Annoyances with physical books

[Representing_Tromba]

Have you ever had a physical book or book series that was great but you have some general complaints, not about the story itself, but the physical copy? Perhaps it's something many books or series share in common that irk you to no end.

For myself, there are quite a few

• Lacking a synopsis or replacing it with reviews that tell me nothing.
• Art not fitting the genre(looking at you, Icebreaker with your teen vogue art type for a smut book).
• Book series lacking volume numbers(I can't stand this more than anything as the amount of times I wanted to start a series that I got, only to find out it is the 2nd or 3rd book in the series because there is no indicator).
• Spoiler filled art pieces at the beginning of a book rather than with the scene or at the end.
• Text message screenshots(I will probably stop reading from the cringe)
• Not being Matte texture(this is entirely personal and does not effect the quality of the read but does make it uncomfortable for me to read for longer periods).
• "Now an award winning motion picture" sticker and/or movie cover art.

Please feel free to add any of your personal complaints or problems with physical books but please keep it civil. I would love to know about them.

 

[Paul__Michaels]

They be heavy! Literally! And maybe metaphorically... Also, I only have so much shelf space.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Bought one from a well-established bookstore here in Flipland.

*Book has physical damage.
*Book is also the last copy in that branch.
*Not sure if other branches have copies.

"Do I get a discount for this?"
*Cashier politely says "fk you."

 

[Eldoria]

I have no complaints about the physical nature of the books. But I do have a complaint about the authority of book ownership: the older fiction books I've read are generally not sold in bookstores and are national books—accessible only to civil servants and not to the general public. Too exclusive. I don't understand why the government restricts the distribution of educational fiction books like this.

 

[CinnaSloth]

I have no complaints about the physical nature of the books. But I do have a complaint about the authority of book ownership: the older fiction books I've read are generally not sold in bookstores and are national books—accessible only to civil servants and not to the general public. Too exclusive. I don't understand why the government restricts the distribution of educational fiction books like this.

Political pressure from advocacy groups, lobbyists, and legislators, targeting specific social themes seen as "controversial", restricting diverse perspectives, and limiting information that challenge existing norms; Often framed as "protecting children".

 

[LeilaniOtter]

It still boggles my mind that we pay hundreds of dollars for school textbooks, and next to nothing for regular used books.
Even regular books have also become more pricey since my days as a librarian.
I have old paperbacks here that were new at $1.50 and they now cost $7.95 or more.
So, I think cost of books is also driving people away too.
Which is odd because, if people are buying less physical books, shouldn't that mean the prices go down...?

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I have no complaints about the physical nature of the books. But I do have a complaint about the authority of book ownership: the older fiction books I've read are generally not sold in bookstores and are national books—accessible only to civil servants and not to the general public. Too exclusive. I don't understand why the government restricts the distribution of educational fiction books like this.

Political pressure from advocacy groups, lobbyists, and legislators, targeting specific social themes seen as "controversial", restricting diverse perspectives, and limiting information that challenge existing norms; Often framed as "protecting children".

Although this is accurate for a few select books, this is not the case for most, at least in America. Most just don't get reprinted by book sellers and putting them into national libraries is a way to keep them accessible to the public as state and federal libraries are accessible to all. You just might need a library card to check out a book locally. If it is a federal or state library, they may require you to sign paper saying you are responsible for any damage to the book as it is a protected part of history or it could not be allowed to leave the premises because it is so rare. I do believe they should reprint them but that is up to the publishing companies, authors, or copyright owners if there are any.

As for school libraries, that is a different story that I don't want to get into to avoid causing a political discussion in this thread.

 

[CinnaSloth]

It still boggles my mind that we pay hundreds of dollars for school textbooks, and next to nothing for regular used books.
Even regular books have also become more pricey since my days as a librarian.
I have old paperbacks here that were new at $1.50 and they now cost $7.95 or more.
So, I think cost of books is also driving people away too.
Which is odd because, if people are buying less physical books, shouldn't that mean the prices go down...?

Don't they sell books online like 95 cents per page now, or something stupid? Or buy the complete book for a discount of like 50 cents..

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Don't they sell books online like 95 cents per page now, or something stupid? Or buy the complete book for a discount of like 50 cents..

I just get whatever I want from Half-Price Books. And check your local library for when book drives happen; you can sometimes get really good condition books for a buck each. I bought about 20 good quality SF/F novels from the 80s and 90s for $10 that way.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I just get whatever I want from Half-Price Books. And check your local library for when book drives happen; you can sometimes get really good condition books for a buck each. I bought about 20 good quality SF/F novels from the 80s and 90s for $10 that way.

Yard sales, estate sales, and library used book sales are also great because it can be as cheap as $0.50 a book. I got most of my collection from doing that.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Have you ever had a physical book or book series that was great but you have some general complaints, not about the story itself, but the physical copy? Perhaps it's something many books or series share in common that irk you to no end.

For myself, there are quite a few

• Lacking a synopsis or replacing it with reviews that tell me nothing.
• Art not fitting the genre(looking at you, Icebreaker with your teen vogue art type for a smut book).
• Book series lacking volume numbers(I can't stand this more than anything as the amount of times I wanted to start a series that I got, only to find out it is the 2nd or 3rd book in the series because there is no indicator).
• Spoiler filled art pieces at the beginning of a book rather than with the scene or at the end.
• Text message screenshots(I will probably stop reading from the cringe)
• Not being Matte texture(this is entirely personal and does not effect the quality of the read but does make it uncomfortable for me to read for longer periods).
• "Now an award winning motion picture" sticker and/or movie cover art.

Please feel free to add any of your personal complaints or problems with physical books but please keep it civil. I would love to know about them.

I came here expecting to fight back, saying that physical books are great, but these are all valid.

I think one gripe I have nowadays is that its often hard to find hardback copies of books. With digital being cheaper anyway, if I'm buying a physical copy, I want hardback.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Yard sales, estate sales, and library used book sales are also great because it can be as cheap as $0.50 a book. I got most of my collection from doing that.

I heartily recommend estate sales. OMG, they sell whole LIBRARIES in those. And if you buy enough books, it's a massive discount. We went to an estate sale that had a massive library room within it upstairs. There had to have been at least 10 book shelves stuffed with books. Be sure to go to the estate sales in the affluent communities though. They have the most, and usually the widest selection.
Just for information, to look for estate sales, just go to: https://www.estatesales.net and select your area (obviously Untied States only), and you'll get a full list of what's going on, when, and the items you can find.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I came here expecting to fight back, saying that physical books are great, but these are all valid.

I think one gripe I have nowadays is that its often hard to find hardback copies of books. With digital being cheaper anyway, if I'm buying a physical copy, I want hardback.

Same

I heartily recommend estate sales. OMG, they sell whole LIBRARIES in those. And if you buy enough books, it's a massive discount. We went to an estate sale that had a massive library room within it upstairs. There had to have been at least 10 book shelves stuffed with books. Be sure to go to the estate sales in the affluent communities though. They have the most, and usually the widest selection.
Just for information, to look for estate sales, just go to: https://www.estatesales.net and select your area (obviously Untied States only), and you'll get a full list of what's going on, when, and the items you can find.

I got maybe 120+ books for $60 at one. So nice.

 

[Maelstrom556]

I think one gripe I have nowadays is that its often hard to find hardback copies of books. With digital being cheaper anyway, if I'm buying a physical copy, I want hardback.

This is exactly what I was gonna say. I've even seen some books sell the paperback normally, but have a super pricey limited run of hardback. It sucks, because I often find paperback uncomfortable to hold and read, and those things that you can put over the cover to simulate hardback don't always fit right.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Same

I got maybe 120+ books for $60 at one. So nice.

I would have gotten some - if I didn't have my hands full with a lamp already, and short on funds.
But...I'm not saying no to an imitation Tiffany lamp, dammit! ?

 

[Corty]

My only gripe is paper quality. Yen press books (most of the time) felt like they were printed on the cheapest toilet paper available

 

[LeilaniOtter]

My only gripe is paper quality. Yen press books (most of the time) felt like they were printed on the cheapest toilet paper available

Probably recycled paper.

 

[just_darkjazz]

Honestly I can read whatever as long as its legible. Which is not always the case considering English is not my first langauge and the bulk of my library is translated works. I've read enough of them to know if the translator changes half way through a series without looking it up, it happens a lot. It happened with my favourite series that I own, and it diminished my enjoyment of it a lot because I consider the newer translator inferior. I pride myself to always finishing the books I pick up, no matter how much I enjoy them or not, but one of my books' translation was so bad I couldn't get through with it. The parts I specificically remember were translating baseball to the Greek word for base, and the Greek word for ball, even though we just call it baseball in Greece. Oh and sweat pants. We have a word for them in Greek, the translator instead opted to use the word for sweat and the wrod for pants. Pants plural also, the Greek word for a single pair is singular.

 

[Corty]

Probably recycled paper.

Probably.

Ew.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

Probably.

Ew.

We're saving trees so it's cool. ?