Everything that books ought to be

Couldn’t agree more with Robin Rendle’s assessment of hardcover books.

They’re heavy, they’re clunky to hold, the jacket is tacky and sticky and awful. It’s difficult to read the dang things because they require so much energy to wrench open. Not only that but they have sharp edges that dig into my belly when I read in bed and for this punishment I have to pay a mysteriously expensive price because they’re often cheaper than the paperback edition (I’m sure there’s some shady market stuff or economics going on there that I don’t know about). And not only all that but then you can only buy the hardcover edition—you must wait months for the soft, painless, no belly-jabbing paperback.

Having just purchased a hardcover because the paperback won’t be available in time for my needs, I’m especially feeling that last sentence. Alas. Paperback, simply the best.