Do you still buy physical books?

[amgoforth]

Originally Posted by HLS

Do you still buy physical books?

Until yesterday, since 2010 I bought only 1 physical book and that is only because my favorite author responded to my email and sent me a signed bookplate so I got the physical book for the book plate. It was Red Window by Alma Katsu.






I get allot of physical books like from thrift shops and friends of the library stores.

[LordP]

I have always read maybe two books a week, or just one if it was a behemoth. I jumped on the Kindle when it first came out and haven't looked back since.

Around 2009, I became Senior Field Tech Support for an electronics manufacturing company and traveled all over the US, Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. I would sometimes stay in one city or another for two to three weeks. Hawaii was always three to four weeks since I lived in NYC and didn't like the 13-hour flight, so I could help as many people as possible in one go.

I carried the thinnest possible laptop (MS Surface) and my Kindle and I couldn't have been happier - I didn't need to carry lots of books or, manuals, or lots of schematics.

[leebase]

Only as a gift for someone else - or possibly a coffee table book. For reading? I have no interest in physical books

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Andréa

What about you guys? Do you prefer physical books or have you also made the switch to digital? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Safe travels and happy reading!

As can be read from various posts in this thread, I and many other MR members strongly prefer ebooks to paper and not only when traveling, but in most other circumstances as well. Many of us have read ebooks for more than a decade. We don't necessarily use Kindles; there are other ereader brands.

Then there are a few odd people who still like to read paper books There's no accounting for taste, as they say...

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Andréa

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a bit of my recent experience with reading while traveling. Honestly, I'm done with lugging around hardcover books. On my last few trips, I've switched to using a Kindle and it's been a game-changer. What I love about the Kindle is how incredibly convenient it is. You can store an entire library in this slim device, which is a blessing when you're trying to pack light. For anyone who's still on the fence about switching to digital reading while traveling, I can't recommend the Kindle enough. It's changed the way I read on the go, and I don't see myself going back to hardcovers when I'm on the road. What about you guys? Do you prefer physical books or have you also made the switch to digital? Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Safe travels and happy reading!

Originally Posted by Sirtel

As can be read from various posts in this thread, I and many other MR members strongly prefer ebooks to paper and not only when traveling, but in most other circumstances as well. Many of us have read ebooks for more than a decade. We don't necessarily use Kindles; there are other ereader brands.

Then there are a few odd people who still like to read paper books There's no accounting for taste, as they say...

I would have given my eye teeth to have eBooks when my job had me constantly traveling during the 1980's.
Apache

[Sirtel]

Was that traveling Frenchman another spammer? His posts are gone.

[Renate]

25 years ago I used to buy those 500-700 page "bibles", "Windows API Bible", etc.
20 years ago I travelled a lot and bought a trunkful from library book sales.
10 years ago I went ereader and never looked back.
I still have the Chilton's manual for my truck though.
I used to have the "Times Atlas of the World", and it still makes me drool, but Google Earth is more practical.

I'm one of those people who don't consider bookshelves to be esthetic.
If I were rich and living a few decades ago, I would have a nice basement with lots of books in Stor-Reel (those bookshelves on train tracks so that there is only four feet of slack in the entire set of bookshelves).
Yeah, I've been to Trinity Library and it strikes me as such a shame because 99.9% of the volumes never get read.

[JSWolf]

The last pBook I bought was The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett. It's Discworld #27. I bought it because of all the illustrations that do not translate well to ePub.

[HLS]

I went crazy in November. Went some 20 years not buying a real book and I bought 16 out of the blue this month.. lol I got a signed copy of Eragon by Christopher Palani and a few special editions with the fancy edges like The Cruel Prince bound in black velvet and silver inlay

[HLS]

Originally Posted by Apache

I would have given my eye teeth to have eBooks when my job had me constantly traveling during the 1980's.
Apache

I remember getting my first ereader in 2010 (Barnes & Noble) I was so excited.

[shrsv]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

As can be read from various posts in this thread, I and many other MR members strongly prefer ebooks to paper and not only when traveling, but in most other circumstances as well. Many of us have read ebooks for more than a decade. We don't necessarily use Kindles; there are other ereader brands.

Then there are a few odd people who still like to read paper books There's no accounting for taste, as they say...

Whenever people talk about physical books nostalgia, I find it extremely difficult to relate

eBooks seem to be better in almost every way: highlights, lookup, portability (whole library), search, ease of getting new titles...

The only type of physical books I'd buy are heavy technical/mathematical works, since Kindle et al tend to have trouble displaying the characters properly...

[mlewis78]

I bought one paperback this year: a Nikon Z50 user guide, which was also available as an ebook. I figured it would be easier to see photos and diagrams. When I started reading it, there were some parts in smaller print that were hard for me to read.

Before I bought my first kindle I bought a lot of books, mostly trade paperbacks but some hardcovers and many art books. That same year (2008), I was going through things and decluttering. I saved books for last and only got rid of already-read books, but I kept certain biographies. I got rid of a few too many, but the books were overrunning my apartment. I had stacks on the floor around my sofa. I have limited shelf space.

I thought I would be looking through my art books in my retirement, but I haven't. I still have them.

[Wiggo]

I spent 450 € for paper-books this year, all non-fiction.

Some of them aren’t available as ebooks but mainly I rediscovered how satisfying it is to hold a good paper-book in my hands.

The best is this one: https://www.wbg-wissenverbindet.de/s...-trajanssaeule
You can’t enjoy such a book on an e-reader

[issybird]

Originally Posted by mlewis78

I had stacks on the floor around my sofa. I have limited shelf space.

I'm trying to deaccession, but it's a very, very slow process.

I thought I would be looking through my art books in my retirement, but I haven't. I still have them.

Sigh. With me, I think it's because overall, they're not very visible or accessible. Books in stacks are unseen. I'm glad you said this; I'll try to come up with a plan for the new year.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

The best is this one: https://www.wbg-wissenverbindet.de/s...-trajanssaeule
You can’t enjoy such a book on an e-reader

Wow, that's quite a book.

I went to check out what the Times Atlas is doing.
https://www.amazon.com/Times-Compreh...dp/0008610118/
The last time I had one I wished that the index would be separate book or an app.
Printing the index on that big, fancy paper seemed a waste.
It was also hard to read.
A crappy paperback would have been more useful.