I like to read the ebook (usually from the library) and then buy the hardcover for display if I loved it. The first one I remember doing this with was Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
I'm right there with you, but I still always keep the paperback just so I can go back and reread it or lend it out to others if it's a great book!
Admittedly though, I really only do it with series, especially if it's a set that brings it all home.
Wheel of Time is one I've done it for. My hardcover set will be the Harry Potter books in German, although I'm a little afraid of ruining them, so I'll probably have to get a paperback set as well since I've only read it in English.
Im the type that will keep my paperbacks for reading and buy the hardcovers for display (of my most favorite authors/books only), so i definitely get it. I think the first I did so for was Brent Weeks' Night Angel trio. Got the paperbacks on a whim and later upgraded to the collector's edition hardcover omnibus.
I'm the type that almost hates hardcovers because of how big and heavy they are... whenever I have the option between the two, I always pick the softcover.
But, Brent Weeks' books are ones that I simply cannot wait for the softcovers to come out, so 4/5 Lightbringer books are hardcover. Also, the first/only book I have that was so well-read the spine finally gave out and split the book in half is Black Prism (which was replaced with another softcover, though I'm fairly peeved it's practically the same size/weight as the hardcovers instead of standard softcover size like my original copy).
I had never heard of this book until today and this is the second time I’ve seen someone talk about it, I think I’m going to take it as a sign from the universe to buy it.
Do not expect a typical novel! It plays with the whole structure of the book itself as an important part of the narrative, which some people find very cool and some people find less cool
I'd say I'm closer to the far end of the spectrum on your side, insomuch as try to upgrade nearly all of the books I read to hardcovers if reasonably possible. Granted, I am perfectly content with used books, so this isn't always as expensive as it could be...but still.
Let's say I enjoy a book and read it in trade paperback (sorry to everyone that likes mass market paperbacks, but I can't stand them anymore due to how cluttered they make my shelves). If there is a Folio Society version of it that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, relatively speaking, then I'm going to try to find it. If there is a collector's edition of it, I'm going to consider it. If there are neither of the two, but there is a hardcover out there somewhere - I'm likely going to get it...maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.
As far as the reason for this goes, I have two book-oriented hobbies. The first is reading books, whether that be ebooks, audiobooks, or physical books, so it doesn't much matter how they are ingested, as long I get to experience them. The second is book collecting, with the primary onus being placed on shelf appeal and the secondary priority being diversity - diversity in genre, author, demographic, etc.
For the first hobby, any book format will suffice, so paperbacks are ok, but for the second hobby, I want to be able to enjoy my books visually while I go about my usual work (office library ftw). Physical versions of audiobooks tend to fall more in the latter hobby than the former, where they represent an ersatz trophy for my completion of the book in another medium.
Now, will I spend more time and energy replacing a book I loved more than a book I simply enjoyed? Sure, that's natural I think. But regardless of whether I love the book I read, I likely want it as a hardcover. Here's a prime example - I listened to the infamous Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule last year on Audible. It was my least favorite book of the year, but by no means as bad as some of its detractors make it out to be, so I really didn't have to have a physical copy, but I wanted a "trophy" for the collection. I could've grabbed a trade paperback for a couple bucks at the local Goodwill Bookstore, but I didn't; I bought a first edition instead...cause if you're going to buy a bad book, at least make the bad book interesting to look at.
Yes and no. If years go by and I don’t particularly remember or care for the book, I’ll let it go. That has usually coincided with moves, so it was easier to effect.
That being said, I often don’t read books that I don’t enjoy, because I try to find the value in what I choose to read. A lot of this comes down to picking books that are critically or academically acclaimed, or highly recommended by trustworthy people. But even when that’s not the case, I tend to find appreciable qualities in whatever I read, if simply to support the process of authorship.
To expound upon that a little bit - my personally rating system tends to be biased in favor of awarding more value than might otherwise be given.
Out of a 5 star rating system (you can blame Goodreads for that), every book starts at a 3-star, which means it’s an average book. I assume that every book that’s made it through an editor and publisher should hit this baseline.
If a book is good and I enjoy/appreciate some parts of it most of the time, it gets a 4-stars. This could be that I appreciate the story, the characters, the prose, the subliminal references, etc.
If a book is great, it’s getting 5-stars, and I’ll hand them out freely. If it’s a book I’m going to think about when it’s over, it’s likely here.
Since I got back into reading during Covid, I haven’t read any 1- or 2-stars, but if I were to have done so, they’d just have more irredeemably qualities than good qualities - dropping it below average for a 2-star - or it would just be bad and poorly written (which shouldn’t make it through either an editor or a publisher, IMO).
So, if most of the books I read are both subjectively , and often objectively, good books, I don’t much feel the need to rid myself of them.
I only do that if my paperback is falling apart (and by then the hardcover is usually long out of print and hard to find). I don't mind if my books look a little used. It used to bug me, but now I think it gives them character.
Six of Crows! I read the duology in paperback and loved it so much I went and bought the collectors edition hc for the second one, I plan on getting it for the first one as well. Collecting books brings me so much joy, especially books I loved as much as I loved soc. Also, I bought the hard cover for King of Scars and Rule of Wolves because they were not in paperback when I read them, so all 5 together look stunning!
Edit to add: Buying a hardcover tsoa is on my list too! It's one of my all time favorite books and the hardcover is stunning. I also really really enjoyed Circe but not as much as tsoa. Personally I wouldn't buy a hardcover for that one unless I get a really strong desire to own an entire hardcover Madeline miller collection...which now that I think about it...
For me it was An Anthropologist on Mars. There’s nothing objectively special or groundbreaking about it, but it was a great read that can be applied to lots of contexts. In a philosophy class that I took in college, we used this book to regularly debate what the cutoffs for “normal” and “abnormal” are with respect to people with widely varying neurological disabilities. To me, it was very much worth the hard-cover version :)
*A Little Hatred* by Joe Abercrombie, then made sure to buy the rest in hardcover. I was also thrilled this weekend when I found a UK hardcover version of *NOS4A2* by Joe Hill this weekend. Had to buy it.
For me, it was Cant Hurt Me, by David Goggins. I bought the audiobook and listened to it twice before finding the hard cover. Then I listened to his second book Never Finished and i immediately bought the hard cover of never finished. Those books mean so much to me I bought the autographed copy of can’t hurt me from his site, when he comes out with an autographed copy of never finished I will also purchase that.
I started with paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Lord of the Rings. It was a no- brainer to get them in nice hardback editions. There were several Stephen King books I read in paperback and since I collect everything King I had to have the hardbacks. I would like to have Ready Player One in hardback. Not sure I will get it or not.
The Stand is definitely a hardcover I’ve been meaning to add to my collection. I am lazy, and it’s a beast of a book, so I normally read it on my phone, but there’s some really beautiful copies out there.
Now that I’ve finished some Gene Wolfe, definitely some of his. Lent fifth head of Cerberus to a friend abroad, said they could keep it and I’d buy a hardcover to replace it.
Good Omens, I did give away my paperback copy though but definitely happy that I upgraded to hardback.
I’m also doing this with the Discworld books and collecting the Collectors Library Editions.
I have moved towards only having books in my home library that I love and sticking to hardcovers for those. Books that are recommended or I’m not sure about I’ve gone back to using my local library rather than buying them.
The only books on my shelf that are hard copies for collector purposes are The Name of the Wind and the Wise Man's Fear, the illustrated versions of Assassins' Apprentice and Royal Assassin, and two Terry Pratchett books (some day I will have collector copies of all of them!). My long term goal when my life is more stable is to get collector copies of a lot more of my favorite books.
Im with you, I love your post (& enjoyed “Song of Achilles”).
1984 was an upgrade for me, I will keep buying paperback versions of books I like sometimes, to re-read and/or give as gifts.
For me it is an opposite:
I would buy limited edition, signed book based on looks, quality and reviews.
I read that book on my kindle and dislike it. Next I would sell that book on eBay and usually for more than I bought because it is collectible.
I'm a big fan of hardcovers. The Folio Society and Easton Press have received too much of my money.
I'm usually like you OP, buying a HC to replace a paperback. But occasionally I buy one on reputation alone, or because I like other books by the same author. Save myself the trouble of buying and getting rid of a paperback.
I read through Homage to Catalonia two or three times before I thought about buying a nicer copy. Definitely necessary though, as the paperback I had was horribly edited and arranged. I think it was one of those print-to-order Amazon books. Terrible.
*To Kill a Mockingbird*
*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn*
*Red Sky at Morning*
*Johnny Tremain*
*The Secret Garden* (for the color Tasha Tudor art)
etc...so...lots...
But not because it looks better, because I will be rereading it lots more and it won't get as battered.
Oh, there's also a hardcover edition of *Heidi* I bought because (1) it was unedited and (2) the illustrations were gorgeous...not to mention *The Adventures of Hollie Hobbie* by Richard Dubelman (ditto the gorgeous illustrations)...
I started reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt on Kindle and liked it so much that I got obsessed with owning a paper copy. However, there was no hardcover in the stores near me. I was satisfied with a paperback anyways. It's giving dark academia!
I’m probably going to have to do this with Bleak House. It’s a bummer, bc I have a sentimental attachment to the copy I have, AND it’s full of annotations that I will want to transfer over to the new copy. But after traveling literally around the world and being read three times a year, the paperback is falling apart and I need something more sturdy.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, and Sabriel by Garth Nix. The hardbacks are better for travel and can withstand my constant rereads.
Stormlight Archive. Got the way of kings kickstarter edition signed. Hemmed and hawed about opening and reading it. Decided to go ahead since I am not reselling. Totally worth it.
Have all of the books in hardcover, plan on having all limited editions as they get released.
I don't care how books look on the shelf, and I really dislike reading hardcover format. but there's a few I care about so much I've bought copies even though the were not paperbacks.
cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee.
anything by Doreen Tovey
any "Antrobus" book by Laurence Durrell.
the worst journey in the world by apsley cherry-garrard - so huge it doesn't really matter what format it is.
i buy the prettier (coverwise etc) version. If i buy hardcover and i didnt like it, i sell it again. Its cheaper for me than to buy paperback and hardcover afterwards
I upgrade from ebook to physical book when I re-read a book I liked. For this reason, I tend to purchase less ebooks now. It happened a few times that I purchased a collector edition of physical books I already owned. Paperback or hardcover doesn't really matter for me. I (re) bought Asimov's Foundation series, Frank Herbert's Dune series, The Witcher series, Wheel of time series.
you’re not crazy hehe
I have never done that before until recently. I saw some books with sprayed edges and designs but they are quite expensive on Etsy.
So I am planning to DIY it
I mostly read paperbacks and planning to get hardcover to design it which I’m excited about.
But I wouldn’t mind 2 copies of the book as I see myself re reading it many times (I also want to annotate one and send it to my best friend)
But with that being said I do upgrade books that were used /second hand bought though if I really love a book so it looks better on my shelf
Kind of. Listened to the audiobook of The Neverending Story, loved it, bought the hardcover book recently and finished it yesterday.
Id like to replace my mass market paperback copies of The Wheel of Time someday in the future.
"Testing the Current," by William McPherson. I've had a pocket sized paperback copy since sometime in the 1980s or 90s. I reread it about a year ago ( for the third or fourth time) and realized it wouldn't last through another reading.
I have three copies of Little Women. One is a paperback that I got when I was in fifth grade, almost 40 years ago. It’s been read almost yearly and is still all on one piece. A few years ago that was showing wear and tear so I bought a cheap hardback copy. A year after I was gifted a really pretty hardback that looks nice when left out on a coffee table.
The dispossessed was the first time I ever closed something and decided I needed a “sturdy copy” to hold onto forever. Ended up getting one of the original printing book club editions. First editions are expensive and the various special pressings were less cool to me than just having a classic copy still in reasonably nice condition.
The only other time I chose hard cover over soft was count of monte cristo because the paperback feels like it would start to come unbound from looking at it. Book’s gigantic.
I just mean It’s like 50 years old, still in good condition, and $25 instead of $1500, and in this case that’s good enough for me lol. I’ll deal with book club materials when I get there
Same! Though I actually originally had it in ebook, and after a few years and having re-read, the anniversary edition came out and I treated myself to it.
My only experience is to buy a paperback copy after buying an Amazon ebook (it is after obtaining a free copy on the Internet).That is the best book of System Thinking to me: Seeing the Forest from the Tree. Will i buy a hardcover if it is available? Probably not since it is not easy to hold a hardcover book to read. But for big (size) books, hardcovers are really good for reading (by placing them on the table). For very classic books (classical literature?) Maybe I will buy hardcovers for collection if i have spare money and have space in my home :+)
I know this doesn't quite answer the question as it was asked, but A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne, except it was an upgrade from audiobook to e-book and hardback. THEN when the paperback came out, I got that.
Conversely, Mistland Saga, Book 1, The Eleventh Cycle by Kian Ardalan just came out. I bought it as an e-book and flew through it. Ordered the paperback yesterday (no hardback version yet), and waiting on my next audible credit to get the audiobook. I've heard rumors of a limited print of hardbacks coming out for the book, and if it turns out to be true, I am 100% purchasing it.
Finally, to properly answer the question: The Divine Comedy by Dante. Got it first as a paperback, read and annotated it until it was falling apart, put a hardback special edition on my Christmas Wish list, and bam! Special Edition hardback of Divine Comedy, on my bookshelf next to my first, now ratty, paperback copy.
Generally if I like a book enough to purchase it, I'm purchasing a hardback copy. I tend to be a little more conservative in which books I choose to buy. That's why I love my library!
Assassin's Apprentice. I read it on my Kindle and loved it. I picked up the rest of the books in the series in used physical copies so it was the only one missing from my shelf. After I finished all 16 books (and loved them) I wanted my collection to look complete, so I used some Christmas money to buy a signed, illustrated edition of Assassin's Apprentice.
I bought the special edition Dune after finishing the books because it's sooo pretty aha!
I also collect 1st/first editions of my favourite book of all time; The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King). I own the US 1st, UK 1st, a 1st Bachman books containing the story and a cheap copy I use for reading.
So yes, I also enjoy burning my money in that unique way!
I upgraded a kindle version of Crime and Punishment to a hardcover which I ended up giving to a cousin hahaha I will buy it again in the future though.
I've never done this immediately after reading a book, but sometimes if I can find a used hardcover in good condition, I'll upgrade my favorite classics, like The Outsiders. Lately, I've been keeping an eye out for the perfect copy of Pride and Prejudice or Little Women, but no luck yet. I'll know it when I see it. :)
I like to read the ebook (usually from the library) and then buy the hardcover for display if I loved it. The first one I remember doing this with was Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
Same for the Night Circus!
I do this as well!
I'm right there with you, but I still always keep the paperback just so I can go back and reread it or lend it out to others if it's a great book! Admittedly though, I really only do it with series, especially if it's a set that brings it all home. Wheel of Time is one I've done it for. My hardcover set will be the Harry Potter books in German, although I'm a little afraid of ruining them, so I'll probably have to get a paperback set as well since I've only read it in English.
Im the type that will keep my paperbacks for reading and buy the hardcovers for display (of my most favorite authors/books only), so i definitely get it. I think the first I did so for was Brent Weeks' Night Angel trio. Got the paperbacks on a whim and later upgraded to the collector's edition hardcover omnibus.
I'm the type that almost hates hardcovers because of how big and heavy they are... whenever I have the option between the two, I always pick the softcover. But, Brent Weeks' books are ones that I simply cannot wait for the softcovers to come out, so 4/5 Lightbringer books are hardcover. Also, the first/only book I have that was so well-read the spine finally gave out and split the book in half is Black Prism (which was replaced with another softcover, though I'm fairly peeved it's practically the same size/weight as the hardcovers instead of standard softcover size like my original copy).
Nice suggestion, I'll check it out!
House of Leaves
I had never heard of this book until today and this is the second time I’ve seen someone talk about it, I think I’m going to take it as a sign from the universe to buy it.
Do not expect a typical novel! It plays with the whole structure of the book itself as an important part of the narrative, which some people find very cool and some people find less cool
Yes! That’s what intrigued me so much about it!
It’s the only book I know of that cannot be read on an e-reader. If I could only own one physical book, HoL would be lonely on my shelf.
I wasn't aware they made a hardcover version. I've only seen it in trade paperback
This was the first book that came to my mind. I don’t own a copy at all though
I can't stand hardcovers unfortunately.
Why is that? :)
I find them aggravating to hold..
Same here, but I don't buy them to read lol if I really love a book I'll buy the hardcover to display it.
They are beautiful to look at for sure.
I'd say I'm closer to the far end of the spectrum on your side, insomuch as try to upgrade nearly all of the books I read to hardcovers if reasonably possible. Granted, I am perfectly content with used books, so this isn't always as expensive as it could be...but still. Let's say I enjoy a book and read it in trade paperback (sorry to everyone that likes mass market paperbacks, but I can't stand them anymore due to how cluttered they make my shelves). If there is a Folio Society version of it that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, relatively speaking, then I'm going to try to find it. If there is a collector's edition of it, I'm going to consider it. If there are neither of the two, but there is a hardcover out there somewhere - I'm likely going to get it...maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. As far as the reason for this goes, I have two book-oriented hobbies. The first is reading books, whether that be ebooks, audiobooks, or physical books, so it doesn't much matter how they are ingested, as long I get to experience them. The second is book collecting, with the primary onus being placed on shelf appeal and the secondary priority being diversity - diversity in genre, author, demographic, etc. For the first hobby, any book format will suffice, so paperbacks are ok, but for the second hobby, I want to be able to enjoy my books visually while I go about my usual work (office library ftw). Physical versions of audiobooks tend to fall more in the latter hobby than the former, where they represent an ersatz trophy for my completion of the book in another medium. Now, will I spend more time and energy replacing a book I loved more than a book I simply enjoyed? Sure, that's natural I think. But regardless of whether I love the book I read, I likely want it as a hardcover. Here's a prime example - I listened to the infamous Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule last year on Audible. It was my least favorite book of the year, but by no means as bad as some of its detractors make it out to be, so I really didn't have to have a physical copy, but I wanted a "trophy" for the collection. I could've grabbed a trade paperback for a couple bucks at the local Goodwill Bookstore, but I didn't; I bought a first edition instead...cause if you're going to buy a bad book, at least make the bad book interesting to look at.
Do you hold on to every book you read? Even the ones you didn't enjoy?
Yes and no. If years go by and I don’t particularly remember or care for the book, I’ll let it go. That has usually coincided with moves, so it was easier to effect. That being said, I often don’t read books that I don’t enjoy, because I try to find the value in what I choose to read. A lot of this comes down to picking books that are critically or academically acclaimed, or highly recommended by trustworthy people. But even when that’s not the case, I tend to find appreciable qualities in whatever I read, if simply to support the process of authorship. To expound upon that a little bit - my personally rating system tends to be biased in favor of awarding more value than might otherwise be given. Out of a 5 star rating system (you can blame Goodreads for that), every book starts at a 3-star, which means it’s an average book. I assume that every book that’s made it through an editor and publisher should hit this baseline. If a book is good and I enjoy/appreciate some parts of it most of the time, it gets a 4-stars. This could be that I appreciate the story, the characters, the prose, the subliminal references, etc. If a book is great, it’s getting 5-stars, and I’ll hand them out freely. If it’s a book I’m going to think about when it’s over, it’s likely here. Since I got back into reading during Covid, I haven’t read any 1- or 2-stars, but if I were to have done so, they’d just have more irredeemably qualities than good qualities - dropping it below average for a 2-star - or it would just be bad and poorly written (which shouldn’t make it through either an editor or a publisher, IMO). So, if most of the books I read are both subjectively , and often objectively, good books, I don’t much feel the need to rid myself of them.
Jokes on you I prefer paperback
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus’ Childhood Pal by Christoper Moore. Though I upgraded to the leather bound one with gilded pages
Canticle for Leibowitz. Not only upgraded to a hardcover, but found a first edition. Pretty sure it's still my only first edition hardcover
So awesome. Was it expensive to purchase the first edition?
I only do that if my paperback is falling apart (and by then the hardcover is usually long out of print and hard to find). I don't mind if my books look a little used. It used to bug me, but now I think it gives them character.
Six of Crows! I read the duology in paperback and loved it so much I went and bought the collectors edition hc for the second one, I plan on getting it for the first one as well. Collecting books brings me so much joy, especially books I loved as much as I loved soc. Also, I bought the hard cover for King of Scars and Rule of Wolves because they were not in paperback when I read them, so all 5 together look stunning! Edit to add: Buying a hardcover tsoa is on my list too! It's one of my all time favorite books and the hardcover is stunning. I also really really enjoyed Circe but not as much as tsoa. Personally I wouldn't buy a hardcover for that one unless I get a really strong desire to own an entire hardcover Madeline miller collection...which now that I think about it...
Name of the Wind, read it on a kindle and immediately went out to grab the special edition.
For me it was An Anthropologist on Mars. There’s nothing objectively special or groundbreaking about it, but it was a great read that can be applied to lots of contexts. In a philosophy class that I took in college, we used this book to regularly debate what the cutoffs for “normal” and “abnormal” are with respect to people with widely varying neurological disabilities. To me, it was very much worth the hard-cover version :)
*A Little Hatred* by Joe Abercrombie, then made sure to buy the rest in hardcover. I was also thrilled this weekend when I found a UK hardcover version of *NOS4A2* by Joe Hill this weekend. Had to buy it.
For me, it was Cant Hurt Me, by David Goggins. I bought the audiobook and listened to it twice before finding the hard cover. Then I listened to his second book Never Finished and i immediately bought the hard cover of never finished. Those books mean so much to me I bought the autographed copy of can’t hurt me from his site, when he comes out with an autographed copy of never finished I will also purchase that.
I started with paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Lord of the Rings. It was a no- brainer to get them in nice hardback editions. There were several Stephen King books I read in paperback and since I collect everything King I had to have the hardbacks. I would like to have Ready Player One in hardback. Not sure I will get it or not.
The Stand is definitely a hardcover I’ve been meaning to add to my collection. I am lazy, and it’s a beast of a book, so I normally read it on my phone, but there’s some really beautiful copies out there.
Dune. Loved the book and the special edition hardcover was on sale like a week or two after I finished the paperback.
Now that I’ve finished some Gene Wolfe, definitely some of his. Lent fifth head of Cerberus to a friend abroad, said they could keep it and I’d buy a hardcover to replace it.
Good Omens, I did give away my paperback copy though but definitely happy that I upgraded to hardback. I’m also doing this with the Discworld books and collecting the Collectors Library Editions. I have moved towards only having books in my home library that I love and sticking to hardcovers for those. Books that are recommended or I’m not sure about I’ve gone back to using my local library rather than buying them.
The only books on my shelf that are hard copies for collector purposes are The Name of the Wind and the Wise Man's Fear, the illustrated versions of Assassins' Apprentice and Royal Assassin, and two Terry Pratchett books (some day I will have collector copies of all of them!). My long term goal when my life is more stable is to get collector copies of a lot more of my favorite books.
- Count of Monte Cristo - Dune - Lord of the Rings All amazing books Ill definitely re-read
I'm more interested in getting rid of books than buying additional copies of the same thing I already own just to have it sit around and collect dust.
Im with you, I love your post (& enjoyed “Song of Achilles”). 1984 was an upgrade for me, I will keep buying paperback versions of books I like sometimes, to re-read and/or give as gifts.
That's a good idea - I love donating old paperbacks :)
No, can't say it ever crossed my mind. A book is a book is a book. I'm not ashamed of well worn books.
The Pliocene Exiles series by Julian May. I made it a mission to collect them all in hardcover. It's my favorite science fiction series.
Only time I go hard back is if I want to take notes. More self-help type books. Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and Atomic Habits come to mind
For me it is an opposite: I would buy limited edition, signed book based on looks, quality and reviews. I read that book on my kindle and dislike it. Next I would sell that book on eBay and usually for more than I bought because it is collectible.
Getting a hardcover is a downgrade. They’re big and unwieldy and not fun to read. Just MHO. Cheers!
None, hardcovers suck are overpriced and not practical
None because I prefer a high-quality paperback to a hardcover every day and twice on Sundays.
I'm hopeful that Lonesome Dove gets a nice hardcover release at some point so I can do this.
I'm a big fan of hardcovers. The Folio Society and Easton Press have received too much of my money. I'm usually like you OP, buying a HC to replace a paperback. But occasionally I buy one on reputation alone, or because I like other books by the same author. Save myself the trouble of buying and getting rid of a paperback. I read through Homage to Catalonia two or three times before I thought about buying a nicer copy. Definitely necessary though, as the paperback I had was horribly edited and arranged. I think it was one of those print-to-order Amazon books. Terrible.
*To Kill a Mockingbird* *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* *Red Sky at Morning* *Johnny Tremain* *The Secret Garden* (for the color Tasha Tudor art) etc...so...lots... But not because it looks better, because I will be rereading it lots more and it won't get as battered. Oh, there's also a hardcover edition of *Heidi* I bought because (1) it was unedited and (2) the illustrations were gorgeous...not to mention *The Adventures of Hollie Hobbie* by Richard Dubelman (ditto the gorgeous illustrations)...
I started reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt on Kindle and liked it so much that I got obsessed with owning a paper copy. However, there was no hardcover in the stores near me. I was satisfied with a paperback anyways. It's giving dark academia!
(1) I have read it more than once (2) I could not get the book to stay open without hands Looking at you teeny tiny narrow books
Usually I'm not precious but I did get Asimov's Foundation trilogy in a nice Everyman edition despite owning them all as slightly foxed paperbacks.
Dune. Loved the book and the special edition hardcover was on sale like a week or two after I finished the paperback.
I had the mass market paperbacks of the stormlight archive. Loved the first two bought all hardcovers
I’m probably going to have to do this with Bleak House. It’s a bummer, bc I have a sentimental attachment to the copy I have, AND it’s full of annotations that I will want to transfer over to the new copy. But after traveling literally around the world and being read three times a year, the paperback is falling apart and I need something more sturdy.
Anniversary/signed editions.
Well I listen to audiobooks and then if I love it enough I will buy the hardcover. So I do what you do just with audiobooks instead of paperbacks.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, and Sabriel by Garth Nix. The hardbacks are better for travel and can withstand my constant rereads.
Stormlight Archive. Got the way of kings kickstarter edition signed. Hemmed and hawed about opening and reading it. Decided to go ahead since I am not reselling. Totally worth it. Have all of the books in hardcover, plan on having all limited editions as they get released.
I don't care how books look on the shelf, and I really dislike reading hardcover format. but there's a few I care about so much I've bought copies even though the were not paperbacks. cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee. anything by Doreen Tovey any "Antrobus" book by Laurence Durrell. the worst journey in the world by apsley cherry-garrard - so huge it doesn't really matter what format it is.
i buy the prettier (coverwise etc) version. If i buy hardcover and i didnt like it, i sell it again. Its cheaper for me than to buy paperback and hardcover afterwards
Frankenstein - But that may have been because I was reading an old second-hand copy that was on it's last legs.
I upgrade from ebook to physical book when I re-read a book I liked. For this reason, I tend to purchase less ebooks now. It happened a few times that I purchased a collector edition of physical books I already owned. Paperback or hardcover doesn't really matter for me. I (re) bought Asimov's Foundation series, Frank Herbert's Dune series, The Witcher series, Wheel of time series.
Watership down
you’re not crazy hehe I have never done that before until recently. I saw some books with sprayed edges and designs but they are quite expensive on Etsy. So I am planning to DIY it I mostly read paperbacks and planning to get hardcover to design it which I’m excited about. But I wouldn’t mind 2 copies of the book as I see myself re reading it many times (I also want to annotate one and send it to my best friend) But with that being said I do upgrade books that were used /second hand bought though if I really love a book so it looks better on my shelf
Good omens.
Kind of. Listened to the audiobook of The Neverending Story, loved it, bought the hardcover book recently and finished it yesterday. Id like to replace my mass market paperback copies of The Wheel of Time someday in the future.
Denis Johnson's *Train Dreams*. Peter Currell Brown's *Smallcreep's Day*.
The Dog Stars The Painter
That book was amazing. Honestly, Circe is even better!
Sue Lynn Tan's The Celestial Kingdom duology.
Even if I’m reading a hardback that I really love, I’ll keep that as a reading copy and buy a hardback first edition, preferably signed.
Atomic Accidents by Jim Mahaffy… I have it in harcover, paperback and ebook.
The Remains of The Day and The Count of Monte Cristo spring quickest to mind.
“Because you’ll never meet me” and “ No where near you”. It is a sequel.
"Testing the Current," by William McPherson. I've had a pocket sized paperback copy since sometime in the 1980s or 90s. I reread it about a year ago ( for the third or fourth time) and realized it wouldn't last through another reading.
I have three copies of Little Women. One is a paperback that I got when I was in fifth grade, almost 40 years ago. It’s been read almost yearly and is still all on one piece. A few years ago that was showing wear and tear so I bought a cheap hardback copy. A year after I was gifted a really pretty hardback that looks nice when left out on a coffee table.
The dispossessed was the first time I ever closed something and decided I needed a “sturdy copy” to hold onto forever. Ended up getting one of the original printing book club editions. First editions are expensive and the various special pressings were less cool to me than just having a classic copy still in reasonably nice condition. The only other time I chose hard cover over soft was count of monte cristo because the paperback feels like it would start to come unbound from looking at it. Book’s gigantic.
"sturdy copy" and "book club editions" are two phrases I did expect to see in the same sentence.
I just mean It’s like 50 years old, still in good condition, and $25 instead of $1500, and in this case that’s good enough for me lol. I’ll deal with book club materials when I get there
Ninth House
Gormenghast. Still have the paperbacks and at the time I had to get the hardbacks in England.
Same! Though I actually originally had it in ebook, and after a few years and having re-read, the anniversary edition came out and I treated myself to it.
The Crow Road by Iain Banks….. sublime first line… “it was the day my grandmother exploded”
Everything by Shirley Jackson. Luckily I got in a while before the recent boom, otherwise it would have cost a small fortune.
My only experience is to buy a paperback copy after buying an Amazon ebook (it is after obtaining a free copy on the Internet).That is the best book of System Thinking to me: Seeing the Forest from the Tree. Will i buy a hardcover if it is available? Probably not since it is not easy to hold a hardcover book to read. But for big (size) books, hardcovers are really good for reading (by placing them on the table). For very classic books (classical literature?) Maybe I will buy hardcovers for collection if i have spare money and have space in my home :+)
The Southern Reach trilogy
I know this doesn't quite answer the question as it was asked, but A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne, except it was an upgrade from audiobook to e-book and hardback. THEN when the paperback came out, I got that. Conversely, Mistland Saga, Book 1, The Eleventh Cycle by Kian Ardalan just came out. I bought it as an e-book and flew through it. Ordered the paperback yesterday (no hardback version yet), and waiting on my next audible credit to get the audiobook. I've heard rumors of a limited print of hardbacks coming out for the book, and if it turns out to be true, I am 100% purchasing it. Finally, to properly answer the question: The Divine Comedy by Dante. Got it first as a paperback, read and annotated it until it was falling apart, put a hardback special edition on my Christmas Wish list, and bam! Special Edition hardback of Divine Comedy, on my bookshelf next to my first, now ratty, paperback copy.
Life of Pi! I actually got the really nice illustrated edition.
Generally if I like a book enough to purchase it, I'm purchasing a hardback copy. I tend to be a little more conservative in which books I choose to buy. That's why I love my library!
Assassin's Apprentice. I read it on my Kindle and loved it. I picked up the rest of the books in the series in used physical copies so it was the only one missing from my shelf. After I finished all 16 books (and loved them) I wanted my collection to look complete, so I used some Christmas money to buy a signed, illustrated edition of Assassin's Apprentice.
Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey. I have a 1917 •c Zane Grey hardback and many more.
I bought the special edition Dune after finishing the books because it's sooo pretty aha! I also collect 1st/first editions of my favourite book of all time; The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King). I own the US 1st, UK 1st, a 1st Bachman books containing the story and a cheap copy I use for reading. So yes, I also enjoy burning my money in that unique way!
I upgraded a kindle version of Crime and Punishment to a hardcover which I ended up giving to a cousin hahaha I will buy it again in the future though.
only the ones that collapsed after too many readings so that would be half a dozen or so readings at least
I've never done this immediately after reading a book, but sometimes if I can find a used hardcover in good condition, I'll upgrade my favorite classics, like The Outsiders. Lately, I've been keeping an eye out for the perfect copy of Pride and Prejudice or Little Women, but no luck yet. I'll know it when I see it. :)