This week's question concerns book collecting and asks Are they:Hardcover? Or paperback?
Illustrations? Or just text?
First editions? Or you don’t care?
Signed by the author? Or not?
I don't consider myself a book collector even though I have a lot of books. When I think of a book collector, I think: signed first additions, rare books etc and that's not me. Although I take good care of my books, I prefer them to look like they've been read. To me, that's the sign of a loved book. A little wear and tear is not a bad thing. My books look 'gently used' and if someone wants to pick one out from the shelf and flip through it I'm not gonna freak out! I like when people look at my books.
Although most of my books are hardcovers, I have quite a few paperbacks as well. I do prefer the trade paperbacks to the mass market type simply because they hold up better. In fact, a lot of times, I prefer the trade size paperback to a hardcover. They're much easier to take along in my purse and if its a big book, they're not a clumsy to hold while reading. I do, however, stick to the hardcover if it's one of my favorite authors, especially if I own all of their books.
The bottom line for me is if I really love an author's books I'll keep them for my home collection, but I do trade books that I'm not in love with. I just don't have the room to keep every single book I read, altough it would make for an interesting library.
Are you a collector of books? If so, do you have certain guidelines? To play along this week visit MizB at Should Be Reading or to read more responses to this question, click here.
