Paperback Vs Hardcover Discussion
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- In this video, I discuss whether or not I prefer Hardcovers vs. Paperbacks. I begin by defining the various types of books in print, as well as an explanation for why I like or dislike a type of hardcover or paperback. Enjoy!
Mass market paperbacks are my favorite, for sure : size, softness, and for the price of one hard cover you can buy 2 mass market paperback...
I found this video amazing in which helped me to have a vision on buying books
I am now a pretty hardcore collector. For collecting, depending on your goals, you typically want something that looks nice, has value to other people, and will increase in price as an asset. This is why I collect 1st edition/1st printing hardcovers of my favorite books. Book Club editions (that little hardcover), are lower quality paper and ink, thin dust jackets, and cheap perfect glued binding that start to separate after 10-15 years. They also hold little "collector" value in most resale markets. Same goes for modern book club, like book of the month club. Just hold a trade and book club in your hands, and you will feel the difference. This is what I buy as a middle-aged man with disposable income.
As a reader, trade paperback by far the best. Good paper, good ink, decent size. Light to hold, easy to hold open. This is what I bought as a young adult with a job.
As a cheap/broke reader, mass markets all the way. They do not excel at anything other than being small, and having their acid-containing paper turn brown and have that "mass market smell" in about 5 years. Disagree with you on mass market durability. They are the least durable with the cheapest paper, cheapest glue, and worst covers. Usually, 3 reads is all a mass market can take in my experience. This is all I read as a kid and a college student.
For me, I read almost exclusively on my Kindle paperwhite, and iPhone. Portability, syncing, reading in the dark, convenience, and lightness rein. If you are on the go, being able to fit in 5-10 mins here and there is how you read when busy. Kindle is also typically near the price of a mass market.
Tbh, I do not see a place for mass markets, when you can just buy any ebook to ever exist in 5 seconds in the palm of your hand. If you are young and broke, can borrow ebooks from library. Ebooks basically take the place of mass markets for easily consumable cheap content. Trades paperbacks have a purpose as it is the best physical reading experience on paper. Hardcovers are the most beautiful and durable, and best to display. What does a mass market bring other than nostalgia for B. Dalton books in the mall, and cracking your spine easily? Many of the reasons you like mass market are mainly portability, price, and lightness -- this is all better on ebook. I mean, I can read with blue-light free blacklight, in size 3-4 Bookerly (or any font), with one hand; mass markets hard to hold open, and the font is so damn small. Just move into the future everyone; I increased my reading by 2-3 x by moving to digitial.
couple stephen king BCA books are more expensive and rarer than original print runs just because of BCA going defunct when they did
No ebooks for me, thx bruv
I've always been incredibly fond of mass market paperbacks. Both for size (I low key find them sort of adorable) and a certain aspect of display. That being, I've found that sometimes if a series or authors bibliography goes on for long enough, the art style for the hardcovers will change over time. This is evident in genre fiction especially, where cover art has, urm, changed dramatically over the years.
But anyway, main point being, sometimes when a new book gets released, an authors prior work will get reissued in mass market size, with new artwork designed to step in line with the new release. So, as a collector i'm kind of obsessed with these "sets" of mass market paperbacks that can be found here and there.
I too quite like mass market paperbacks, particularly for reading. There’s also a certain nostalgia that they have that trade paperbacks don’t.
My favorite in general is definitely a mass market paperback for a lot of what you mentioned - I can carry them very easily, and read them for HOURS without it feeling tiring in my hands/arms. Unpopular opinion, though, is that I LOVE to break the spine on my MM paperbacks almost immediately. I also love seeing MM paperbacks with a broken or worn spine cause it just looks like a book that has been LOVED. I know that is super unpopular though hahaha.
I have started shifting towards larger trade paperbacks for my bigger fantasy stories (like Sandersons work) however. I just find something appealing on a BIG world being in a BIG book lol.
I am super interested in a video about the future of MM paperbacks! I would love to hear about that when you get a chance to put one out!
Thank you for watching. I think that video will be coming soon. It’s a topic I really care about.
@@jonathankoan You're very welcome! I really enjoy your videos, you have a very calming sort of aura, and I can tell you care about what you're putting out! 😊 I'll look forward to that video!
personally, i prefer the trade and mega trade paperbacks because they're so floppy and the print size is large so it's much easier to hold and read despite the larger size. i also really like the smaller hardbacks like how the hardy boys series made them (without the dust jacket) because they're small enough to bring around without having to worry about folding the cover or the bookmarks getting creased because of the extra allowance the cover gives it (and its small enough that my hands dont hurt even after reading for a while, unlike larger hardbacks), i also find these the most pleasing to display for my taste
i dislike the small mass paperback the most, because while they're very durable and stack really well, the text is usually too small for my liking and i dont like how stiff the book feels. it feels like if i break the spine, the entire book might snap in half. i also heavily dislike large hardbacks as they're super heavy and oftentimes have annoying dust jackets (i really prefer the cover printed on than being put on a dust jacket, i find dust jackets a hassle to keep around)
edit: a realization- its the type of books i like most that i own the least of and the books i dislike the most that i own the most of (despite being not too big of a fan of mass market paperbacks, i have easily a couple hundred and have to admit i like how portable and easily stackable they are, but since most of them are 70s-90s novels, i do feel like when i bring them around, i might damage it more by putting it in my bag with several other things that could damage it. not to mention the novels from the 70s are starting to actually fall apart)
Now I know why the mass-market paperback is difficult to find😮👍👍👍
great insight - when I started reading 20 years ago, I now have more than 4000 paper books. I must say that 80% is mass paperback. 15 are trade paperbacks (the new format orbit per example is using) then I've got some hardcovers and other mismatch like that big one from dresdedn you show lol
One the things I agree is hardback is for showing and mass for reading. until quite recently i only had like 20 or 30 hardbacks. Only for books that I really loved so I purchased a hardcover. Nowdays per example John Gwynne I alrady purchased the hardcover because I know I am going to enjoy and they are beautiful.
I do agree that masspaperback will end. Black Library books, which publish warhammer 40k started with mass and some hardcover, now they are all exclusive hardcover & trade (6 months after hard). There is one exception of the horus heresy series which started in 2006 and they still publish in masspaperback because people would rebel if they skip that - after all, anyone who his a book guy wants their books all the same size :P That's one reason I hated some publishers that on a course of a series they skip mass paperback and become printing the tall ones or trade it's horrendus!
But yeah, mass is already almost exclusive for some companies who don't want to change (or as you said, guys like Brandon sanderson or Modesitt or any other big money guy. To me honestly mass is my favorite - as you said, if you read one hour with hardcover you a) get a new muscle by the end of the year) or b) you will end in the doctor complaining pain.
I use the Kobo and my library for many books now. If I really like it, I buy it to reward the author and because I'll probably reread it eventually. And when I buy, I buy the hardback. Always.
As for what I like to read the most ... If I'm on a train or park bench or at the beach ... mass market paperback. Essentially a junk book. And you can hold it in one hand if necessary. For the most comfortable read in all other situations, a hardback is just more comfortable. Plus hardcovers are more readable and durable.
Super informative vidoe. Thanks for sharing!
I personally prefer paperback books 📚. I find that they are easier to read than a hardback book. Paperbacks fit more comfortable in my tiny hands and you can bend and flex it more. Modern Hardbacks irritate me because the artwork is on the Dust sleeve and not on the actual cover itself.
My only real downside to paperbacks is that if you aren’t carful you create creases in the spine. This can sometimes make the book look less appealing and more worn down. However I still find them better to read, I think it all really comes down to the page length of the book and how often you read.
I keep both hardbacks and paperbacks (on separate shelves obviously) as they both look awesome on your shelf.
This is my personal opinion, you may disagree and that is okay. To each their own as they say.
Ps. Amazing book collection. I can see you are a very passionate Star Wars and Star Trek fan, I am myself so it’s awesome 😎. You also have a cool mix of paperbacks and hardbacks, making your display pop more to the viewers eyes 👀.
Very good explanation. And thank you for the kind words. I have been really frustrated at the lack of Star Wars and Star Trek books covered on Booktube channels, so I’ve made an effort to make it front and center of mine.
I love love hard covers, they’re beautiful and don’t get ruined easily however I have more paperback because i find them easier and cheaper but it gets annoying and gets ruined so easily . I find used pocket books so much mostly been published during the 80s or 90s but it hurts my eyes even with my glasses on however it’s so much easier to carry around in my little purse
I would say I prefer hardcovers first (especially for display purposes of special editions), and then Trade Paperbacks for reading (although they can display good as well if your are careful not to mess up their covers or spine whilst reading them.)
I have a hatred for Mass Market Paperbacks. The size is convenient, but it looks like hell after reading. I've also had a couple fragile paper with ink that smears with the slightest touch
Oh Jonathan, great video! I found you from your Wheel of Time Ranking! Great video again.
Now, I have caught myself in a bit of a predicament. Because I LOVE MASS MARKET PAPERBACK. But, when I started reading fantasy last year I found Brandon Sanderson.. and I love the Starlight Archive. And all these book tubers had the huge paperbacks on their shelves.. I know now them as Trade Paperbacks. I initially purchased the Mass Market Paperback, but I fell into the hype and got the Trade Paperback. And then for the second and third book - I got the Trade Paperback, because I had the others on my shelf.
But, I've since read a lot of Mass Market Paperback copies of books - currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring and just finished The Shadow Rising (book four of WOT)! And I love the Mass Market Paperback... woo!
But now, do I keep buying the Trade Paperback to keep continuity or do I go back to the Mass Market Paperback for comfort??
Thanks
I tend to buy whatever is available and matches my series. Some series only come in Trade Paperback, so I get that. Some only come in Mass Market, so I get that. But for general reading MM is my favorite and Hardcover is my favorite for displaying.
@@jonathankoan thanks for the reply! I agree!
Mass market paperbacks are easily my favourite. If it really is true they are gonna fade these out soon that is a huge bummer
1 advantage of hard cover is that you can put something in that you don't want to be crumpled inside your bag.😅
I have both. I buy most books used. Hardbacks last longer/are more durable. Paperbacks used to be printed on terrible paper so the old ones are fragile. It can be easier to read hard covers and trade paperbacks than the mass market paperbacks due to font size. That is increasingly important to me, even if the weight and stiffness of a book can be a factor on my arthritic hands.
The new nard covers are sometimes glued rather than sewn, and they are terrible to read even if they are pretty, such as the clothbound classics sold and Barnes and Noble with the foiled decorations that are so not meant to be handled.
Always preferred hardbacks to paperbacks. Like most of the comments say paperbacks are usually more affordable and easier to hold for long periods. That said I rarely read a book in one sitting, and have large hands so mass market paperbacks are a bit on the small side for me.
3 main reasons I prefer hardbacks are style, strength and length. Hardbacks in general look a lot nicer with their beautifully designed dust jackets. I'm also not a fan of how quickly paperbacks get worn down and how the spine splits almost immediately. And since I love to reread my novels, hardbacks provide the durability I need. Finally, the type of books I read pushes me towards hardcovers over paperbacks. While the average length of a book today is about 300 pages, the books I adore tend to be a lot longer. While you can get paperbacks of say Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, the sheer volume of paper tends to make them more fragile and wear very quickly. Far easier to read them in hardback format.
Anyway love your videos, keep learning the craft of UA-cam and keep up the good work!
That feeling of when you want get a set of books in hardcover but one is no longer available in hardcover…
That is rough. I really want to collect hard covers of the wheel of time, but I was too late for the first addition, but I was able to get all of the Runelords Hardcover‘s in first edition.
eBay is your friend.
My favourite format is hardcover, but if im reading a mass market or trade paperback i won’t complain. It’s when I am reading a mega trade paperback that it kind of just annoys me. It has the disadvantages of the hardcover without the advantages of the paperback
Well said!
i have a lot of star wars hardcover books plus a few misc hardcover, but I prefer mass market paperback simply because they take less space and I have a smol shelf
insightful.
I do prefer hardcover books but I would read and have read paperback books
I exclusively buy hardcovers, can you do a video on why mass markets are going extinct?
I will be doing that video eventually, just waiting for the right time in my schedule.
can you go over the mass market vs trade in more detail? which one is stiffer
It actually depends on how tightly bound it is. Some trades are floppy while others are stiff, some Mass Markets are more Stiff and some are more floppy.
Do hardcover books contain color photographs and glossy paper?
Generally, most fiction hardcovers do not contain color photographs on the inside. Occasionally a map will have color, but usually the only thing with images/color are the covers and the author photograph.
Some contain the glossy paper, but not the majority. Most standard hardcovers are just standard paper and binding, with not too much variation.
@@jonathankoan first, thank you for your reply. I want to buy a book(hardcover edition) called Fungi of temperate Europe by Thomas Laessoe, it is a fungal guide book which describe all about the mushrooms like structures, taxonomy etc.
So I want to know ,this book(hardcover edition) contains color photographs and glossy paper?could you tell me something about this book?
@@PriyaPrajapati2 since this one’s so expensive and is a nonfiction about Fungi, I’m sure there are lots of color photographs involved. That’s fairly standard issue for these types of Science Related books. I don’t know about glossy paper though. I would guess it’s more that harder paper that’s more durable.
@@jonathankoan ok, thank you so much for your suggestion.I appreciate your taking the time to write.
You are the best.🤗🤩
Is there a name for a mass market paperback that has a hardcover?
I ordered a hardcover for a series I'm collecting and when it arrived it looks like a small hardcover. It's horrible. I like to collect hardcovers.
I just call them small hardcovers. I don’t know if there is an industry term for them.
@@jonathankoan Thank you. I´m going to use this term on my note to the seller.
What about eReaders?
I personally don’t like reading ebooks, and only read them if I’m beta reading for someone. It’s also hard to display a collection with an e-reader. But it has helped a lot of people get into reading, so it has enormous value.
Are people interested in the no content books , like notebook and drawing book 📚 ??!
I’m more interested in novels/fiction books, but I know there is a significant collectors market for notebooks and drawing books.
@@jonathankoan thank you
Paperbacks all the way!!
But here's an even deeper question...What types of Paperbacks? Trade, Big Trade, or Mass Market?
@@jonathankoan I guess mass.have you read a conferdrence of dunces?
With the exception of biographies I don't buy hardcovers.
interesting rule. I'm getting back into reading and pretty much only buying paperback, but something about the paperback covers for recent editions bothers me (the Netflix ad especially) and I rlly like the art of the new hardback so I made an exception for those
I'll give you guys the names I call these book sizes by:
1:00 US Mass Market PB
1:12 Paperback
1:37 TRASH (UK paperbacks)
1:50 Trade paperback
2:28 Normal ass hardcover with no protector on it because this guy lives his life dangerously (you can tell by all the cracked spines behind him) seriously buy some contact paper lol
2:46 Broke boy hardcover, aka book club associates cheap hardcover for brokies
5:28 he shows how strong his book spines are by closing it on his fingers WOW SO STRONG!!!!! I can ALMOST HEAR THE GLUE BREAKING APART
i need therapy after watching this with the amount of sins i just witnessed
Last year I got Demco book covers for my hardcovers, and most of the standard hardcovers are covered with that now.
I tried to use contact paper and it did not go too well. I’ll have to come up with something else for my mass markets (and I have a lot of mass markets now).
hardcover is superior and softcover is inferior
For collection purposes, I would agree. But for actual reading purposes, I think there is a bit of nuance to be had. But Hardcovers look so much better on a shelf.
@@jonathankoan hardcovers do hurt my hands tho
@@jonathankoan Can they just make something like in between?
@@ernie4795 That’s essentially what the Trade Paperbacks are. They serve as larger and look nicer than Mass Markets but they’re not as bulky or awkward to read as Hardcovers.
I 100% agree
Ain’t no way u made a 1 minute answer into 10 minute video
There’s a little complexity to it…