  • Like you I also really enjoy that ‘hunt’ for a used book. I enjoy browsing stacks of books and trying to find a book I’ve heard good things about while also maybe stumbling onto something interesting I’ve not yet heard of. When I visit a new book store, or buy online, it always feels like I’ve cheated the system somehow by not finding it naturally. It feels sterile, in a way. I don’t enjoy reading hardcover or the mass market size of books – they make my hands and arms hurt after a while. Trade paperback is ideal!

    When I used to read more I usually browsed based on publisher rather than author or a specific title. I just trusted a few to have curated interesting works. It made browsing stacks a lot easier as you just look for the logo on the spine. Now I don’t read as much and am not interested in taking those sorts of risks haha.

    • That’s probably just due to the production processes that they used back then. Nowadays we’re much more aware of things like making paper acid-free, and even our cheap mass-market paperbacks use better quality paper than books from back then.