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Originally Posted by rem736
there is one huge advantage to having paper books, though...you actually own what you buy. for digital products (ebook, music, audio book, etc.), the tech has already moved to the point where you really don't own the books you have purchased. kindle books purchased cannot be passed down to your heirs once you leave this earth. so in effect, purchases of digital products are in fact life-time rentals.
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I can pass down anything I wish, as I de-DRM everything as soon as I get it. As long as someone has a device that can read the file, it's fine.
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i'd me more content with buying multiple ereaders (think researching a dozen non-fiction reference books using a dozen ereaders). it's quite a different picture than having a dozen books open on a library table.
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Like this? (OK, old image
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Originally Posted by JoeD
People spend lots of money on ornaments for their home and if you like the look of a book shelf filled with hardbacks regardless of whether you're going to read them or not, don't let anyone talk you out of it  |
Good point.... my sister recently bought some sort of statue-like thing to put in the living room. For the money she paid, I think I could easily buy 30 or more
new hardcovers. 50 or 60 or even more when buying second hand.
I'd choose the bookcase any time. Then it actually serves a purpose, should I fancy to actually read any of the books.
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Originally Posted by Rbneader
Oh no! I must redeem my good name and make a useful suggestion. 
Let's take a step back. It's obvious that you don't have a bone-deep preference for a specific format. If you did this question wouldn't have come up. From the OP, it looks like you are mostly interested in the space saving? |
Yes. I've got some books in hardcover already because I wanted to, while I have most as paperbacks to save space and money. The paperbacks are already being replaced by ebooks, which saves even more space and money. Most of my paperbacks are a one, maybe two times read. Some of my hardcovers I've read 5 times or more. (Uh. I confess. I habitually read Lord of the Rings once a year, starting at December 1. And then I watch all three movies. Yeah... sue me :X)
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Entertainment doesn't have to be useful or efficient. 
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Or cheap.... sometimes.