3 ms·
> Then they stick a hardback cover on it and sell it for £££. Traditional hardbacks (and collector-quality ones, even now) are made from pages sewn together in
by Turing_Machine 7y ago
> Then they stick a hardback cover on it and sell it for £££.
Traditional hardbacks (and collector-quality ones, even now) are made from pages sewn together in signatures, and will last for many, many readings. When the binding does get worn out, a new one can easily be put on.
However, the typical "hardback" you see in a bookstore today is basically just a paperback with thicker cardboard for the covers. The pages are held together (and the "binding" is held on) with a thin layer of glue, just like a paperback, rather than being properly sewn.
You're lucky if you get one reading out of one of those pieces of crap before it starts to fall apart in your hands.
They are simply not worth the money. Go with ebooks, or, if you absolutely must have paper, paperbacks. Otherwise you're getting ripped off.
- allovernow 7y agoIt's painful to see so many examples of hallmarks of quality or even just signals of niche culture hollowed out and used as a facade on inferior products. Sometimes it really does feel like late stage capitalism (especially MBAs) is gradually ruining much of the fruit it made plentiful. This pursuit of pennies sucks the soul out of anything it touches. There's value in lasting quality, and as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate goods that reflect a respect for the art of the trades that produced them, like solid tools, or over-engineered appliances from decades past, where a little extra material is the difference between just out of warranty failure and indefinite use. But I suppose the real problem that the average person doesn't notice and/or care.