4 ms·

Newsflash: Those "unread books" are still as "valuable" if they aren't in your library yet because you can always acquire them later when you actually want to

Newsflash: Those "unread books" are still as "valuable" if they aren't in your library yet because you can always acquire them later when you actually want to read them. That means that the smart thing to do is buy them as you read them, and not hoard them.

Aaargh20318 4y ago
> That means that the smart thing to do is buy them as you read them, and not hoard them. And this is one of the major benefits of e-books: you can postpone the purchase until about 15 seconds before you want to read the book.
ledpup 4y ago
In some places there are public libraries. You can go and sit there for hours everyday and marvel at all the thousands of books you'll never, ever read. Can also be done at bookshops.
skytreader 4y ago
> you can always acquire them later when you actually want to read them That doesn't track with my experience at all for a number of reasons: - Smaller bookstores who may or may not be an official part of the publishing supply chain stock smaller amount of copies of a given book. Once an edition sells out, they might not even have the means to restock/order from a new batch of printing. - Even big chain bookstores have to consider supply and demand economics when stocking their shelves so even them can't guarantee "perpetual availability" of a title. - Not to mention, books go out of print, even way before they go in the public domain. The best way to get a copy is by accident in a thrift shop. If I encounter one I really like, the best move for me would be to buy it then and there, my current reading queue be damned. - Admittedly, acquiring books is easier now due to Amazon, et. al., but we are still very from from being able to acquire a book when you actually want to read them. Not all books are available to buy online!
- brightball 4y ago
  Antique stores are one of favorite sources for books for this reason.
- mbg721 4y ago
  This is a big problem for board games (whose fans also collect large numbers of them on shelves to be seen in interviews). Even well-regarded games often don't get a reprint, so it's not too uncommon for a game that's a few years old to sell for a couple hundred dollars on the secondary market.
Kaibeezy 4y ago
Disagree. If, when you see a book, you have a flash of insight or spark of interest, buy it right then and there. Preserve it as a pilot light.
layer8 4y ago
> when you actually want to read them. The point is that them being present in your library serves as a physical reminder that you might want to read them (whereas otherwise you’d forget about them), and when you decide you want to read them, you can then do it instantly. As others have noted, it also avoids the problem of books having gone out of circulation.

Aaargh20318 4y ago

> That means that the smart thing to do is buy them as you read them, and not hoard them. And this is one of the major benefits of e-books: you can postpone the purchase until about 15 seconds before you want to read the book.

ledpup 4y ago

In some places there are public libraries. You can go and sit there for hours everyday and marvel at all the thousands of books you'll never, ever read. Can also be done at bookshops.

skytreader 4y ago

> you can always acquire them later when you actually want to read them That doesn't track with my experience at all for a number of reasons: - Smaller bookstores who may or may not be an official part of the publishing supply chain stock smaller amount of copies of a given book. Once an edition sells out, they might not even have the means to restock/order from a new batch of printing. - Even big chain bookstores have to consider supply and demand economics when stocking their shelves so even them can't guarantee "perpetual availability" of a title. - Not to mention, books go out of print, even way before they go in the public domain. The best way to get a copy is by accident in a thrift shop. If I encounter one I really like, the best move for me would be to buy it then and there, my current reading queue be damned. - Admittedly, acquiring books is easier now due to Amazon, et. al., but we are still very from from being able to acquire a book when you actually want to read them. Not all books are available to buy online!

brightball 4y ago
Antique stores are one of favorite sources for books for this reason.
mbg721 4y ago
This is a big problem for board games (whose fans also collect large numbers of them on shelves to be seen in interviews). Even well-regarded games often don't get a reprint, so it's not too uncommon for a game that's a few years old to sell for a couple hundred dollars on the secondary market.

Kaibeezy 4y ago

Disagree. If, when you see a book, you have a flash of insight or spark of interest, buy it right then and there. Preserve it as a pilot light.

layer8 4y ago

> when you actually want to read them. The point is that them being present in your library serves as a physical reminder that you might want to read them (whereas otherwise you’d forget about them), and when you decide you want to read them, you can then do it instantly. As others have noted, it also avoids the problem of books having gone out of circulation.