
Ask HN: Do you still purchase physical books? - zz_m
I ask this because I really enjoy reading content from a physical book. I can read ebooks perfectly fine and don&#x27;t see a problem with them but I feel like I understand more when I have a physical book, which might be a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
======
Udo_Schmitz
Absolutely. The main reason is the abysmal typesetting of e-books, I don’t
think there is a solution yet for having beautifully set type in a responsive
electronic document. The library on my iPad is getting larger then my physical
one though. Lots of scans of books that are not available anymore. And the
amount of media we are able to carry around in electronic form still amazes
me.

------
lucb1e
I prefer audio books: you can listen while traveling, cleaning, or doing other
otherwise dull chores.

If there is no audio book, an ebook is the most convenient. I usually upload
the text to my server and make it a big font on a dark background so I can
read on any device anywhere (since it's only text, even 2G internet suffices).
Any laptop, desktop, tablet, smartphone or even a feature phone with GPRS
internet works. And I can then link it to friends also if I want to show them
something.

But of course a real book is a real book. I like holding it as much as anyone,
but like a superb meal that takes 3 hours to prepare, it's just too much of a
hassle most of the time.

I should mention that I don't really read non-fiction. It's not in the
question but most people here probably read a lot of technical stuff. I've
never really worked that way (following tutorials or reading learning books
when not required by school); instead I google what I want to know and learn
the ins and outs by experimenting, taking from tutorials only the parts and
pieces I need. Not sure how common this is, but it works for me.

------
jgrahamc
Yes, I do. I enjoy the feeling of physical books and I like the fact that I
can easily pass them to another human without trying to circumvent DRM or use
some service that allows me to 'lend' books.

Also, I like to give people books I've read as gifts. One night at SFO flying
to the UK I was with a colleague and I had a battered copy of "Antifragile"
which I was able to hand to him so he could read it on the flight. No messing
with technology; no thinking about what lending restrictions there were; no
thinking about whether his technology was compatible with mine.

I've also written two books and there's nothing like being able to give signed
copies to people.

------
dozzie
I like paper books more than e-books, but which one I read depends on the type
of content.

I prefer digital version for technical stuff, because it's often hard to get
hardcopied version (e.g. for documentation) and the content will most probably
expire in a year or two. The only technical books I buy in paper are those
that don't expire, like "Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and
Computation" (Hopcroft, Ullman).

On the other hand, I read novels almost exclusively on paper.

It all boils down to this: I only have so much spare place to keep paper, so I
keep in paper only those that I will want to keep for ten years.

------
self
I live in Pakistan, which is woefully underserved by the big ebook providers
(no Amazon Kindle editions, no Google Play Books, and iBooks has mainly public
domain ebooks only). I tend to buy technical ebooks from O'Reilly and The
Pragmatic Programmers, and such.

(I do have another option for technical books -- the Asian editions. They're
cheap, but the coverage is spotty: I bought the C Tiger book a couple of years
ago, but all because I couldn't find the ML one.)

There are no libraries I can visit in this city. There's a nice readers club
in Karachi (sort of like Netflix for DVDs, except it's for books), but I don't
live in Karachi. So, I hoard non-technical books. There are a few good
bookstores where I live, and I tend to buy a lot faster than I read -- all
because I'm afraid the next time I visit the store I won't find a copy of what
I want. I've raided a lot of used bookstores, and bought books I'd never have
imagined finding again, like the old CYOA series.

Shipping from Amazon is expensive -- $6.99 per shipment + $6.99 per book.
Amazon.co.uk is slightly cheaper for larger shipments: £5.49 per shipment +
£2.99 per book. Amazon.in, right next door to me, doesn't ship
internationally. Powell's is about the same as Amazon.

I funded the Singularity & Co Kickstarter earlier this year, and that gives me
access to a bunch of older stuff, as ebooks. I haven't ordered from
baenebooks.com yet; their catalog doesn't have a lot of Tor books I want.

------
adrianhoward
Yes. But a lot fewer than I used to. Mostly because of space issues (I have
about 40 years worth of books hanging around. Last time I moved I bottomed out
the suspension of the moving van with the weight ;-).

These days I tend to get physical books when:

* They're significantly better "things". I have some lovely books that are lovely objects in of themselves. Well typeset, bound well, quality paper, folios, etc. For example my hardcover of "The Timeless Way Of Building" is a beautiful object — as well as a wonderful book. I like having beautiful objects around me.

* When the format doesn't work as an e-book. For example Stephen Cole's "The Geometry of Type" would be completely useless to me as an ebook. As would most of my books on photography art and architecture. They're not just lumps of text that can be trivially reflowed. This is something that might change if we get some really high-quality A3 portable ebook reader type things in the future.

* When I can't get them as an ebook. There is still a stupid about of immensely useful content out there that you cannot get in ebook format. For example I'm currently finishing up a re-read of Victor Papanek's "Design for the Real World". Which you cannot get as an ebook.

That said — my default for fiction/reference purchases tends to be ebooks now.
With occasional upgrades to paper books if they're something I really liked
and I can get a "nice" physical edition.

------
fourier
Yes I do. The reason is moral/aesthetical: to have books on my bookshelfs and
organize them makes them always visible in my flat and allows me to easy
glimpse over them and have an idea of what I did, what I planned and what I'll
deferred. From functional point of view eBooks are more convenient, so if I
got a chance I buy both ebook and paper versions, or if I download the eBook
for free somewhere I make sure if the book is good to buy the paper version
later.

------
dtwwtd
I do enjoy reading a physical book more than an ebook but only by a little.
It's interesting to me that people here so far seem to prefer technical books
to be ebooks due to their short useful shelf life. I've reached the opposite
conclusion - that I prefer technical books be paper only and novels/non-
technical books may be either. This is because, in my experience, technical
books tend to have diagrams or tables that don't render well on the Kindle and
similar devices.

------
Maro
Yes. I buy books with formulas, code (like physics, engineering, programming)
in physical form, because the Kindle edition tends to look awful.

I only buy the Kindle edition of books that are purely text and/or throwaway
(= I won't open it ever again), typically management, self-help books.

Also, I buy physical versions of fun books that I read before going to sleep,
because I don't want anything digital (= capable of displaying notifications)
in my hand when I'm preparing to go to sleep.

------
StavrosK
Not if I can help it. Physical books are too inconvenient for me, plus I move
around a lot and it's hard to carry a bunch of books with me.

I've gotten into photography recently, and those books are very hard to
translate to a digital format, due to the layout. Those are the only ones I
buy physical, the experience is good, but it's frustrating enough that I
prefer digital.

------
scrrr
Yes, of course. Rule of thumb: What's been around a long time, will stay
around for a long time.

The longer something is used, the longer it will take for it to be displaced.

Paper-books been round for thousands of years. ;)

Besides, as good as digital reader devices are, they have serious drawbacks.
For example quick browsing, retarded DRM restrictions (why can't I give my
book to someone else, ffs?!), and they still aren't as nice on the eyes as
paper books.

Not to mention that they need electricity and each book I read is another
data-point in my profile on some nebulous company's (or gov-agency's) server.

That said, they have advantages when it comes to search. But often we kind of
memorise the "shape" of the text, so this advantage isn't as great. (Just like
source-code editors sometimes show a miniature version of the text for quicker
navigation.)

And they also weigh less. But they don't look as good on the shelves..

------
GlobalChange
I don't like paper. I have never liked it. Worse of all, I cannot never read
at night, not paper. Never could, don't know why, eyes get red, tired, can't
focus. Digital format, yes! When the story is good I almost go until dawn
reading. With paper, I would read a couple of books a year. With digital, I've
been able to read dozens of books a year.

I cannot read paper anymore. I'm buying the digital versions of the few ones I
have in paper I haven't read yet.

Besides, nothing like cleaning my living room, all books, music and movies on
a device that fits in my pocket!

Equally important is the highlight (yeah, can be done on paper too) and search
functionality. Once I basically had to read the book again looking for a
passage. I knew the contents of the passage, but I did not knew where in the
book it was.

Some categories, like photography, design, art, etc. still don't go well in
digital format, though.

DRM sucks. Not the paying part, but just how it makes our lives miserable.
Also, don't understand when digital copies cost more than hard-copies
(especially for text-only books).

------
rhizome31
Yes. In fact, strictly speaking, we can only purchase physical books. We
cannot really own ebooks. Even if an ebook doesn't have DRM it's usually
watermarked with my name and the editor threatens to sue me if I lend it,
loose it or if it gets stolen. We can purchase physical books but in a sense
we can only rent ebooks, even if we pay only once for a lifetime lease.

------
Pyrodogg
As someone who currently has his physical books stored away in a locker a
third of a world away, I'm souring to my former preference for physical books.

It's definitely not perfect but I wish more books went the DVD model where if
you buy the physical disk version, you can also get a digital license. Without
really having to buy both separately.

I'd love to have to have access to the contents of my books regardless where
they are, while still enjoying them physically when I can.

Unfortunately the current electronic versions are buried in DRM and sold
merely as limited licenses to the content.

~~~
rhizome31
FWIW, Manning follows that model: you can buy the physical book from anywhere
and it contains a coupon that you can use to get the ebook from their site.
That's the only tech editor I know of that does this. No Starch also offers
free ebook with any print book bought from their site, but the shipping cost
to where I live is too high.

------
marvel_boy
Always. No ebook can beat a paper book. Browsing and comparing a phisical book
is orders of magnitude easier. Anyway, ebooks are good for casual reading.

------
GlobalChange
"To date, many engineers, designers and user-interface experts have worked
hard to make reading on an e-reader or tablet as close to reading on paper as
possible."

The approach is wrong. Most of us have not left the physical objects behind.
It's still too soon. It's like wanting to use an iPad with keyboards, it's
"wrong".

I don't use page turning, or page by page, taping left or right. I use scroll.
And despite what I read, to me it's the best. I don't have to move my eye or
my head. It's the text that moves. I also chose the font (Verdana or similar
whenever possible, I don't like serif fonts).

Because of the problem with the lights coming from the device, I use the sepia
mode (white on black is also not good). That's is also one of the reasons I
don't like the bigger iPad. The iPad mini is the ideal size, as the kindle, I
suppose. I don't like to have or carry many things, so now I only use an
iPhone plus.

------
mafribe
I stopped buying paper books a few years ago.

To this day, I much prefer the look, feel and smell of printed paper, but
storing books became a major headache for me, as I had so many, tended to live
in small dwellibng, and was moving quite frequently. Ebooks solve this problem
completely. Moreover I mostly read books to do something with their content,
to transform it, to think about it. Searching paper books, even when they have
a good index (a rare occurence), is incomparably slower than 'grepping'
through my electronic texts. The ability easily to cut-and-paste is also
helpful. As others have pointed out, Ebooks, at least on the devices I use to
consume them, have one disadvantage: the infinite amount of discraction that
internet connectivity brings. But there are work-arounds.

For these reasons, I won't be going back to paper.

------
6d0debc071
Yes. I don't like the idea of someone being able to take[1] a book from me
that I've bought, I don't like the idea of someone being able to track[2] what
I'm reading, I don't like the idea of only being able to read it on one device
or one subsection of devices through their service.

I have rather dark pictures of a world where inconvenient knowledge is
deleted, and the agencies involved know who's had a copy and if they've read
it.

Some of these are fixable by stripping the DRM out of the things. But I don't
see why I'd give my money to support people doing things I don't like that
much for the privilege of trying to undo what they've done.

If I bought an ebook and the file was delivered in a reasonable plain-text
format, and was _mine_ in the same sense that a book was... If I was ensured
that the device wasn't a massive backdoor... yeah, I'd probably buy myself an
ereader and consume most of my books that way. But, as things are at the
moment? I wouldn't use the things even if I was paid to.

I view it as little different to inviting someone with a camera and an
incinerator to sit beside me as a I read.

\----

1\.
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18ama...](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html)

2\. [https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/12/2010-e-book-buyers-
gui...](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/12/2010-e-book-buyers-guide-e-book-
privacy)

------
michael_nielsen
I love my Kindle, and would like to switch completely, but there are two
problems:

(1) My physical bookshelves function as a kind of spatial/visual memory for
me, with different ideas associated to different locations on the shelves.
Switching to Kindle only seems like it would destroy much of that memory.

(2) When having friends around, the shelves are a great way of starting
conversation, and discovering new shared interests. This is possible also with
things like Goodreads, but the connections made lose some intimacy.

Does anyone have any ways of addressing these problems?

~~~
econone
Yes. Find a service that exports your kindle library and prints them on a
large bookshelf sized poster.

------
notacoward
Nope. Well, yes, but only as gifts for other people. I got a Kindle a few
years ago as a way to have a lot of reading material in a small space (and
weight) for long trips. It has served that purpose admirably. Even at home,
being able to change the type size as my eyes tire in the evening is pretty
nice. I can read any time and any place on my phone, including times and
places where I probably wouldn't have bought a book (e.g. at lunch alone), and
my reading progress is even synced with the Kindle back home. The reading
experience itself doesn't seem much better or worse, but the various
convenience factors add up.

------
facepalm
I strongly prefer ebooks. Occasionally I'll buy a physical book, for example
if it is cheaper (used) than the ebook or I think my spouse might be
interested in the book, too.

And children's books, I buy all of them in print.

------
CodingGuy
I prefer a physical book over an ebook every time. I use my kindle only when I
have to (travel).

------
micheljansen
I used to only buy physical books, until I moved to London, where space is
scarce and I couldn't afford to keep hundreds of books around.

Although I still buy some physical books, I have switched to ebooks for all of
my "disposable" reading. If I expect to read a book only once and won't use it
for reference later, I'll get an ebook.

After a few months with a Kindle, I did notice an interesting change in my own
behaviour. Because I always have the kindle with me, I can read any book
anywhere and any time, without having to plan ahead. As a result, I have
started reading books at times where I would otherwise have browsed HN or
blogs.

Perhaps books are a bit like cameras that way: the best one is the one you
have with you.

------
harunurhan
I don't always read book but when I do, I always prefer e-book. Because It's
low cost, eco-friendly, easy to take notes and search them, easy to carry etc.

------
chestnut-tree
Yes, I still buy book physical books. Consider that physical books come in so
many shapes and sizes, while e-readers mostly come in just one size. For this
reason, I feel an e-reader is mostly only suitable for paperback-sized books.
They can't accomodate the huge variety of book sizes or the variety of layouts
(e.g. something as simple as a double-page spread).

Perhaps things might change if we get larger, colour e-readers. I don't find
reading books on a tablet comfortable for long periods.

------
partisan
I prefer a physical book and haven't used my kindle in some years now. I used
the kindle when at the gym on an elliptical and even then, it wasn't nearly
convenient enough yet. That said, as I find myself reading more lately and
lugging some stuff with me to work, the kindle might be a good way to get rid
of some of the burden.

------
crdb
As little as I can get away with. I read too much (probably around 100
books/year) to be able to accumulate the physical volume and electronic
formats are just much more convenient.

Usually, it's long tail (specialist), older books. Sometimes, surprising ones:
Lee Kuan Yew's arguably most famous book, "From Third World to First" is only
available in paperback or hardback (some of his later writings are available
for Kindle).

------
roowilliams
I [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-
scre...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reading-paper-screens/)

As much as I'd love all media to become digital, physical books map what you
are reading to physical stimuli which seems to help anchor the communication
into your brain.

------
codeN
Another reason is in the Indian sub continent many books (assuming you don't
purchase illegally) the "Indian Sub-continent" edition physical copy is
cheaper since Kindle books are almost always on the global price (though often
cheaper than global print editions). This is especially true for many
technical books.

------
wavelander
I just bought "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius.

Apart from the debate raging on about grabbing/absorbing more from a physical
book than an ebook, I feel that I'm simply more attached to the physical
aspect of the reading experience.

I've read ebooks when I've been unable to find the hard copies, but I almost
always revert to the hard copies.

------
abhimskywalker
Yes, but only non-technical ones or those that are meant for recreational
reading. Somehow still enjoy a physical book more than one on kindle. For
technical books, that I know will need updates soon enough, it's strictly
e-books. Though the exception would be some timeless ones like those on
algorithms or other similar concepts.

------
perfTerm
Generally. It's so easy to get overloading on the phones and laptops these
days that it makes it much easier for me to stay focused on the task at hand
when the book is physical. Other reasons I enjoy having physical books is I
love sharing them with friends, they make my bookcases look nice, they're much
more prescient than e-books, carrying them in a backpack with a computer and
notebooks can be a small but nice addition to the moderate exercise that is
walking, they don't die on me, paper doesn't bother me like backlit screens
especially at night, and finally I don't particularly mind if I spill or
damage one (I can bring them poolside, or to the beach, etc). Obviously to
each his own but I can only read one book at a time and I usually have a
backpack or big coat pocket so carrying them doesn't bother me.

~~~
Rainymood
>carrying them in a backpack with a computer and notebooks can be a small but
nice addition to the moderate exercise that is walking

to me, heavy books aren't 'nice additions' but 'more strain to my back and
neck'

I actively did NOT enjoy slugging around my calculus books or actuarial
mathematics books with me ...

My kindle has made me read more. It also has reached it's 'break even' point
in terms of value bought (10+ books read).

~~~
facepalm
Iirc 10 books is also the break even point with respect to impact on the
environment.

------
Jach
Yeah, and I put mostly physical books on my amazon wish list which makes it
easy for people to gift me things... After moving recently though I'm looking
to digitize some, physical books are annoying to move. I don't have a
preference for physical books over digital books, apart from I can't stand
"ebooks" that aren't plain PDFs or web pages. I don't like e-ink. I have a
collection of PDFs that I read on my tablet, phone, or usually my desktop
setup.

I also must say I got some mirror glasses last year ([http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/61HShDnJT6L._SL1200_.j...](http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/61HShDnJT6L._SL1200_.jpg)) and while ridiculous, they're
damn convenient sometimes.

~~~
danieltillett
They certainly look ridiculous - how easy on your eyes are they to use for
long periods of time?

~~~
Jach
I wear them over my normal glasses and I'm fine for hours, my only problem is
if my head's inclined too much they'll occasionally slide down and pinch my
nose a bit. Maybe some padding would solve that. But I don't know how
representative I am since I play a lot of video games for hours, too... I'm
sure some people will notice strain.

~~~
danieltillett
Thanks for the feedback. I was reading through all the reviews of these and
poor fit and alignment seems to be the major problem with these type of
glasses. They seemed to be all very cheaply made - maybe someone should create
a start-up selling customised versions just like corrective optical glasses.

------
spike021
The way I think about it as a college student is that if it's a book I
seriously enjoy and wouldn't mind having for the foreseeable future, then I
would rather have a physical copy that I can stick in a shelf, pull out as
needed, and just browse whenever I would like.

------
tomjen3
I don't think I understand more when I read a physical book, but unfortunately
not all books are available on the Kindle. Plus I can't lent anyone my non-
physical books.

That said if I could I would go 100% digital because the books are both
cheaper and you can carry an entire library with you.

------
scandox
I do. Also:[http://m.mic.com/articles/99408/science-has-great-news-
for-p...](http://m.mic.com/articles/99408/science-has-great-news-for-people-
who-read-actual-books)

------
andersthue
I have been reading all ebooks for a couple of years but recently switched
back to physical books.

The main reasons for my switch is: easier to see what I have read or not, the
tactile feeling, the thrill of getting the book (when ordering online :), my
old eyes _sigh_ has it easier with books.

------
akulbe
For technical and business books, absolutely not. They often go out of date
(especially in the case of technical books) by the time they get to print. I
stick with digital versions in these categories, consistently.

If it is a "timeless" book, like one of the Great Books, then maybe.

------
GlobalChange
Despite what I have said, I have actually been acquiring some "old" books
(pre-Internet era, i.e., 1990 or older), even paying more on delivery fee than
the book itself. lest to avoid history being rewritten, as someone, scarily,
but truly, mentioned in one of the comments.

------
jeena
Yes, I don't care for DRM content.

------
aburan28
I used to never buy physical because I could always find them online for free
but I am slowing starting to buy books again because reading on a computer a
book like "Programming Pearl's" just does not work out for me

------
voltagex_
Side note: The Art of Electronics and Computer systems : a programmer's
perspective either had no eBook edition or were eye wateringly expensive. I
think my limit for eBook prices would be 50% of the physical copy, at most.

------
bigbento
Yes. I find it a pretty practical format; for what I read it's cheap, light,
and reliable. Not to mention that there's a lot of quality content available
only in paper books.

------
robinhoodexe
Yes.

I recently bought "A Game Of Thrones" (book one in the series) by George R. R
Martin.

It's just something different.

------
DanBC
I buy physical childrens books. I buy big coffee table non fiction physical
books.

Have you tested your learning from physical vs ebooks?

------
rajeshmr
For Thought provoking books/philosophy books etc I prefer physical books.

For Technical books I prefer digital books since I would love to try out
examples almost immediately as they appear in the book.

------
jedi_master
Theres 2 things that are always on my desk. A wooden buddha and Code Complete
2 (the bible).

------
satyajeet23
Yes, I still prefer paper book than e-books, though I own a kindle, but still
I like to read a real book, old scool way. I just bought the latest 'Becoming
Steve Jobs' biography & I love it!

------
ori_b
Yes, I prefer physical books.

------
Supersaiyan_IV
For my own pleasure: Paper books.

For faculty and reference: Easily searchable digital media.

------
erbdex
Yes, absolutely. Roughly two every month. =)

------
voltagex_
eBooks / Safari Books Online all the way, except in cases of particularly
silly DRM or absurd prices (looking at you, Pearson)

AbeBooks is now my go to for physical books.

------
plinkplonk
yes just bought one today (Andrew Gelman's Bayesian Data Analysis). I still
buy paper copies of math and classic programming books. I prefer ebooks for
fiction

------
sriram_malhar
Oh yes.

The fonts, layout, smell, texture, random access, color, heft, everything!

------
Aloha
I tend to buy a bunch of used books

------
esert
If it's cheaper than ebook.

~~~
teisman
Same. And I'm still surprised to see how often this is the case.

------
naeemnur
yes

------
th0br0
Paper books for academic / scienctific ones, ebooks for fiction.

~~~
spoiler
I do the exact opposite actually!

I prefer to read a good story in my bed, covered with blankets, and enjoy the
paper under my fingers. However, when I read something scientific, or work
related, I prefer eBooks; I'll be at my computer anyway, and this allows me to
research the subject I'm reading about in more depth.

------
rdl
I buy books only in the case I can't get an e-book version (first choice:
kindle. second choice: piracy. third choice: other book markets).

I'd probably cut them all apart and digitize them (there's a 100 books for
$100 scanning deal).

~~~
reitanqild
Apart from the "second choice: piracy" which is very interesting, in a good
way I think, can you share how exactly you scan and digitize your books?

~~~
rdl
[http://1dollarscan.com/](http://1dollarscan.com/)

