I got my paperback edition of Metro 2033 at christmas, and it's already weary and rough. But, in the context of the books story, it fits really well. It feels like a lost relic and it actually made my reading experience a bit better
Paperback every time I have to wait for books to come out in paperback so I can Have the set for a series. There are series I’m waiting to start like lightbringer that I don’t want to start till the last book is out in paperback
I was inside a bus when it suddenly tipped over. Right before my face hit the asphalt, I used my hardcover copy of Arcanum Unbounded to cushion me. Literally saved my face. So hardcover if you need something as a shield.
@@FrankWinchester I don't read e-books for 2 reasons. First, it seems wrong that the most basic of pleasures enjoyed for thousands of years shouldn't require electricity as a sign of progress. Second, with wokeness causing some publishers to censor some books and in some cases actually rewrite hundred-year-old books not to offend modern readers, I don't want my library subject to 1984-like changes in reality. Part of my reading experience with Asimov sci-fi is seeing the future through the eyes of a 1950's man and what he sees as the norms of a reader in that time.
Frankly, I'd prefer the money put in the dust jacket to be put into the actual cover and spine of the hardback and the entire idea of the dust jacket ditched, even if that required simpler art on the actual cover of the hardback.
For me the biggest thing that makes hardbacks attractive in terms of readability is that they actually stay open because the hard covers weigh down the pages. With a paperback, especially those tiny "mass market" ones, you can't easily just plop it down open on a table because it's not going to want to stay that way. Idk I guess some people don't care about this but it's a major factor for me.
I find hardbacks easier to curl up with because of this; I can rest them on my lap more easily. I also don't like cracking the spines of books so hardbacks free up some stress for me. I only really prefer paperbacks when travelling.
Being a librarian I'm used to seeing book gore. Honestly I'd be curious for a part 2 where you get a library technicien to show the opposite, how to fix these flaws in your books and put them back together.
my budgie chewed a cover of a library book, i managed to restore it with some cardboard. I was very ashamed to bring back a book in worse condition than I took it, but the librarian was actually happy to see the restored version. So I guess librarians actually see a lot of book destruction 📚📚 also thanks to all librarians, you guys are magicians!
Thank you for your sweet comments ! Now I'll do a real librarian of myself and talk about rules 😂 : If you ever break a book, just come see us and be nice about it, we know all kinds of tricks to restore it 😇 I'd recommend not trying to fix them yourselves because it could makes it worst and be the difference between a minor fee and a book being "totaled" 😁
Harmonie Rainbow I don’t doze of for some reason I only fall asleep if I allow it. I can stay awake for 3 days if I allow it. I don’t bc I get sick if I miss a few nights.
I personally prefer hardbacks, I live the feel of them, especially the slightly bumpy dust jacket you get on some of them. I love that some of them are so beautiful and designed to have a certain feel about them that I don’t get from paperbacks when reading them. And to be honest I don’t like bending paperbacks, I hate when the lie slightly open and have bend lines on the spine. But that’s my opinion. I like that hardbacks are supported too. But I can understand why someone might want paperback.
Same. Some people love wearing their books in, I like reading a book and it looks practically as good as new when finished. To each their own! I know some people who buy the cheapest paperback version they can find and, if they love the book, then they'll buy the hardcover version so it saves better and they could read it again later on.
@@CosmicApe That's exactly what I do. For me, reading is about being comfortable and an old used paperback that I'm not afraid of damaging is easily the most comfortable way to read a book. If I really like the book, I'll probably end up investing in a nice hardback to display on my shelf that I can revisit later.
@@bensmith3006"old used paperback I'm not afraid of damaging" paperbacks make me inherently afraid of damaging them, and older ones make me afraid of doing even more damage. I checked out a copy of Sourcery last year and never read it because it was an old paperback, and I was worried about it falling apart from me reading it.
Yep, I do everything I can to mitigate spine creasing in my paperbacks, which makes me prefer a hardcover any day. Plus I love that after I get about 20% of the way through, the hardcover will lie open if I set it on a table. I read during lunch at work so this is crucial for me!
I used to be a “use the dust jacket flap as a bookmark” person but I’ve never been a “take off the dust jacket entirely” person. That would require not losing the dust jacket while you have the book elsewhere lol
Paperbacks are friendly. Hardcovers look down their noses at you. The way I see it, if you *collect* books, hardcovers are for you; if you *adopt* books, it’s paperbacks all the way.
To me, paperbacks seem very unfriendly because they don't seem to want to be read. Paperbacks fight to close ALL the time. It's a struggle to hold them open if you read for longer than 20 minutes. Just take the jacket off a hardcover, and it stays open SO much better.
For me the paperbacks is for comfort, and hardcovers is for aesthetic. I first purchased the books in paperbacks, read them, decide if I like them enough to reread them in the future, and if I do, I'd try to collect the hardcover to display on my bookshelves. If not, then I'm gonna stick with the paperback. Contrary for peoples beliefs, paperback still can last long if you treat it right. For me, i always try to put plastic covers to my newly-purchased paperbacks. So the covers will not soak all that sweats from our destructive hands and make it last longer.
As a library assistant, two comments (and, dear god this got long, I do apologize!): - re: durability, in my experience paperback vs hardback matters far, far less than the overall quality of the production. Hardbacks *used* to be bound by thread, and they're bloody impossible to tear apart. Modern Hardbooks? Glue binding just like paperbacks. And there's a *huge* variation in glue quality. I sh*t you not, we've had books that fell apart completely before the first reader ever got their hands on them. (That's the kind of publisher that goes on our blacklist.) Ultimately, in normal (library) use, the most common signs of wear are liquid damage, people scribbling in the books, and pages coming lose. Hardback vs paperback makes no difference. (We do still prefer to buy hardbacks *because* they're less bendy, though, which means they look new for longer. People generally have a strong preference for newer(-looking) books here.) - your entire section about "don't buy hardcovers if you don't know yet if you'll like it" I was just waiting and *waiting* for you to suggest reading a library book and was deeply disappointed when you didn't. :P for your style of reading (with note taking and everything) it is absolutely unsuitable! But I think for a lot of folks, especially people who read a lot, a library is a very cost-efficient option for finding new things to love.
I am a known figure in my local library. I read almost all my books in the library before I purchase them. That way I can test out books and then support the author for books I like. Since I reread books all the time, it's never a waste of money either! My local library is tiny though, so they rarely have something I'm interested in, but since I live in Norway, all library books in the entire country (a few exceptions do exist) can be ordered in a couple days. Very convenient and cost-effective
I usually go there first if I'm not sure I'll like it or if I can't wait for the paperback (which is my usual budget). Unless it's a sequel to an old friend *and* my birthday ;)
I don't buy many physical books (it's the least likely format for me to actually get the chance to read), but this is useful information for when I do. Thank you.
@@dig8634 and, dear god this got long, I do apologize! - ME TOO when i was a student i spend a lot of time in library, especially when we go on a trip to town library, i love it - so may books in one place! town library is divided for children and for adult, and as a child i was afraid i will not be able to read all the books for children and sometimes i go to library every day (i was that kid who sit and didnt stant up until the book ends). but when i was transferred to adult section i found out that most of adults books are boring to me (like i could go to sleep reading horror or criminal book) and when i read everything i like in library i had to find another way to read books, and my town library to that day dont have a lot of books i love to read: Peter Brett, Terry Pratchett, Nalini Singh. So i start to read ebooks and now my personal library have no limits (i have about 1500 ebooks on kindle), i buy olny the books i love.
Ah yes, we all hear those warnings about hurricanes on the news - that a hurricane throws you around, slams you down into the ground, and then begins stabbing you repeatedly. Classic hurricane threat.😂
To be fair. There have been drinking straws found stabbed into tree trunks after hurricanes. Though i thought a front loading washing machine would have been a better way to test it.
I have a paperback War and Peace that was given to me that the original owner literally ripped in half because it was too thick and annoyed him to hold while he was reading. It's my absolute favorite book I own because it's so beat up. Abused paperbacks are far superior.
It sounds silly but that is partly an essential part of the haptics. I love hardcover and paperbacks each in their own way. In my opinion, hardcover look better on the shelf. If you read them or just touch them, they feel like something valuable, a cigar box, a treasure chest. In contrast, paperbacks are more slapable. They give this feeling of something extensive, something rich. Like a ham or a thick bundle of cash. Of course, the most important thing for me is the content of a book. But I just love physical books. The smell, the cover-art, the haptics.
One good thing (in my preference) about hardbacks is that if it is a bigger book like the hardback version of Rhythm of War, you can just open it and leave it open and don't have to hold it.
@@stefank2842 take your book and put it on a table or smt flat so the spine is on the table then slowly take a couple pages from both sides and press them down to the table and do that with all the pages
I like paperback, but a specifically TYPE a of paperback. I like paperbacks that are floppy, have a smooth feeling cover, and pages that don’t feel like they’ve been smashed together. Those are the paperbacks that I love and don’t mind having. But if they are stiff, have cheap cover material, and feel like the pages have been smashed together than I would go with hardback any day. With hardbacks, I know what I’m getting into, because the majority of hardbacks have the same material and look, but with paperbacks, i don’t know if they’ll be floppy or stiff, cheap cover material or quality material, freely flowing pages or stiff clamped pages. That’s why I’m always hesitant for paperbacks because I like to keep my books nice.
I always remove the dust jacket before reading hardcovers. They get in the way, plus if you get some damage on the actual cover or whatnot, the dust jacket hides that once I’m done and replace it. That’s just me though.
I totally do the same thing when I have a hardback (even though I prefer softcovers). Often dust jackets are more visually appealing than the cover underneath which often is smooth one colour-ish so I don't want to damage the actually pretty part and can hide any scratches
My logic is that the dust jacket protects the actual book from getting damaged, so I don't remove it. I actually prefer how most books look without their covers.
I believe there’s nothing wrong with buying books if that’s something that makes you happy, which I believe is the case for most people in this channel. Plus, you support the publishers and the authors, and also don’t have to wait weeks before getting a copy of a coveted new release.
I personally like paperback but the one thing that bugs me to oblivion is when I read a paperback book and enjoy it very much, find out there is a sequel and having to wait what feels like an eternity for it to come out in paperback. I want consistency in my series and the wait is a cruel way of torture.
This feels more of a "fear of missing out" thing rather than anything else. There's thousands upon thousands of amazing series that are complete, why not read those instead? In fact, there's not enough time in your lifetime to read even a fraction of all the good complete series.
Vintage books are definitely awesome and that copy sounds awesome, but if it's that old then it is from a time where paperback was more akin to a magazine than what it is now.
I may be alone in this but I actually prefer the tactile experience of a hardback and I do love the aesthetic of a worn out dog-eared hardback book. That's why I love buying 2nd hand books. However, I do always feel guilty damaging a nice dust jacket, so I'll usually remove that until I've completed the read.
This is 100% correct. Dust covers need to stay home safe in a drawer until you're done with the book and only then is it returned to the book itself and shelved.
Omgg I do the exact same, when I'm reading a hard cover I automatically take the dust jacket off and leave it somewhere safe until I finish the book, and then I put it back on and it gets directly on my shelf
YES and invest in a nice cloth book sleeve. That's my advice. He's still young, so he probably hasn't had a book for more than 10-15 years, so he hasn't seen what'll happen. But if you want a book to last, I advise investing in a smyth-sewn book, leave the dust jacket when you travel, and put the book in a nice sleeve if you're going to throw it into your bag. But if you don't care about that, that's fine I guess. I just like to treat the things I own with tender care and respect.
He honestly should have used nothing but Terry Goodkind books for the torture test... Followed by the last test. Are paperbacks or hardcovers better at handling burning?!
@@CallumRickard Oh I know. I jest. But on a more serious note, better to pay money for a book by an author you love and give it honor by allowing it to be the one destroyed.
I way prefer hardcovers since 90% of my reading happens the first hour of the day w a coffee in hand, so I normally one-hand the book. Hardcovers stay open while I read, and paperback always want to be closed
I do that all the time and prefer hardbacks when I eat my breakfast and read or lie on my bed on my front and read as I don’t have to hold it open in a way I do for a new paperback. That’s why I get my books from charity shops because 99.9% of the time the spines are already cracked so I can attempt to keep it open.
This video should be age restricted. Daniel, I cannot believe you showed this kind of violence online. I’m contacting the book police. #DanielGreeneIsOverParty
I'm surprised nobody has talked about the difference in actual word size which is the deciding factor for me when choosing between the two. I always go paperback unless the words are too small for my preference. (Which happens a lot) Maybe I'm just horrible with distractions but if my brain doesn't get the small "wins" of advancing to the next page fast enough I just get discouraged and usually don't end up finishing the book at all lol. That's why I love Kindle reading so much. You can change the size to be the same for every book.
Durability is an issue when a book is decades old. Paperbacks, especially the mass market size, are made with acidic paper that ages badly. It yellows and becomes brittle. Even worse, the spines are glued, and the glue deteriorates with age. I have many old paperbacks that have literally split in half along the spine. Hardcover books have a woven spine that will not disintegrate over time. Daniel, you're a young guy. You probably don't have a lot of books that are 40-50 years old. I do. Trust me, if it's a book you care about and want to re-read, a cheap paperback will not last. I've had to replace some of my favorite books that have literally fallen apart.
Good point! I’m only 18, but both my 1950s LOTR collection and Narnia collection is definitely too weak to read. It’s not the same with my 1950s hardbacks.
I'm younger than Daniel and I have paperbacks from the 50s and 60s. They've aged well. I think it depends both on how well it's cared for and how good the quality is. I do agree that generally hardbacks stand the test of time better though
In my experience pretty much any 50 year old book is too weak to read. I’ve accumulated many old hardbacks from neighbors and used book stores and most of them are just for display
I usually take the dust jacket of when I'm reading the book. Also I find that a hardback opens a lot smoother. The only paperback I find more comfortable than hardcovers are really floppy paperbacks.
I didn't understand what you meant by "book gore" until you got to it, then I wanted to throw myself out of the window. (I've just discovered your channel and now I'm binge watching everything, greetings from Italy!)
I like hardcovers more. As you mentioned, my biggest peeve about them is the paper cover but it’s an easy fix for me. When I read it or taking it with me I leave the paper at home. Pop it right bad on when it goes to the shelf and looks good as new
I'm so OCD about creasing my spines even with paperbacks that I hold them in such a way so that doesn't happen. I've got paperbacks that I've had for years and read many times that look brand new. I do agree to read the paperback version first and if it becomes a favorite, I collect the hardback edition. Love this video! Those books look like Pips used them for scratching posts...lol
Same with the paperbacks! I've just finished a 600+ paged mass market one and it still looks almost new The sentiment is also a bummer sometimes though, as I recently got a second-hand copy of the Kingkiller books, and though they were cheap, the spines are creased, and it's killing me
I FEEL YOU. My favorite paperback is about 630 somewhat-thicc pages, and if I read to like the half-way, the spine bends so much that the front and back covers touch. :(
I'd say that in a bag, with other items being added and removed, paperbacks are far more likely to be damaged. I've had many have front/back covers and early pages bend up, and even tear. Hard backs are protected by being rigid. Dusk jackets are a liability though, but I always remove them while reading a book
exactly! my paperbacks get bent so fucking easily, i rather spend more money on hardcovers that i can simply take the jacket off when i take them out, and put it back when i am at home. simple.
@@nicolearaujo3466 No, you take off the dust jacket when you read a hardcover (if came with one) no matter where you are (even at home) and then put it back on when you put your book back on your self.
When I get a bent paperback, I just place it flat on a surface and pile a bunch of other heavy books on top of it and leave it for a few days, that usually straightens them back out. I ordered a hardback the other day that was horribly bent and I could not do anything to straighten it back out.
Oh man, this reminds me of something I did in middle school. I had a really worn paperback and it was so comfortable in my hands. When the sequel came out, it was only available in hardcover... so I tried to manually wear it down to make it more comfortable like the paperback was. I'm not proud of what I did to that book...
I really enjoyed my nook until it decided to just stop charging. And then the last WOT book got released and it wasn't immediately available on it. So i ran to barns n noble n got it begrudgingly on hardback.
@@amp7980 Same on the nook. I loved that thing. Then I moved to Amazon Fire. Then to a Samsung tablet. All three of these were awesome in their own ways and I love that I can carry every book I own no matter where I go. And if I forget my tablet, I can use the app on my phone as well.
I switched over to reading books on tablets because I have dry eyes and tablets make it easy to zoom in on text and therefore easier to read. Yes, I’m old. Get off my lawn.
One thing from the comic book world that I use for novels too is to never read it with the dust jacket. No matter how scuffed up the hardcover is, if the dust jacket is in good shape it will always look like new on the shelf. I'm a hardcover guy for two other reasons too. One, they lay open easier, and two, It's MUCH harder to damage the spine horribly. Not no mention larger text is easier on the eyes, there the first part of your body to go with age.
I'm dyslexic so reading is utter hell and for years I hadn't read a single book (apart from school and even then j wouldn't finish them) I was horrifically slow and it was nearly painful and don't even get me started on reading aloud EESHH like felt such a fool stuttering some ciptic language. Reading was embarrassment and I hated how it made my feel so dum. Anyways I recently this year found audible AND IM IN LOVE I've listened to 34 books now and just wanted to say thank you for recommending light bringer I'm on the third book now ...SO GOOD!! It's such a wonderful experience finding such joy in something that I used to dread and hate 😁😁
Ive personally never used audible but i'm really glad you get to enjoy these stories with everyone else. I was thinking of instead of doing a reread of Wheel of Time trying audible for that, but each book is like 30 hours long LMAO.
I’m dyslexic as well and I recently discovered using audible too! It is a game changer! I’m sure you do but listening at a faster speed help us pay attention better! Also not sure if you do this but I LOVE to grab the physical copy and read along with the audio! Although I could never read a book on my own coherently, have the audio revolutionizes my ability to follow along. There is such a sense of accomplishment when something that seems so daunting and impossible before and is now an attainable goal. Sorry I know this is long and I’m sure you know both of these things just want to throw those out there! Just so very thankful to live in a time now of technology allowing people like you and me to enjoy books in ways that would be impossible without!!
I don’t have audible, but I’ve been listening almost non stop since I discovered my library has downloadable audiobooks (Libby and RBDigital) they’re perfect for when I walk my dog or cook or paint💙
My grandad had a massive book collection that he kept displayed in his office. It was one wall of books, but you could clearly tell that some of them had been there for 50+years. The bumped edges and bent spines tell people that you have the books because you like reading books, not because they look aesthetic on the shelf. My grandad had books that were covered in tea stains and little scraps of paper that he used as marks. It's nice to be able to look through these worn books and be reminded of him.
I'm reminded of my late uncle's college story about sticking hardcovers under his sweater when he heard sirens and the cops demanded everyone in the campus library he was at surrender because some protesters had fled inside. He'd say that those had saved him quite a few bruises from the nightsticks that were swinging around as they were loaded up and taken to the lockup. So, I'm now wondering how paperbacks hold up against nightsticks.
I love paperbacks, if I’m putting hours into reading a book, I want to be comfortable. I see some people saying they don’t want to crease the spine of a paperback, but I love doing it. I love looking at a book that looks read. It has character. Every time that book is read, it is adding to the character of the book, the story of the book.
''When I handle a hardback I feel like I am devaluating the book''. This is so true, I am a Tolkienist collector and I am telling you that I handle my hardbacks with gloves and with such care it is chirurgical.
I bought Mass Market Paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return Of The King at a used book sale that was selling donated used books to fund the maintenance/slight restoration of a 250 year old historic mill in my small Canadian town and they were COOKED. The spines are deformed beyond logic, there are creased pages (not dog eared, literally creased in all sorts of weird places.) the cover of The Hobbit and Two Towers are f***ed, they open in weird ways, but they are still readable despite the fact that they were probably through their fifth used-book-buying owner by the time they reached me
You have made me very glad one of my fav books is an old paperback bc yeah dang it probably wouldn't have still been so readable if it got juice spilt on it as a hardcover. I tend to feel less bad throwing hardcovers into my bag though because it feels like they'll be less damaged/won't get their pages bent so much
Daniel: *implies he's gonna put a book in a similar situation as a hurricane* me: "ah, probably chuck it into a washing machine and let it do its thing" Daniel: *_manual hurricane_*
Daniel Greene and his book fight club... literally where he fights books... fun video Daniel. Totally with you on the read ability of paperback. Hands down better than hardback!
"wear and tear on the covers" me who rawdogs my hardbacks (: but seriously reading is such an intimate experience, undress that hardcover before you spread its pages and delve into the depths of its plot ;)
Hurricane: soaks book with water and blows pages slightly. Daniel: stab. Stabystabstab. Yeet. Tap water. Daniels dad: give me the launch keys Daniel. Daniel: I shall bathe them in nuclear fire.
I really have no dog in this fight. I feel that, in the long run, hardbacks always look better, even the ones that get read heavily. If the dust jacket gets worn and/or torn I just remove the dust jacket and TA-DA I have a new book (and I personally often like the look of un-jacketed books better on the shelf). And speaking of removing the dust jacket, that's where we come to my real reason for commenting. First and foremost, when I'm reading a hardback copy the first thing I do is remove the dust jacket and leave it at home. The damn things are always slipping around or (like you yourself said) getting torn. Secondly, the most comfortable way I've found to read hardbacks (and the way I read most books) is to lay on my stomach in bed with a pillow or two under my chest and the book lying flat on the bed before me. There's no weird contortions, no digging, no hefting, and physics is on your side. In this setting I actually find it's easier to read a hardback as most of the time they lie open of their own accord. That, of course, would solve your problem in only one of the many settings you read books, so don't take any of this as an argument against... well anything. It's all bloody subjective anyway! That all being said... I buy paperbacks because we're both cheap. If I pick up a hardback, it's because it had an exclusive cover on release or it was on some stupid sale.
Funfact: What I love is that in German (my native language) paperbacks are called ,Taschenbuch‘, which literally means ,bag/pocket book‘ 😅 Great video btw!
There’s actually a similar thing in Italian! I’m not sure whether it’s the same distinction ‘cause I normally talk about books in other languages, lol, but I believe “Taschenbuch” has an Italian equivalent in “tascabile” (translated: “pocketable”). This is really random but I felt like putting it out there xD
I literally looked everywhere for the unfettered books. I thought they were limited, and you can’t buy them anymore. I was begging for that to not be the one he chose to destroy 😭
It freaks me out that people take the jackets off. My brain is convinced the jacket will get ruined or lost if it isn't physically ON the book at all times lol
@@Luka1180 Nah. Prioritizing ebooks, which are usually less than half the price, really sorts through a lot of books I would have previously bought. Now I almost only own books I know I love.
I like to read a lot of old books because the copyright has usually expired and you can download them for free. Also there's usually plenty of offers and sales for ebooks which bring the cost way down if you buy them at the right time. Also: second hand books. Buy your books second hand! It's way cheaper and more eco-friendly. I live in London so there are a lot of second hand markets and stores to buy at. (Although with covid that's slowed down a lot)
Combo for me, read on Kindle, buy the hardcover for collection. Also use hardcovers for the art inside or read, only if at home (depending on the type of book)
And people who bend front or back covers of paperback books when reading the other page. Or when they bend it too much in the middle of the back. UGHHHGHGHHGHGHGH.
I legit stopped chewing my chips when you drew out the pocket knife and said "book gore". I mean i love horror novels but that's way too horror for me, lol.
To read: Paperback, for sure. Specifically since I stopped bothering about damaging it To have on the shelf: Hardbacks for sure. The perfect world would be to, when you finish a paperback, you could just change for the hardback to have on your shelf after
Hardcovers take up so much extra shelf space though! The covers are thicker, the paper is thicker, the font size is larger and the lines are spaced wider, pretty much everything about them makes them take up more space
Solution, get a little crafty, print the cover and spine past onto cardboard and make a sleeve for your paper back that is worth the effort, When your reading the book it's place is held by the cardboard sleeve
Read it first in paperback. If you love it with all your heart, buy the hardback. If you really, really love it, rescue all copies of it from used books stores like they're stray kittens.
I choose an e-reader and e-books. They are cheaper, and I'm not afraid to hurt the book. Furthermore, very light-weight, no back breaking, no weird position, and reading in the dark is now possible. If I do want the physical copy of a book I loved, I will get a hardback because of durability (yep I have hardbacks that over 100 years old). Edit: for hardbacks, the way the book is bound will determine how it can sustain wear and tear. Case bound books (or books bound by glue) won't resist as well as oversewn books or Smyth Sewn bound books.
The hardbacks most of the time have larger easier to read print. And I only need a paperback when traveling. And being the year 2020, traveling have been drastically reduced.
Interesting fact: if you leave most paperbacks in a hot car, the cover will start to detach, and can even come off and reduce the book to a pile of pages
They're partially designed that way. When books don't sell they usually get shipped back to the publisher for a refund and become bargain books. Mass markets and certain trade paperbacks however cost more to ship than they are worth so instead the cover is stripped and sent back to the publisher as proof the books were destroyed (usually torn in half and recycled). That's why if you see in any mass market book it says near the copyright "if this book does not have a cover it is stolen property".
I left a paperback in my hammock in the sun for an hour or two one time. I came back to read it, opened it and the first six pages fell right out cause the binding glue melted.
4:46 You need to distinguish between a perfect bound hardback and a sewn hardback. A sewn one is the best for durability and will last very long. A perfect bound hardback (usually mass marketed) is pointless imo. It's better to just get a paperback because they're always perfect bound and are cheaper. A sewn bound book allows for the book to be spread all the way open (I'd never do that with a perfect bound book, but I also wouldn't even bend a paperback cover so that's just me). The good thing about a sewn hardback is if you damage the book, you can take the book block and have it rebound.
Yes, 100% this. Most modern hardbacks are just as rubbish for long-term durability as paperbacks. Sewn books, on the other hand, even if they're 200+ years old, are absolutely impossible to rip apart!
Actually have an Order of the Phoenix that got absolutely soaked in a pop-up downpour on a 4th of July. The spine has only held up because I babied that thing after I got home, and even then, it’s not in fantastic condition. I do wonder how different types of binding would affect the hardcover durability.
I'm the son of a librarian, and I feel that an important factor was ignored regarding durability, and that's repairability. I've had paperback books that started falling apart on the first read. The spine bent and pages started falling out. When that happens, there's nothing I could do. There is no damage to a hardcover book that I can't repair. Spines have split, and I've glued them back together with Shoe Goo or other thick rubber cements (they end up reinforced and stronger as a result). I've taped dust jackets back together and added superglue to the internal splitting to keep it from tearing apart. Name an injury a book could suffer, I've probably fixed it. Paperbacks have much less wiggle room to work with, there's just less material to reassemble when they fall apart. When the binding splits or pages fall out, that's it. There's no real way to glue them back in effectlvely. There's also the time factor. I have 25+ year-old paperbacks that have deteriorated to the point I feel like they'll fall apart if I actually read them, while my similarly aged hardcovers are as durable as ever. The pages are thicker and simply hold up better to the ravages of age. Yes, if I'm just buying a book to read once, paperback, for sure, but if I want a book that will last for my whole life and that I'll be able to repeatedly repair if necessary, I go for a hardcover.
Angela McCollister I completely understand about the price thing, when decided between mm and out of print hardcovers, the mm usually win. I just hate the way you have to hold them in order to read. To me they’re extremely uncomfortable.
I only get mass markets for starts of series (like The Last Wish, I ended up loving it so much I got the hardcover though, the rest are regular sized paperbacks) or for an author I know I'll be getting a lot of (like Stephen King, got so many mass markets from Stephen King in my bookshelf...). The only mass market paperback I own that I really love is my First Jove/HBJ edition of The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long, and that's because it's old as all hell and smells fantastic (not to mention how well conserved it is for a four decades old book). The pages are so yellow!
Have you done, or planning to do, a video on how to best take notes in books? It would be cool to see a video showing the best note taking strategies for different genres. I want to re-read a lot of history and political theory books I have and do note taking but im not really sure how to best start 🤔
Andy Mckay I agree I’d love to see how he takes notes. Merphy Napier has a video about how she takes notes. I’m pretty sure it was uploaded in the last few months. Great channel that I discovered because Daniel is friends with her.
I have just started to order some physical books after only reading e-books for a while, and choosing between the 2 options was the first question I had. You answered my question perfectly, thanks! Will be going with paperback for that optimal reading experience.
I always feel like I may be comfortable reading my hardback even if it's digging into me, but the second I put it down I just have this breath of relief cause I didn't realise how much it was digging into my side
I feel like with hardcovers that have a dust jacket I can beat it up and mess it up without worry bc once I’m ready to put it back on the shelf I just slip the jacket on and it looks perfect again. On the other side, a paperback you can’t really cover the wear and tear. So for me hardcover wins
I read those like, three inch high, 5 inch thick kind of paper backs opened at like a 20 degree angle cause I hate having those lines on the spines lol
I love your passion for the paperback, but I’m a recent convert to the hardback. I find them easier to hold, easier to clip a night light to the hard back, and I appreciate the larger font. For years I thought the hard back was for collectors who wore plaid or people who bought books but didn’t read them. But now I’m on team HB! 🎉. Thanks for an engaging video. At the end of the day, it’s an individual thing. As long as we’re reading!
You saying there’s gonna be book gore and me seeing those A Game of Thrones special editions standing on the table gave me such tense and pervasive fear for the rest of the video it was unsettling.
One of my most prized possessions is a hardcover set of His Dark Materials from the Folio Society. I don't think I could ever have a library without a collection of hardcovers. That being said, whenever I want to curl up on the couch with a good book, a paperback is often what I'd want most. 😊 My favorite ones are vintage paperbacks that people have clearly read and loved. Currently reading through a beautiful 1978 Ballantine paperback copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.
This is the last super weird video for a while. After this is back to your regularly scheduled reviews and fantasy news/fantasy deep dives.
Awe, but what if we *like* the super weird?
I got my paperback edition of Metro 2033 at christmas, and it's already weary and rough. But, in the context of the books story, it fits really well. It feels like a lost relic and it actually made my reading experience a bit better
But I like weird Daniel.
Paperback every time I have to wait for books to come out in paperback so I can Have the set for a series. There are series I’m waiting to start like lightbringer that I don’t want to start till the last book is out in paperback
Book Gore...You Unutterable Barbarian, Greene!!!
I was inside a bus when it suddenly tipped over. Right before my face hit the asphalt, I used my hardcover copy of Arcanum Unbounded to cushion me. Literally saved my face. So hardcover if you need something as a shield.
Did this really happen? Hope you are fine!
@@itubeeinhorn yes it did. So my copy has a lot of scratches on it. It has character. Ahaha
@@derekkarofsky9694 oh no!!! But you are fine right?
@@itubeeinhorn yes. I'm just happy I had a book in hand that time.
How would u hit the asphalt if u were in the bus, i call bs 😂
Dan: If book gore bothers you, you might want to leave
Me: meh I really don´t care
Dan: *book gore*
Me: that...that really hurt me
Agreed
Draconos same lol
Same
Same here 😂
I was like, meh gore is fine, but then I started to think about how I would destroy books in my head and I felt really uncomfortable.
Daniel: "I will make this video as objective as possible"
Also Daniel few minutes into the video: "I will defend paperback 'till the day I die!!!"
Well, honestly, same. That's why I love him 😂♥️
Actually I remove it as soon as I start my reading and restore it weeks later to hung it in the shelve jaja
@@eldamifers 8,,
For ease of use, I read ebooks. However I collect books, so I collect hardbacks generally. Paperbacks don't feature in my life
@@FrankWinchester I don't read e-books for 2 reasons. First, it seems wrong that the most basic of pleasures enjoyed for thousands of years shouldn't require electricity as a sign of progress. Second, with wokeness causing some publishers to censor some books and in some cases actually rewrite hundred-year-old books not to offend modern readers, I don't want my library subject to 1984-like changes in reality. Part of my reading experience with Asimov sci-fi is seeing the future through the eyes of a 1950's man and what he sees as the norms of a reader in that time.
"you're not gonna casually run into a box cutter"
You don't know me
Happened to me more times than I’m willing to admit when I worked at a bookstore.
Made me think of, "He ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times." Maybe a hardback would have saved him.
Daniel: there's going to be book gore here
Me, eyeing that fancy leather cover with gold pages, illustrated Warbreaker edition: don't you dare
I was like palpatine voice "yes, do it"
SAME
Noooooooooooo!!
In my mind...."I am about to call the police"
That one looked like one of the Mistborn books
Conclusion:
If you want to enjoy the read, get paperback.
If you want to display your books and look fancy, get hardback.
BTW, I totally agree.
Hence why I have both
i dont find hardbacks harder to read at all, just open them on a table why would you even hold them?
EXACTLY
@@nrreno neck pain?
@@nrreno You might not have a table.
I prefer it when hard cover books have the artwork printed in the hard book not in the dust jacket
I like having something different underneath the dust jacket. It makes me feel like I have two books instead of one
If I'm paying extra, then I definitely want the artwork to be actually incorporated into the copy
Frankly, I'd prefer the money put in the dust jacket to be put into the actual cover and spine of the hardback and the entire idea of the dust jacket ditched, even if that required simpler art on the actual cover of the hardback.
Yes! The dust jacket tends to be really fragile
I feel like no book has that
Horror Movie: *Shows a man getting disemboweled*
Me: *sleep*
Daniel: *Bends a paperback’s spine all the way back*
Me: *endless SCREAMING*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
He warned you.
Daniel takes paperback in hand: Execute order 66
*screaming begins anew*
Screaming continues in my house....
For me the biggest thing that makes hardbacks attractive in terms of readability is that they actually stay open because the hard covers weigh down the pages. With a paperback, especially those tiny "mass market" ones, you can't easily just plop it down open on a table because it's not going to want to stay that way. Idk I guess some people don't care about this but it's a major factor for me.
Huh, I don't think I've ever read a novel on a table before.
To each their own of course!
YES
@@taserrr I read mine on my desk and it's much easier when it's Hardcover
I find hardbacks easier to curl up with because of this; I can rest them on my lap more easily. I also don't like cracking the spines of books so hardbacks free up some stress for me. I only really prefer paperbacks when travelling.
Being a librarian I'm used to seeing book gore. Honestly I'd be curious for a part 2 where you get a library technicien to show the opposite, how to fix these flaws in your books and put them back together.
my budgie chewed a cover of a library book, i managed to restore it with some cardboard. I was very ashamed to bring back a book in worse condition than I took it, but the librarian was actually happy to see the restored version. So I guess librarians actually see a lot of book destruction 📚📚 also thanks to all librarians, you guys are magicians!
as a person with a child who is learning how to take care of his books, thank you for what you do, and I am sorry
Thank you for your sweet comments !
Now I'll do a real librarian of myself and talk about rules 😂 : If you ever break a book, just come see us and be nice about it, we know all kinds of tricks to restore it 😇 I'd recommend not trying to fix them yourselves because it could makes it worst and be the difference between a minor fee and a book being "totaled" 😁
yes, need help with good repair tips. rather then the paste tape and guess method.
And make sure you give them the books you just used in the “hurricane”.
I once fell asleep reading and dropped “Order of the Phoenix” on my face. Haven’t bought a hard cover since. 🤕
I've dropped my phone and my Kindle on my face too, after dozing off.
I'm sorry but, 😂😂😂😂
Harmonie Rainbow I don’t doze of for some reason I only fall asleep if I allow it. I can stay awake for 3 days if I allow it. I don’t bc I get sick if I miss a few nights.
Oh my gosh, that image is so funny
@Harmonie Rainbow I’m sorry I shouldn’t laugh but that’s the funniest comment I’ve read today. 😂😂😂
I personally prefer hardbacks, I live the feel of them, especially the slightly bumpy dust jacket you get on some of them. I love that some of them are so beautiful and designed to have a certain feel about them that I don’t get from paperbacks when reading them. And to be honest I don’t like bending paperbacks, I hate when the lie slightly open and have bend lines on the spine. But that’s my opinion. I like that hardbacks are supported too. But I can understand why someone might want paperback.
Exactly! I dont want to hurt a book. I get that people like them more worn and stuff, but not me. It feels wrong. Hardbacks all the way for me
Same. Some people love wearing their books in, I like reading a book and it looks practically as good as new when finished. To each their own! I know some people who buy the cheapest paperback version they can find and, if they love the book, then they'll buy the hardcover version so it saves better and they could read it again later on.
@@CosmicApe That's exactly what I do. For me, reading is about being comfortable and an old used paperback that I'm not afraid of damaging is easily the most comfortable way to read a book. If I really like the book, I'll probably end up investing in a nice hardback to display on my shelf that I can revisit later.
@@bensmith3006"old used paperback I'm not afraid of damaging" paperbacks make me inherently afraid of damaging them, and older ones make me afraid of doing even more damage. I checked out a copy of Sourcery last year and never read it because it was an old paperback, and I was worried about it falling apart from me reading it.
Yep, I do everything I can to mitigate spine creasing in my paperbacks, which makes me prefer a hardcover any day. Plus I love that after I get about 20% of the way through, the hardcover will lie open if I set it on a table. I read during lunch at work so this is crucial for me!
Does anybody take the jacket off the hardcover if they're reading for longer than 20 minutes?
Always!
No the the jacket is one of the most important parts due to AESTHETICS.
I used to be a “use the dust jacket flap as a bookmark” person but I’ve never been a “take off the dust jacket entirely” person. That would require not losing the dust jacket while you have the book elsewhere lol
@@emmanarotzky6565 agreed completely
Yes
Paperbacks are friendly. Hardcovers look down their noses at you. The way I see it, if you *collect* books, hardcovers are for you; if you *adopt* books, it’s paperbacks all the way.
I love this approach!
@@lev.latelyThanks!
im stealing this line, it explained what i couldn’t so perfectly
@@jasdeepsadam6399 Go ahead :)
To me, paperbacks seem very unfriendly because they don't seem to want to be read. Paperbacks fight to close ALL the time. It's a struggle to hold them open if you read for longer than 20 minutes. Just take the jacket off a hardcover, and it stays open SO much better.
Daniel says “manual hurricane”, and then stabs the book😂
You've never been stabbed by a hurricane?
I think drunk Daniel has taken over the channel.
I support drunk Daniel and/or crazy sporadic Daniel
@@dutcherharmon7256 I think you mean Daddy Daniel, lol
I'm not weird btw that's a reference to his drunk WoT covers review
@@nathyngoss3132 Ah yes Daddy Daniel
Hardback: $40 for a 600 page Stephen King Book
Paperback: $5 for a 600 page Stephen King book
Just don't buy Stephen King new 🤔
Stephen kings stares angrily at you* 😂
It’s true, I bought IT and it wasn’t that much😍
@@OkamiRose Stephen King new: am I a joke to you?
Kindle is best.
For me the paperbacks is for comfort, and hardcovers is for aesthetic. I first purchased the books in paperbacks, read them, decide if I like them enough to reread them in the future, and if I do, I'd try to collect the hardcover to display on my bookshelves. If not, then I'm gonna stick with the paperback. Contrary for peoples beliefs, paperback still can last long if you treat it right. For me, i always try to put plastic covers to my newly-purchased paperbacks. So the covers will not soak all that sweats from our destructive hands and make it last longer.
As a library assistant, two comments (and, dear god this got long, I do apologize!):
- re: durability, in my experience paperback vs hardback matters far, far less than the overall quality of the production. Hardbacks *used* to be bound by thread, and they're bloody impossible to tear apart. Modern Hardbooks? Glue binding just like paperbacks. And there's a *huge* variation in glue quality. I sh*t you not, we've had books that fell apart completely before the first reader ever got their hands on them. (That's the kind of publisher that goes on our blacklist.) Ultimately, in normal (library) use, the most common signs of wear are liquid damage, people scribbling in the books, and pages coming lose. Hardback vs paperback makes no difference. (We do still prefer to buy hardbacks *because* they're less bendy, though, which means they look new for longer. People generally have a strong preference for newer(-looking) books here.)
- your entire section about "don't buy hardcovers if you don't know yet if you'll like it" I was just waiting and *waiting* for you to suggest reading a library book and was deeply disappointed when you didn't. :P for your style of reading (with note taking and everything) it is absolutely unsuitable! But I think for a lot of folks, especially people who read a lot, a library is a very cost-efficient option for finding new things to love.
I am a known figure in my local library. I read almost all my books in the library before I purchase them. That way I can test out books and then support the author for books I like.
Since I reread books all the time, it's never a waste of money either!
My local library is tiny though, so they rarely have something I'm interested in, but since I live in Norway, all library books in the entire country (a few exceptions do exist) can be ordered in a couple days. Very convenient and cost-effective
I usually go there first if I'm not sure I'll like it or if I can't wait for the paperback (which is my usual budget). Unless it's a sequel to an old friend *and* my birthday ;)
I don't buy many physical books (it's the least likely format for me to actually get the chance to read), but this is useful information for when I do. Thank you.
@@dig8634
and, dear god this got long, I do apologize! - ME TOO
when i was a student i spend a lot of time in library, especially when we go on a trip to town library, i love it - so may books in one place! town library is divided for children and for adult, and as a child i was afraid i will not be able to read all the books for children and sometimes i go to library every day (i was that kid who sit and didnt stant up until the book ends). but when i was transferred to adult section i found out that most of adults books are boring to me (like i could go to sleep reading horror or criminal book) and when i read everything i like in library i had to find another way to read books, and my town library to that day dont have a lot of books i love to read: Peter Brett, Terry Pratchett, Nalini Singh.
So i start to read ebooks and now my personal library have no limits (i have about 1500 ebooks on kindle), i buy olny the books i love.
Love my local library
Ah yes, we all hear those warnings about hurricanes on the news - that a hurricane throws you around, slams you down into the ground, and then begins stabbing you repeatedly. Classic hurricane threat.😂
To be fair. There have been drinking straws found stabbed into tree trunks after hurricanes. Though i thought a front loading washing machine would have been a better way to test it.
Hey remember last time we were in a hurricane.. yaa it stabbed so hard man.
Best comment today🤣🤣🤣
Hurricane Daniel!
@@amp7980 Came here to suggest this! Both books on a quick spin cycle in a front-loading washing machine would've been a great comparison!
I have a paperback War and Peace that was given to me that the original owner literally ripped in half because it was too thick and annoyed him to hold while he was reading. It's my absolute favorite book I own because it's so beat up. Abused paperbacks are far superior.
700 % agree
this made my chest hurt
i just wanna
Agreed, but I don’t want to be the one to abuse them to get that “abused look”🥲
An abused book is better than an unread book
Rio the book apart if it means serving it purpose@kukachoo42
The lesson I learned from this video is that if youre attacked in a library with a knife, pick up a hardback to defend yourself.
Oh yeah, good point
Parabellum: And I took that seriously
Obviously we should be judging by the slappability! ^_^
Lmao u just rendered our boi Daniel's entire comprehensive analysis obselete
Hell yeah
Davie504 would approve
@@LukasHatesBuffering EPIC i slapped like
It sounds silly but that is partly an essential part of the haptics.
I love hardcover and paperbacks each in their own way. In my opinion, hardcover look better on the shelf. If you read them or just touch them, they feel like something valuable, a cigar box, a treasure chest.
In contrast, paperbacks are more slapable. They give this feeling of something extensive, something rich. Like a ham or a thick bundle of cash.
Of course, the most important thing for me is the content of a book. But I just love physical books. The smell, the cover-art, the haptics.
One good thing (in my preference) about hardbacks is that if it is a bigger book like the hardback version of Rhythm of War, you can just open it and leave it open and don't have to hold it.
I like hardcover because it opens all the way without the spine creasing
say that to my copy of under the dome... lol
You can relax your paperbacks (it took me like 20 minutes to do it to a 500-page book tho) so the spine doesn't crack
@@nattycatty2237 yeah i do that to all of my paperbacks.
@@rebekalapina8005 how do you do that? im about to read a 600-page-book so im just wondering 😆
@@stefank2842 take your book and put it on a table or smt flat so the spine is on the table then slowly take a couple pages from both sides and press them down to the table and do that with all the pages
Basically this video is showing us Daniel's obsession with slapping on book's covers.
I read this comment right as he slapped a books cover 😂😂😂
I like paperback, but a specifically TYPE a of paperback. I like paperbacks that are floppy, have a smooth feeling cover, and pages that don’t feel like they’ve been smashed together. Those are the paperbacks that I love and don’t mind having. But if they are stiff, have cheap cover material, and feel like the pages have been smashed together than I would go with hardback any day. With hardbacks, I know what I’m getting into, because the majority of hardbacks have the same material and look, but with paperbacks, i don’t know if they’ll be floppy or stiff, cheap cover material or quality material, freely flowing pages or stiff clamped pages. That’s why I’m always hesitant for paperbacks because I like to keep my books nice.
I always remove the dust jacket before reading hardcovers. They get in the way, plus if you get some damage on the actual cover or whatnot, the dust jacket hides that once I’m done and replace it. That’s just me though.
Honestly same I never read hardbacks with the covers
Same, I hate reading with/ruining dust jackets
I totally do the same thing when I have a hardback (even though I prefer softcovers). Often dust jackets are more visually appealing than the cover underneath which often is smooth one colour-ish so I don't want to damage the actually pretty part and can hide any scratches
My logic is that the dust jacket protects the actual book from getting damaged, so I don't remove it. I actually prefer how most books look without their covers.
Alternatively: If its your first time reading a book, THE LIBRARY IS YOUR FRIEND.
I believe there’s nothing wrong with buying books if that’s something that makes you happy, which I believe is the case for most people in this channel. Plus, you support the publishers and the authors, and also don’t have to wait weeks before getting a copy of a coveted new release.
@@carlacristinadas.almeida3395 for beginners libraries are good
If the library is open on the day the bus goes in.
so sad i can't go to the library during lockdown :( now i have to wait and buy books instead
Libraries are the best for trying new stuff, but if I have an author I like and the money I’ll buy a book at release
I personally like paperback but the one thing that bugs me to oblivion is when I read a paperback book and enjoy it very much, find out there is a sequel and having to wait what feels like an eternity for it to come out in paperback. I want consistency in my series and the wait is a cruel way of torture.
I feel this too.
This feels more of a "fear of missing out" thing rather than anything else.
There's thousands upon thousands of amazing series that are complete, why not read those instead?
In fact, there's not enough time in your lifetime to read even a fraction of all the good complete series.
@@taserrr Gotta be part of the zeitgeist
Daniel: “I feel like hardback books just don’t age as well...”
*Pulls out my 140 year old hardback copy of the Iliad*
that's so cool
@Lenny P dude upload a video of the book on your channel. I wanna see it
Vintage books are definitely awesome and that copy sounds awesome, but if it's that old then it is from a time where paperback was more akin to a magazine than what it is now.
@Sooty it's a epic on Greek mythology written by Homer
I NEED IT.
Mass market paperbacks fit in the pocket of my jacket.
That's a win.
*_Happy Loial noices_*
It is! But damn, it’s so hard to read mass market paperbacks without breaking a hand keeping it open
@@jessicavanrooyen9887 I swear I felt like I was gonna get arthritis trying to read my mass market way of kings
Same here
Some books are available in that format only.
I may be alone in this but I actually prefer the tactile experience of a hardback and I do love the aesthetic of a worn out dog-eared hardback book. That's why I love buying 2nd hand books. However, I do always feel guilty damaging a nice dust jacket, so I'll usually remove that until I've completed the read.
Remember to slap the book
th-cam.com/video/eb2zuegwcwk/w-d-xo.html
boy take the dust jackets offff, never bring them with your book everywhere! Thats a rule!
This is 100% correct. Dust covers need to stay home safe in a drawer until you're done with the book and only then is it returned to the book itself and shelved.
Omgg I do the exact same, when I'm reading a hard cover I automatically take the dust jacket off and leave it somewhere safe until I finish the book, and then I put it back on and it gets directly on my shelf
YES and invest in a nice cloth book sleeve. That's my advice. He's still young, so he probably hasn't had a book for more than 10-15 years, so he hasn't seen what'll happen. But if you want a book to last, I advise investing in a smyth-sewn book, leave the dust jacket when you travel, and put the book in a nice sleeve if you're going to throw it into your bag.
But if you don't care about that, that's fine I guess. I just like to treat the things I own with tender care and respect.
I have several used Stephen king paperbacks, the wear and tear definitely adds to the creepy vibes of the books.
Me when you ran the first book under the running water:
"Oh dear God, Daniel... no... it shoulda been a Terry Goodkind!" 😂 ✌🏻
He honestly should have used nothing but Terry Goodkind books for the torture test... Followed by the last test.
Are paperbacks or hardcovers better at handling burning?!
@@MeTaLISaWeSoMe95 - for the next test, he should simply use Terry himself, and remove the books entirely!
That would require buying a Terry Goodkind book and giving him money...
@@jorgedasilva7665 - He could buy second-hand off eBay! HAHA
@@CallumRickard Oh I know. I jest. But on a more serious note, better to pay money for a book by an author you love and give it honor by allowing it to be the one destroyed.
I way prefer hardcovers since 90% of my reading happens the first hour of the day w a coffee in hand, so I normally one-hand the book. Hardcovers stay open while I read, and paperback always want to be closed
I do that all the time and prefer hardbacks when I eat my breakfast and read or lie on my bed on my front and read as I don’t have to hold it open in a way I do for a new paperback. That’s why I get my books from charity shops because 99.9% of the time the spines are already cracked so I can attempt to keep it open.
just break the spine
@@thelastcube. ye i do that makes the book look old and asthetic
Imagine the coffee accidently spilling on the book. And now you have a "mess" instead of a 'book' as demonstrated in the video 🤣🤣
How bizarre. Being able to one-hand a book is why I prefer mass market paperbacks. Hardcovers are big and heavy... you can't one-hand them.
“I have a box cutter”
Perhaps the greatest threat delivered throughout all of histoey
Thought I could handle the book gore. Found out fast that his was worse than a horror movie for me.
This video should be age restricted. Daniel, I cannot believe you showed this kind of violence online. I’m contacting the book police.
#DanielGreeneIsOverParty
Hahaha
RIGHT
Lol
I'm surprised nobody has talked about the difference in actual word size which is the deciding factor for me when choosing between the two. I always go paperback unless the words are too small for my preference. (Which happens a lot) Maybe I'm just horrible with distractions but if my brain doesn't get the small "wins" of advancing to the next page fast enough I just get discouraged and usually don't end up finishing the book at all lol. That's why I love Kindle reading so much. You can change the size to be the same for every book.
Daniel “goes camping with a hurricane forecasted” Greene
Durability is an issue when a book is decades old. Paperbacks, especially the mass market size, are made with acidic paper that ages badly. It yellows and becomes brittle. Even worse, the spines are glued, and the glue deteriorates with age. I have many old paperbacks that have literally split in half along the spine. Hardcover books have a woven spine that will not disintegrate over time.
Daniel, you're a young guy. You probably don't have a lot of books that are 40-50 years old. I do. Trust me, if it's a book you care about and want to re-read, a cheap paperback will not last. I've had to replace some of my favorite books that have literally fallen apart.
Good point! I’m only 18, but both my 1950s LOTR collection and Narnia collection is definitely too weak to read. It’s not the same with my 1950s hardbacks.
I'm younger than Daniel and I have paperbacks from the 50s and 60s. They've aged well. I think it depends both on how well it's cared for and how good the quality is. I do agree that generally hardbacks stand the test of time better though
@@milesbeining True... the paperbacks I got were from various garage sales, so I don't know what conditions they were kept in before.
In my experience pretty much any 50 year old book is too weak to read. I’ve accumulated many old hardbacks from neighbors and used book stores and most of them are just for display
I didn't realize it till recently, but one of my Viking Histories is over a 100 years old. doesn't look a day over 20. Hardcover.
I usually take the dust jacket of when I'm reading the book. Also I find that a hardback opens a lot smoother. The only paperback I find more comfortable than hardcovers are really floppy paperbacks.
I didn't understand what you meant by "book gore" until you got to it, then I wanted to throw myself out of the window. (I've just discovered your channel and now I'm binge watching everything, greetings from Italy!)
I like how the concept of removing dust covers never crossed Daniels mind
It is not a easy choice
Or wrap the dust covers with clear plastic cover
I honestly think most of the hardbacks I own have had their dust jackets removed. I just think it looks nicer.
I like hardcovers more. As you mentioned, my biggest peeve about them is the paper cover but it’s an easy fix for me. When I read it or taking it with me I leave the paper at home. Pop it right bad on when it goes to the shelf and looks good as new
I'm so OCD about creasing my spines even with paperbacks that I hold them in such a way so that doesn't happen. I've got paperbacks that I've had for years and read many times that look brand new. I do agree to read the paperback version first and if it becomes a favorite, I collect the hardback edition. Love this video! Those books look like Pips used them for scratching posts...lol
Same with the paperbacks! I've just finished a 600+ paged mass market one and it still looks almost new
The sentiment is also a bummer sometimes though, as I recently got a second-hand copy of the Kingkiller books, and though they were cheap, the spines are creased, and it's killing me
@@albinodeer7449 I feel your pain...it's literally almost a physical pain every time my fingers touch a crease in the spine...lol
I FEEL YOU. My favorite paperback is about 630 somewhat-thicc pages, and if I read to like the half-way, the spine bends so much that the front and back covers touch. :(
I'd say that in a bag, with other items being added and removed, paperbacks are far more likely to be damaged. I've had many have front/back covers and early pages bend up, and even tear. Hard backs are protected by being rigid. Dusk jackets are a liability though, but I always remove them while reading a book
exactly! my paperbacks get bent so fucking easily, i rather spend more money on hardcovers that i can simply take the jacket off when i take them out, and put it back when i am at home. simple.
@@nicolearaujo3466 No, you take off the dust jacket when you read a hardcover (if came with one) no matter where you are (even at home) and then put it back on when you put your book back on your self.
I hate dust jackets, most of them are so ugly. I prefer the clean and vintage look of a hardbook without its jacket.
When I get a bent paperback, I just place it flat on a surface and pile a bunch of other heavy books on top of it and leave it for a few days, that usually straightens them back out. I ordered a hardback the other day that was horribly bent and I could not do anything to straighten it back out.
When he was cutting the books with a box cutter I literally felt a pain in my heart.
Oh man, this reminds me of something I did in middle school. I had a really worn paperback and it was so comfortable in my hands. When the sequel came out, it was only available in hardcover... so I tried to manually wear it down to make it more comfortable like the paperback was. I'm not proud of what I did to that book...
oh my god
Daniel: Hardback vs Paperback?
Me: *Laughs in tablet*
I really enjoyed my nook until it decided to just stop charging. And then the last WOT book got released and it wasn't immediately available on it. So i ran to barns n noble n got it begrudgingly on hardback.
@@amp7980 Same on the nook. I loved that thing. Then I moved to Amazon Fire. Then to a Samsung tablet. All three of these were awesome in their own ways and I love that I can carry every book I own no matter where I go. And if I forget my tablet, I can use the app on my phone as well.
It's all right to read from tablet but it actually tired your eyes more quickly.
I switched over to reading books on tablets because I have dry eyes and tablets make it easy to zoom in on text and therefore easier to read. Yes, I’m old. Get off my lawn.
Yeesss! Me too! I have a bookshelf. I just buy the ecopies too. My books are mint and the book read.
One thing from the comic book world that I use for novels too is to never read it with the dust jacket. No matter how scuffed up the hardcover is, if the dust jacket is in good shape it will always look like new on the shelf. I'm a hardcover guy for two other reasons too. One, they lay open easier, and two, It's MUCH harder to damage the spine horribly. Not no mention larger text is easier on the eyes, there the first part of your body to go with age.
I'm dyslexic so reading is utter hell and for years I hadn't read a single book (apart from school and even then j wouldn't finish them) I was horrifically slow and it was nearly painful and don't even get me started on reading aloud EESHH like felt such a fool stuttering some ciptic language. Reading was embarrassment and I hated how it made my feel so dum. Anyways I recently this year found audible AND IM IN LOVE I've listened to 34 books now and just wanted to say thank you for recommending light bringer I'm on the third book now ...SO GOOD!! It's such a wonderful experience finding such joy in something that I used to dread and hate 😁😁
Ive personally never used audible but i'm really glad you get to enjoy these stories with everyone else. I was thinking of instead of doing a reread of Wheel of Time trying audible for that, but each book is like 30 hours long LMAO.
As I was reading this comment I was thinking of suggesting Audile but you already have it congrats on finding the wonder of books
I’m dyslexic as well and I recently discovered using audible too! It is a game changer! I’m sure you do but listening at a faster speed help us pay attention better! Also not sure if you do this but I LOVE to grab the physical copy and read along with the audio! Although I could never read a book on my own coherently, have the audio revolutionizes my ability to follow along. There is such a sense of accomplishment when something that seems so daunting and impossible before and is now an attainable goal. Sorry I know this is long and I’m sure you know both of these things just want to throw those out there! Just so very thankful to live in a time now of technology allowing people like you and me to enjoy books in ways that would be impossible without!!
I don’t have audible, but I’ve been listening almost non stop since I discovered my library has downloadable audiobooks (Libby and RBDigital) they’re perfect for when I walk my dog or cook or paint💙
I agree that damage on a paperback has a lot of character and some charm
My grandad had a massive book collection that he kept displayed in his office. It was one wall of books, but you could clearly tell that some of them had been there for 50+years. The bumped edges and bent spines tell people that you have the books because you like reading books, not because they look aesthetic on the shelf. My grandad had books that were covered in tea stains and little scraps of paper that he used as marks. It's nice to be able to look through these worn books and be reminded of him.
If i see a lot of wear on a paperback it must be a good story, I agree it shows character ….
I'm reminded of my late uncle's college story about sticking hardcovers under his sweater when he heard sirens and the cops demanded everyone in the campus library he was at surrender because some protesters had fled inside. He'd say that those had saved him quite a few bruises from the nightsticks that were swinging around as they were loaded up and taken to the lockup.
So, I'm now wondering how paperbacks hold up against nightsticks.
I love paperbacks, if I’m putting hours into reading a book, I want to be comfortable. I see some people saying they don’t want to crease the spine of a paperback, but I love doing it. I love looking at a book that looks read. It has character. Every time that book is read, it is adding to the character of the book, the story of the book.
''When I handle a hardback I feel like I am devaluating the book''. This is so true, I am a Tolkienist collector and I am telling you that I handle my hardbacks with gloves and with such care it is chirurgical.
I bought Mass Market Paperbacks of The Hobbit, The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return Of The King at a used book sale that was selling donated used books to fund the maintenance/slight restoration of a 250 year old historic mill in my small Canadian town and they were COOKED. The spines are deformed beyond logic, there are creased pages (not dog eared, literally creased in all sorts of weird places.) the cover of The Hobbit and Two Towers are f***ed, they open in weird ways, but they are still readable despite the fact that they were probably through their fifth used-book-buying owner by the time they reached me
@@angrymoose3383 Damm save money for new paperback and never buy Mass paperback
You have made me very glad one of my fav books is an old paperback bc yeah dang it probably wouldn't have still been so readable if it got juice spilt on it as a hardcover. I tend to feel less bad throwing hardcovers into my bag though because it feels like they'll be less damaged/won't get their pages bent so much
Daniel: *implies he's gonna put a book in a similar situation as a hurricane*
me: "ah, probably chuck it into a washing machine and let it do its thing"
Daniel: *_manual hurricane_*
Honestly, he could have gotten more accurate results if he had run the tap over the book for a minute, then tossed them in the dryer.
Daniel Greene and his book fight club... literally where he fights books... fun video Daniel. Totally with you on the read ability of paperback. Hands down better than hardback!
"wear and tear on the covers" me who rawdogs my hardbacks (: but seriously reading is such an intimate experience, undress that hardcover before you spread its pages and delve into the depths of its plot ;)
Hurricane: soaks book with water and blows pages slightly.
Daniel: stab. Stabystabstab. Yeet. Tap water.
Daniels dad: give me the launch keys Daniel.
Daniel: I shall bathe them in nuclear fire.
Lol too funny!
I really have no dog in this fight. I feel that, in the long run, hardbacks always look better, even the ones that get read heavily. If the dust jacket gets worn and/or torn I just remove the dust jacket and TA-DA I have a new book (and I personally often like the look of un-jacketed books better on the shelf).
And speaking of removing the dust jacket, that's where we come to my real reason for commenting. First and foremost, when I'm reading a hardback copy the first thing I do is remove the dust jacket and leave it at home. The damn things are always slipping around or (like you yourself said) getting torn. Secondly, the most comfortable way I've found to read hardbacks (and the way I read most books) is to lay on my stomach in bed with a pillow or two under my chest and the book lying flat on the bed before me. There's no weird contortions, no digging, no hefting, and physics is on your side. In this setting I actually find it's easier to read a hardback as most of the time they lie open of their own accord. That, of course, would solve your problem in only one of the many settings you read books, so don't take any of this as an argument against... well anything. It's all bloody subjective anyway!
That all being said... I buy paperbacks because we're both cheap. If I pick up a hardback, it's because it had an exclusive cover on release or it was on some stupid sale.
Funfact: What I love is that in German (my native language) paperbacks are called ,Taschenbuch‘, which literally means ,bag/pocket book‘ 😅
Great video btw!
There’s actually a similar thing in Italian! I’m not sure whether it’s the same distinction ‘cause I normally talk about books in other languages, lol, but I believe “Taschenbuch” has an Italian equivalent in “tascabile” (translated: “pocketable”). This is really random but I felt like putting it out there xD
Same in Spanish: libro de bolsillo.
"We're going to have book gore"
Booklovers everywhere: 😱😨😲😰😪😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💀
Yeah, i was deeply disturbed
I literally looked everywhere for the unfettered books. I thought they were limited, and you can’t buy them anymore. I was begging for that to not be the one he chose to destroy 😭
honestly, when you mentioned putting it through a hurricane I half expected you to put it through the dishwasher hahaha.
And I was expecting the washing machine
I keep coming back to this video! Absolute favorite!
Who in their right mind reads a hardcover with the jacket still on it?
i thought nobody but it seems i was wrong.
If you put a protective sleeve over the jacket it's fine
@Nerdish for me is not just about taking care of the jacket is also the book sliding on the jacket and making it uncomfortable.
It freaks me out that people take the jackets off. My brain is convinced the jacket will get ruined or lost if it isn't physically ON the book at all times lol
@@amybooksit7818 lol, i just put it on the book case, i got a space where the jacket for the book im currently reading goes.
E-reader for everyday reading, and hardbacks for the shelf ;D I like being able to bring 120 books with me everywhere i go!
You must be rich lol.
@@Luka1180 Nah. Prioritizing ebooks, which are usually less than half the price, really sorts through a lot of books I would have previously bought. Now I almost only own books I know I love.
@@Luka1180 Nah, a kindle is not that expensive and after that you can download all your books illegally
I like to read a lot of old books because the copyright has usually expired and you can download them for free. Also there's usually plenty of offers and sales for ebooks which bring the cost way down if you buy them at the right time.
Also: second hand books. Buy your books second hand! It's way cheaper and more eco-friendly. I live in London so there are a lot of second hand markets and stores to buy at. (Although with covid that's slowed down a lot)
This is my approach too!
Combo for me, read on Kindle, buy the hardcover for collection. Also use hardcovers for the art inside or read, only if at home (depending on the type of book)
People who use dust covers as bookmarks make me extremely uncomfortable.
Sorry esse
And people who bend front or back covers of paperback books when reading the other page. Or when they bend it too much in the middle of the back. UGHHHGHGHHGHGHGH.
@@Luka1180 I know someone who reads books by folding the cover entirely to the back so there's only 1 page you can see
My sister folds the corner of the page when she closes it. I absolutely hate it. How can you defile those perfect pages with a foldline?!
Agreed. People who read with the dust jacket on in general are evil. Also people who crack the spine should be put to death 🤣😂
Wife: What book is he reviewing today?
Me: All of them.
10/10. Would watch again.
This video was very interesting... the book gore had myself laughing at how extreme Daniel went to demonstrate the book's durability.
I legit stopped chewing my chips when you drew out the pocket knife and said "book gore".
I mean i love horror novels but that's way too horror for me, lol.
To read: Paperback, for sure. Specifically since I stopped bothering about damaging it
To have on the shelf: Hardbacks for sure.
The perfect world would be to, when you finish a paperback, you could just change for the hardback to have on your shelf after
A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. John Augustus Shedd (1859 - 1928)
Hardcovers take up so much extra shelf space though! The covers are thicker, the paper is thicker, the font size is larger and the lines are spaced wider, pretty much everything about them makes them take up more space
Solution, get a little crafty, print the cover and spine past onto cardboard and make a sleeve for your paper back that is worth the effort, When your reading the book it's place is held by the cardboard sleeve
@@ryuukake i'm too lazy to do this but i gotta say is a great idea.
Read it first in paperback. If you love it with all your heart, buy the hardback. If you really, really love it, rescue all copies of it from used books stores like they're stray kittens.
I choose an e-reader and e-books. They are cheaper, and I'm not afraid to hurt the book. Furthermore, very light-weight, no back breaking, no weird position, and reading in the dark is now possible. If I do want the physical copy of a book I loved, I will get a hardback because of durability (yep I have hardbacks that over 100 years old).
Edit: for hardbacks, the way the book is bound will determine how it can sustain wear and tear. Case bound books (or books bound by glue) won't resist as well as oversewn books or Smyth Sewn bound books.
The hardbacks most of the time have larger easier to read print. And I only need a paperback when traveling. And being the year 2020, traveling have been drastically reduced.
Large print is such a good point in favour of hardbacks!
I personally believe paper backs are better mainly because cost and more. But I definitely agree with you on that one.
🤣🤣
This debate seems so meanigless now. I didn't realize how silly it was until this video came on my notifications
14:08 the scariest thing about hurricanes is how they can stab you with a box cutter
Interesting fact: if you leave most paperbacks in a hot car, the cover will start to detach, and can even come off and reduce the book to a pile of pages
They're partially designed that way. When books don't sell they usually get shipped back to the publisher for a refund and become bargain books. Mass markets and certain trade paperbacks however cost more to ship than they are worth so instead the cover is stripped and sent back to the publisher as proof the books were destroyed (usually torn in half and recycled). That's why if you see in any mass market book it says near the copyright "if this book does not have a cover it is stolen property".
I left a paperback in my hammock in the sun for an hour or two one time. I came back to read it, opened it and the first six pages fell right out cause the binding glue melted.
4:46 You need to distinguish between a perfect bound hardback and a sewn hardback. A sewn one is the best for durability and will last very long. A perfect bound hardback (usually mass marketed) is pointless imo. It's better to just get a paperback because they're always perfect bound and are cheaper.
A sewn bound book allows for the book to be spread all the way open (I'd never do that with a perfect bound book, but I also wouldn't even bend a paperback cover so that's just me). The good thing about a sewn hardback is if you damage the book, you can take the book block and have it rebound.
Took the words out of my mouth
Yes, 100% this. Most modern hardbacks are just as rubbish for long-term durability as paperbacks. Sewn books, on the other hand, even if they're 200+ years old, are absolutely impossible to rip apart!
That’s why Everyman classics are the way to go
@@Itsnotanymore-ku7dz I remember watching a video that said some are now using perfect binding.
Actually have an Order of the Phoenix that got absolutely soaked in a pop-up downpour on a 4th of July. The spine has only held up because I babied that thing after I got home, and even then, it’s not in fantastic condition. I do wonder how different types of binding would affect the hardcover durability.
This actually made me feel better about being to broke to afford hardbacks for most of my books lol.
I love how you can see the books get visibly nervous every time he picks up the box cutter.
I'm the son of a librarian, and I feel that an important factor was ignored regarding durability, and that's repairability.
I've had paperback books that started falling apart on the first read. The spine bent and pages started falling out. When that happens, there's nothing I could do.
There is no damage to a hardcover book that I can't repair. Spines have split, and I've glued them back together with Shoe Goo or other thick rubber cements (they end up reinforced and stronger as a result). I've taped dust jackets back together and added superglue to the internal splitting to keep it from tearing apart. Name an injury a book could suffer, I've probably fixed it.
Paperbacks have much less wiggle room to work with, there's just less material to reassemble when they fall apart. When the binding splits or pages fall out, that's it. There's no real way to glue them back in effectlvely.
There's also the time factor. I have 25+ year-old paperbacks that have deteriorated to the point I feel like they'll fall apart if I actually read them, while my similarly aged hardcovers are as durable as ever. The pages are thicker and simply hold up better to the ravages of age.
Yes, if I'm just buying a book to read once, paperback, for sure, but if I want a book that will last for my whole life and that I'll be able to repeatedly repair if necessary, I go for a hardcover.
The real question: who else despises mass markets, and why aren’t more fantasy books released in the trade paperback format?
At least mass markets are cheaper than trade and a lot of time that matters.
Mass Market Books are absolute garbage!!!
Angela McCollister I completely understand about the price thing, when decided between mm and out of print hardcovers, the mm usually win. I just hate the way you have to hold them in order to read. To me they’re extremely uncomfortable.
I only get mass markets for starts of series (like The Last Wish, I ended up loving it so much I got the hardcover though, the rest are regular sized paperbacks) or for an author I know I'll be getting a lot of (like Stephen King, got so many mass markets from Stephen King in my bookshelf...). The only mass market paperback I own that I really love is my First Jove/HBJ edition of The Hounds of Tindalos by Frank Belknap Long, and that's because it's old as all hell and smells fantastic (not to mention how well conserved it is for a four decades old book). The pages are so yellow!
just go to Australia where everything is paperback
Have you done, or planning to do, a video on how to best take notes in books?
It would be cool to see a video showing the best note taking strategies for different genres. I want to re-read a lot of history and political theory books I have and do note taking but im not really sure how to best start 🤔
Andy Mckay I agree I’d love to see how he takes notes. Merphy Napier has a video about how she takes notes. I’m pretty sure it was uploaded in the last few months. Great channel that I discovered because Daniel is friends with her.
I agree 👍🏽
I have just started to order some physical books after only reading e-books for a while, and choosing between the 2 options was the first question I had. You answered my question perfectly, thanks! Will be going with paperback for that optimal reading experience.
I didn't expect to watch a literary snuff film this morning. That was pretty brutal.
I always feel like I may be comfortable reading my hardback even if it's digging into me, but the second I put it down I just have this breath of relief cause I didn't realise how much it was digging into my side
I feel like with hardcovers that have a dust jacket I can beat it up and mess it up without worry bc once I’m ready to put it back on the shelf I just slip the jacket on and it looks perfect again. On the other side, a paperback you can’t really cover the wear and tear. So for me hardcover wins
I read those like, three inch high, 5 inch thick kind of paper backs opened at like a 20 degree angle cause I hate having those lines on the spines lol
Saaaaaaaame
I love your passion for the paperback, but I’m a recent convert to the hardback. I find them easier to hold, easier to clip a night light to the hard back, and I appreciate the larger font. For years I thought the hard back was for collectors who wore plaid or people who bought books but didn’t read them. But now I’m on team HB! 🎉. Thanks for an engaging video. At the end of the day, it’s an individual thing. As long as we’re reading!
Oh my gad! I can't believe my eyes witnessed a book being murdered 😱
“They say people can only see Thestrals when you have seen death”
I didn't even make it that far, I only got like 5 minites in and was super infuriated with stuff he was saying
You saying there’s gonna be book gore and me seeing those A Game of Thrones special editions standing on the table gave me such tense and pervasive fear for the rest of the video it was unsettling.
I was so frightened for the Atlas of middle earth! The tension was unbearable!
Those...... are damn sexy 😳
One of my most prized possessions is a hardcover set of His Dark Materials from the Folio Society. I don't think I could ever have a library without a collection of hardcovers.
That being said, whenever I want to curl up on the couch with a good book, a paperback is often what I'd want most. 😊
My favorite ones are vintage paperbacks that people have clearly read and loved. Currently reading through a beautiful 1978 Ballantine paperback copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.
I basically read paperbacks and collect hardbacks 🤷🏻♀️😂