SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Members' Chat
>
Am I the only one who has a problem reading Mass Market Paperback?
I do not buy them.Ever.
They fall apart, they are poorly constructed, they're smaller and fatter than trade paper or hard back.
I like to buy books as an investment in the future, so I opt for hard back if I can, and trade paperback if I can't.
I don't buy them because they do not look pretty sitting on my shelves but I've read them... whether lent from the library of from a friend. I've never had a problem with the font but my eyes are still young... I may change my story in about two decades or so.
I don't read a lot of them. I don't like to break the spine and they are just such a pain to read unless you really flatten them out which of course drives me crazy because I don't like to break the spine.When I was younger I read them a lot when fantasy books were rare (yes I'm that old)
Sherjav wrote: "I went to my friend's house to borrow the first Foundation by Isaac Asimov, but had to reject because the book was way to small.This is not the first time I had this problem. I always seem to hav..."
I can't read the really white paper that a lot of books are printed on. I prefer the darker colored paper because the words don't jump/swish around on me. They stay where they're supposed to on a darker colored paper. Now, the ones with the ink kind of blurry/bad printing, no, I would rather not. But I read ebooks now and can place a yellowish/darker background to read without having to worry about the bad print jobs. :D
As long as it's not an old stinky used copy (new non-stinky used copies are OK), then I have no problem with them.One of the problems with newer books in this format is that the trend for a while has been to publish huge books. Back in the day (you kids get off my yard!) books tended not to be that long and this format didn't suffer so much from the too fat for its own good syndrome.
I can read them with no problem but its not my preference.I prefer Hardback, trade paperback and then MMPB in that order.
I only started reading books in English some years ago (I think 3?) so I wasn't even aware of the quality differences.To be honest, I don't care. Sure, it's a shame that the print is super tiny and that the paper isn't much quality but ... to be honest, compared to what I would have to pay for a translation, this is much better (especially since I don't like reading translations of books I could as well read in their original language).
A friend lent me a MMP print of Shōgun. It looks so cramped up, garish and unappealing. It's also a 20-year old copy, so I feel like it's going to fall apart before I finish it :PBut I'm guessing I'll get around to reading this before the year is over.
My eyes are 62 years old (much the same as the rest of me). They don't like tiny print. Thank God for my Kindle. Having said that, a well-produced hardback is a real pleasure. Someone has just given me the hardback The Night Circus for my birthday, and it's gorgeous. So gorgeous, in fact, that I doubt whether the book within will be as good as the book without. We shall see.
Nemo wrote: "My eyes are 62 years old (much the same as the rest of me). They don't like tiny print. Thank God for my Kindle. Having said that, a well-produced hardback is a real pleasure. Someone has just give..."Oh I think it will! I loved that book:)
I'll be honest, if hard covers weren't so expensive where I live, I'd get everything in hard cover. It's one of the nicest things about eBooks - I can resize the text at will.
I have trouble with paper books in general for medical reasons. One of my eyes is a bit lazy so it can be more of an effort to keep my eyes focused and they get strained really easily when trying to read small print. This is not an issue that can be fixed with reading glasses. So I read ebooks whenever possible so I can make the font a size that is comfortable for me.I also have chronic pain issues and my hands can cramp up really badly from holding a book open, so this is another reason to prefer ebooks. I sense that I'd do better with this issue with a hard cover than a mass market paperback or even a trade paperback, but depending on the weight of the book it might just end up hurting my arms rather than my hands. Mass market paperback probably is the worst for my hands though.
Sometimes mass market paperback is the only option though as that's the only format the book was published in. These days I've taken to buying cheap(but in good condition) second hand books if I can't get them as ebooks because I don't want to spend a lot of money on books that aren't in my preferred format.
If I'm forced to read a book that causes me physical discomfort then it does lower my reading experience, but I try not to think about it too much and try to focus on the content of the book, especially for reviewing purposes.
Those of you that avoid buying mass market paperbacks, will you still buy them(or borrow them if available) if that's the only way the book is available, or will you just avoid the book altogether?
I actually have a worse time with hard covers. They just aren't portable enough. And considering that I typically read while dining alone, or having extended cofffee breaks, or while at the beach (and often bring my book along while bicycling), the size and weight are important to me.I still prefer paper books over eReaders, so for my purposes trade paperbacks and MMPB are the best options.
I looooove carrying around a hard back book. I only carry one at a time of course, it's not school textbooks. Whatever book I happen to be reading, I'd carry around with me and read when I have time. I have a tablet and ultrabook and two phones as well, but there's just something about a "real" book that appeals to me.
I love hardcovers -- have an entire wall of hardcover SF in my office, everything from Asimov to Zelazny, including some out-of-print classics and a few author-signed editions. I grew up reading the small trade paperbacks, but found over the years that they didn't last. Pages yellowed, bindings separated, books fell apart. I didn't so much have a problem reading them as keeping them in good shape.When came time to publish my own books, I chose to have the softcovers done in 6x9 format. Properly bound, these will last a long time; but I also chose to have hardcovers done -- for people like me who really love them.
E-books? Yeah, I love those, too -- especially for travel. I carry an entire library on an iPad Mini, so I can catch up on my reading on airline flights or (all too often) while stuck waiting in airports. I think e-books are great because they encourage younger people to read, and provide easy-on-the-eyes options for us older folks. But do I think they should ultimately replace print books entirely? No way...
For more thoughts on that subject... http://www.lunarfreestate.com/2013/07...
I suppose we all have slightly different tolerances for things like margins and leading (I have a problem with too large font size, or overly airy leading). Since I've gotten into bookbinding, I've become more cognizant of things like paper quality, and typography. I've only had minor problems with perfect bindings, but sewn binding and linen hardcovers make reading a pleasant tactual experience as well.
I think I prefer MMPBs; hardbacks are my least favorite. Its the size factor for me as well: they take up less space on the shelf and in the bag ... no contest for me. The only HCs I own all come from discount shops selling remaindered copies ... I never buy them otherwise.I do like TPKs - esp. the smaller-sized ones - and the discounts from online retailers almost bring them down to MMPB price (at least in Canada ... we get gouged a bit here on book prices) so they seem like the preferred format for most publishers of all but the highest sellers. (I guess the return policies also effect that decision (TPKs get returned, MMPBs get recycled)).
Sherjav wrote: "I went to my friend's house to borrow the first Foundation by Isaac Asimov, but had to reject because the book was way to small.This is not the first time I had this problem. I always seem to hav..."
I had a similar problem with my huge library of MM paperbacks (some almost as old as I am and, like me, falling apart). Then I went to my optometrist and got a new pair of reading glasses. Problem solved.
I still prefer eBooks however.
I will read a MMPB but given the choice, I will always buy the hardcover. Right now I'm reading Neuromancer and even before I'm done reading through it once, it's already falling apart. One exception would be if I know I will be reading a book on the beach where it will get all sandy and oily, I would get the cheap MMPB.
I am 51, with a lazy eye like Kythe, so I'm working through my owned old mm pb as fast as I can. They were printed to be disposable, costing as little as 50 cents new, so I don't care that they're cheaply made, so long as I can squint through them one more time. Unnecessarily large HB are annoying - think James Patterson with every other page being half-blank due to chapter breaks, not to mention childishly large font and wide margins. I laugh at my husband for reading them - but at least he gets them at the library.
I love being able to page through books readily, especially non-fiction, and stories with casts of characters and/or glossary, timeline, etc. But I have a feeling that I'll be using my Sony e-reader more and more as I read and release my owned books.
MMPB is my favorite non-electronic format. You can stick one in your pocket and go. If a friend wants to borrow your copy, no sweat. If it's lost or damaged, so what? It cost less than a meal at a fast food chain. I got the HBO tie-in MMPB boxed set A Song of Ice and Fire #1-4: A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords/A Feast for Crows for $20- compared with $30 for one HB. This was also cheaper than getting the electronic editions, which are priced in line with the HB.
At one time (OK, this is old-fogey based) all one could GET was the MMP - especially in the 60's/70's when SFF became available in the UK.I frequented a lovely SFF import shop in Bristol, where I bought MANY first edition US MMPs - primarily b/c that was ALL which was published. Many other of my favourite genres were also pubbed in MMP - Avon Historical Romances for example - so there was no real choice.
I love MMPs mainly b/c they're small enough to slip into a 'handbag' or pocket; and I've never had a problem reading them (OK, I'm old enough now to have reading-glasses).
For a while now, I've found hardbacks difficult to hold - without getting cramp in my fingers - and they also take up a lot of space in my bookcases. I DO buy special/specific hardbacks when I know they're keepers and a favourite author (and even now, reprints in HB are hard to discount when they are stories I have loved!)
Experience in my shop shows that the older a person gets, the less likely they will buy a HB (even though the print may be slightly larger), but sometime Trade PB's fit requirements :)
Each to his own. No fault.
thecryptile wrote: "MMPB is my favorite non-electronic format. You can stick one in your pocket and go. If a friend wants to borrow your copy, no sweat. If it's lost or damaged, so what? It cost less than a meal at a ..."I completely agree - seems like we're in the minority.
Bah to me, a book is a book. It's what's inside that counts. If the story is boring and puts me to sleep, the format won't make any difference.I may prefer reading MMPB with more lights on (or sun) than ePub, which I prefer with less. While with larger paperback or hardback, I'm not as picky with the brightness of the room.
The size of a book never mattered to me, however, after reading 6 or 7 bricks from Robert Jordan, I now dread those. If it's going to make a book five inches thick, I'd much prefer a larger format.
I sure love big books with small print. I might be addicted. I might have a fetish. I might be crazy. But a trade paperback or hardcover with narrow margins and lots of text is heaven for me. I can't stand the huge fonts of "airport books" (nevermind their stories...!) nor the crammed little bullet-stoppers of MMPB. I like to be the guy who buys the higher price tier of item X because it will last longer. That's just my ethos.
Kenneth wrote: "I sure love big books with small print. I might be addicted. I might have a fetish. I might be crazy. But a trade paperback or hardcover with narrow margins and lots of text is heaven for me. I c..."
If this is true you would love the print version of The Madness of Hallen
It's perfect bound with tiny type. I couldn't get past the font size.
If it's a book I know and love, I'll buy it in either hardcover or trade paperback, if it's a novel I've never read, or one by an author I've never read before then it's mass market all the way, books can become quite costly over time, and for me to pay top dollar for one I better damn well know I like it beforehand.
Tim wrote: "If it's a book I know and love, I'll buy it in either hardcover or trade paperback, if it's a novel I've never read, or one by an author I've never read before then it's mass market all the way, bo..."I'm all about the library now. I also borrow some ebooks from friends who have Kindles.
And I'm trying a Scribd subscription (I already know I'm not going to keep it).
If its a book I love...well that deserves multiple copies in multiple formats. :-D
Kenneth wrote: "Added to my list MrsJoseph. :)"Cool! Tell me how you like it.
One disadvantage of MMPBs is that the maps are often small, hard to read, and in black and white. I like a map to be a work of art, preferably in colour, and with beautiful calligraphy. If you're going to put a map of a country in a book, you should make it so good to look at that the reader aches to go there. A dragon or two on the edges does no harm, either.
I’ve been reading e-books since before the first Kindle was released. That’s by far my preferred format. However, before e-books, I preferred mass-market paperbacks. I disliked reading hardbacks more than any other format for some of the same reasons that others have mentioned. I found them heavy and cumbersome, especially if I wanted to read in bed. And they’re the least portable.Another problem with hardbacks for me was that, since they were more expensive and looked so nice when they were new, I was more conscious about being careful with them. I didn’t want to crease any pages or break the spine. This meant that instead of just losing myself in the story, which is the whole point in reading a book, I was also conscious of the physical medium itself.
I see a hardback as something I might buy if I were a collector and wanted to have something pretty to look at. As far as actually reading them, I think they seem impractical unless you don’t have an e-reader and you need to read something in large print.
I find e-books to be the least intrusive format if I just want to get absorbed by a story without any comfort-related distractions. With my Kindle PaperWhite, I don’t even have to worry about ambient lighting.
I can't say I've tried lately. I have some books on my shelf that are mass market paperback that I haven't read yet, but I might never get to them. I do enjoy the larger paperbacks or reading on my tablet because of the larger font sizes. Helps keep the strain down.
YouKneeK wrote: "Another problem with hardbacks for me was that, since they were more expensive and looked so nice when they were new, I was more conscious about being careful with them. I didn’t want to crease any pages or break the spine. This meant that instead of just losing myself in the story, which is the whole point in reading a book, I was also conscious of the physical medium itself. "Ok. So I guess I'm about to confirm my weirdness... but I try my best to never crack the spine of any paperback book I read. And I get upset if I loan someone a book and they crack the spine. Or dogear the pages. Or bend the cover. Or ruin the pristine condition in any way.
I don't like to loan books.
I used to love mass market paperbacks because I could afford to get a bunch of brand new releases every week. That was back in the 1960's when I was a still a child. I had a $10 allowance and could buy all the mass market paperbacks I wanted. They were almost always science fiction and fantasy, though occasionally I'd buy a mystery.
I used to like them too Shomeret. It's the version I started with when I first got into reading. I can hardly bear it anymore though. Especially with reading large Novels, the print is just too small, it's really hard to get used to again. So I read regular paperbacks or Hardcover.
MrsJoseph wrote: "YouKneeK wrote: "Another problem with hardbacks for me was that, since they were more expensive and looked so nice when they were new, I was more conscious about being careful with them. I didn’t w..."I would polish the covers of my hardbacks if I could.
L.G. wrote: "I would polish the covers of my hardbacks if I could."That would be marvelous. Then they can sit all shiny and dustless.
Nemo wrote: "One disadvantage of MMPBs is that the maps are often small, hard to read, and in black and white. I like a map to be a work of art, preferably in colour, and with beautiful calligraphy. If you're g..."I've found this to be a difficulty with ebooks as well. For all their advantages (and I love my eReaders...yes...multiple) this is not something I prefer about them. Most maps are also online though, but that's not always so convenient.
I like MMPB's too. But I agree with you about the small type, especially MMPB versions of 800+ page door stoppers. I just bought the MMPB of The Name of the Wind and the type is so small...I might regret it.
I think of MMPB's as largely disposable. I'll break the spine, loan them out, write in them. Leave them on park benches. Who cares. I have some MMPB's that were so well loved they were fit for little more than the recycle bin due to the missing pages.
Hardbacks and trade paper though....those I'll keep pristine.
I often hurt myself (wrists, back) when reading hardbacks though. I had a great deal of pain while/after reading Under the Dome
I like being able to examine maps, and both ebooks and MMPBs have poor reproductions. I've taken to viewing maps on my computer and downloading them to my phone.I'm not obsessive about it, but over time, I've tried harder not to break the spine on my paperbacks. I'm also curious about what determines the type of paper used. In most, it's obviously cheap and less dense, but I've got a few (the older editions of Tolkien's Book of Lost Tales vols. 1 & 2 have a delightfully dense and flexible paper, even if the ink is a bit smudgy in places) that seem to be higher quality.
As much as I love my ereader, there are certain books I want in hardback.
All in all, since I got an ereader, the only time I really buy a paperback anymore is if I see a particularly enticing one at the used book store.
I'm an eReader convert, but I do at times like to read in the bath... I've heard of others who snap lock bag their eReader, but haven't been game to give it a go.On the subject of mass market paperbacks though - some are good, while others are definitely lacking in terms of readability. There's a few that are almost thicker than they're wide, which makes reading the story hard work.
Hardcovers are nice, and I have a few, but they're heavy and not easy to fit in a bag when you're travelling.
I don't normally read while lying down on my back. All it took was dropping one hardback on my face when I got tired for me to realise that wasn't a good idea. That's probably the only thing I really like about MMPBs - they don't hurt if you drop them on your head.
L.G. wrote: "I don't normally read while lying down on my back. All it took was dropping one hardback on my face when I got tired for me to realise that wasn't a good idea. That's probably the only thing I real..."^^ That made me laugh :)
L.G. wrote: "I don't normally read while lying down on my back. All it took was dropping one hardback on my face when I got tired for me to realise that wasn't a good idea. That's probably the only thing I real..."Hahaha!
My wife is partially sighted, and for her MMPBs just aren't an option. Her large print books are inevitably much bigger than mine, and though they're not always hardbacks, her paperbacks are better quality than mine, with bigger illustrations, so they are generally nicer. Mind you, it gets expensive: her complete set of hardback large print Harry Potter novels cost over £180.
BTW, dropping a large print hardback on your head is NOT a good idea.
BTW, dropping a large print hardback on your head is NOT a good idea.
Nor is dropping a hardback on your foot which I did do once. It was a 1000 page tome too. I was returning it to the library unread at the time.
MMPs are pretty great, they are awesome for just throwing in a suitcase/carry on bag and reading on the plane and ohh crap you gotta go now, just stuff it in your pocket. Despite this when I resell books to the used bookstore(local library is trash) my books tend to be in some of the best condition. Basically all 4 corners are a bit rubbed off if it was a throw in pocket book other then that perfect. While most of the MMP's there will have creases all over the place and look like they are about to fall apart. Then of course I ask the owner and he tells me they reject ~1/3 of the books because their pages are actually falling apart/already missing/massive stains.As far as in a coffee shop while reading, hardbacks/kindles I feel are better for this while I have completely mastered eating with only one hand, I would still prefer not to have to hold my book open with my hand while eating. Mass Market Paperbacks are better for I'm taking bus/train/carpool/taxi around town and don't have a good place to put HUGE book when I'm not reading it so I just need to shove it in my pocket.
I can't easily read MMPs while exercising on my treadmill, so that is another knock.
There are oral stories, and stories in films and other media, but shouldn’t a book qua book look like a book? You write the story, but shouldn’t you also think about typography, the book covers, and maybe even the cover art? If you’re writing a book to be popular, it should be printed on pulp, with no more than 10pt font (the populi isn’t visually impaired en masse) have a perfect binding, with cover blurbs and artwork.If you’re writing a book because you love the story, you’re acting more like a monk in a scriptorium. Maybe you can’t draw, so you cut back on the illuminations, but you print on acid-free paper with a little rag content, sew your bindings, and invest in davey board and linen.
Nemo, £180. Yikes!
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Under the Dome (other topics)The Name of the Wind (other topics)
The Madness of Hallen (other topics)
A Song of Ice and Fire (other topics)
The Night Circus (other topics)
More...
This is not the first time I had this problem. I always seem to have a problem with the paper that looks so dark like old toilet paper you find in a public toilet, the ink kind of stays on your finger sometimes making your fingertips dark.
Also the spacing makes it hard to read. If the font is too small, no matter how much I like the book, I can't read it without straining my eyes.
Evreyone I know doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but for me it lowers the entire reading expierence.
Am I the only one?