On the other hand, my 1809 edition of Livy's history of the Romans is still perfectly readable. The grammar and vocabulary might feel obsolete, the binding might have gained patina, but it's still relatively fresh. True enough, my pockets from the 60's and 70's are all is a very bad shape. But quality editions from the same period are still in good shape

Yeah, I know, I was (almost) joking.

But, as the fellow Phc7006 pointed out, a good quality book showed to last much more than any digital format.

Nonetheless, hardware is a limit. Maybe we should ask the solution to koreans

Well, it gets a tad bit more moist than normal, but not enough to warp the pages or anything.

For those I want to collect, hard cover. For those I just want to read, eBook is the new paperback. As for reading in the tub, my wife just puts her Kobo in a Ziploc bag. It's even safer than trying to read a paperback.

Hardbound. They cost more, but they last longer. Also, they're easier to display on most bookshelves.

Nonsense, if the format is known, programmers can code a reader for it if one doesn't exist already.

Alternatively, it can be converted to another format.

This is especially true for those non-proprietary formats like epub (DRM-free books tend to be sold in many formats, epub being one of them) which are well documented.

Ebooks have one very important quality for me - accessibility.

If you want to read one, particular book, that is pretty rare, out of print, sold out or anything, you either need to hunt for it, pay fortune for it, or just buy an ebook for regular price and enjoy your reading.

For example, some Lovecraft short stories are impossible to get in print now in Poland. But it's not a slightest problem with ebooks.

Paperbacks, definitely. They're easier to take places and handle when reading. Hardbacks look nice on the shelf, but when I try to read them, the covers slide around and it rests uneasily in my lap.

Signed.
/end of thread ;)

Again with the space issue, I don't have a bath in my house. There's only a shower and you can't read a book in there regardless. Besides i'll usually use that time to listen to a podcast.

settings, flick the airplane mode on.

Paperback for general reading / things I get from the library.

Hardcover for books that I'm especially fond of, as the hardcover makes them a fancy-schmancy part of my book collection. Usually accompanied by an equivalent paperback because, yeah, hardcovers are a bit more cumbersome to actually read.

I never thought I would like reading on an iPad/e-reader/Kindle/etc...for some reason though it doesn't bother me at all like I thought it would, and now I can't figure out how I managed for so long without one.

I do like old hardbacks though, the one thing I don't get from an ereader is the smell of old paper :)

Paperback as most of the time they are lighter in weight than hardcover, and also cheaper. That being said, I do feel that hardcover looks better and nicer.

I never have an e-book reader, though I'd love to have one in the future, so I cannot currently comment on that.