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Had to decide between a hardcover and a paperback of the same book at a library sale yesterday
I was at the Friends of the Library sale in Eugene last weekend and saw two copies of The Hobbit. One was a beat up hardcover from 1973 for 2 dollars and the other was a clean paperback for 50 cents. I grabbed the paperback because I actually wanted to read it again and not just stare at it on a shelf. Got home and the binding cracked on page 20, so maybe I should have just spent the extra cash. Anyone else regret a budget book buy like this?
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skylerc8622d ago
Wait, wasn't the 1973 hardcover of The Hobbit actually a book club edition? Those aren't worth much more than the paperback. I feel like people overhype old hardcovers without checking the printing details. The real issue is you got a busted paperback. That sucks. But honestly, I've had way more hardcovers fall apart on me than paperbacks. Those glued bindings in library sales are always a gamble. Next time flip through the pages before you buy, see if it feels loose.
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pat_hall8722d ago
Right there with you @skylerc86, I got burned the SAME way on a 1970s hardcover of Dune that looked perfect on the shelf but the binding split open after two reads. Book club editions are sneaky because they copy the original cover art exactly so people don't dig into the printing details. Now I always do a gentle spine flex test before buying any used hardcover no matter how old it looks.
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