Which do you prefer? Personally, I don't mind either option, however, if at all possible, I'll take a paperback. While a hardcover book does make for a better weapon last far longer than the paperback counterpart, they are much too hard to travel with and I do a lot of traveling/reading. I do tend to buy the hardback versions of books I love though, to keep at home on my book shelf.
Almost exclusively paperback. I just prefer the way they feel in the hand and like the way you can fold them back on themselves.
Hardcover whenever possible. I find them a bit easier to hold and handle. I've had paperback books slip out of my hands or between my legs (book on my lap while I read, or while I'm curled into a pretzel in my desk chair). [Almost typed "Oh I prefer hardcover, so much more solid, better than having some floppy thing in my lap"] <.<
Digital. They provide their own light for reading in bed while my wife sleeps and a free standing, hands-off structure so I don't have to prop myself in an awkward position or risk having my arms fall asleep from holding it at a weird angle. And there's a shitload of great cheap/free ebooks. And I can take ten books with me when I go the Caribbean without having to check an extra bag. And there's a built in dictionary and highlight function I can cross reference with my computer and other writing applications. And the books work across platforms to I can read on my phone if I get stuck waiting for an oil change or for my wife to finish "buying a few things." (and before anyone sprays me with the sentimental firehouse of nostalgia, I still have hundreds of physical books and continue to collect them, but I'll for this particular 21st Century innovation)
So pretty hard-plastic-covered? I think it still makes a good weapon. Modern day ninja.....rectangle....thing, heh. I would normally go the digital route (cheapskate numero uno right here) but for some reason reading from screens gives me a massive headache after awhile. Its a problem for me when it comes to typing as well. Sucks but eh, C'est la vie.
I feel the same as @Homer Potvin but I also have hundreds of physical books. For buying physical books, I prefer paperbacks (the main reason being cost, which is another point for digital), but I do have several beloved series that I made the effort to find in hardcover so they will last (until I die and someone throws them away, because that's how it will go).
I prefer hardcover if I can afford it - which I can't most of the time . Like Homer though, I mostly opt for the digital route these days for the sake of convenience. But there's something about holding an actual physical book, feeling the paper on your skin, the smell of a fresh book, that for me can never be replaced by ebooks.
Paperback. If I'm laying down I will inevitably drop the book on my face at some point, and paperbacks hurt less.
At a rough estimate, my collection is 20% hardcover, 80% paperback. I love me some leatherbound tomes, but I tend to go for the affordable option. There are a couple of books I own in paperback, but that I would love to have an hardcover edition of. My favorites are starting to fray at the edges. Neuromancer is one re-read away from unraveling.
The first and last copy I brought of Neuromancer is a hardcover one. I had read a near-death paperback copy my friend lent me and have the unpleasant memory of the binding coming undone whilst getting into the story. Really annoyed the hell out of me.
Hardcovers are a nightmare to read. Digital all the way, but if it has to be hard copy then paperback please.
I know you're not asking me, but for me it's becuase they're generally heavier, can't be folded back on themselves (and held one-handed), have a stupid loose cover that you feel needs holding in place all the time, and just aren't as 'flexible' as PB.
As I get older I prefer hardbacks more, but have swtched to mainly digital. I love to read on my ancient Kindle with no lighted screen; reading on my Nexus and dealing with the light is straining, but do love to make the page black which helps. My Kindle is in a book-like cover & kind of has the feeling of holding a physical book.
For books I like, I go with hardcover. Otherwise, it's paperback all the way. I can't justify the prices of hardcovers, especially when the paperback equivalent is so much cheaper. Plus, hardcovers are a pain in the butt when it comes time to move because of how heavy they are.
I like hardback books for things I'm going to be referencing from. They've got enough heft that they're not always closing themselves if I leave them on the desk beside me when I'm typing. I like softback almost everything else just because they're easier to cart around. I'm not a huge fan of digital books, though I do have some on both my mobile and my tablet. A lot of older, out of print books are available in some e-book format or another, but that and the fact that I'll probably have them on me if I get unexpectedly delayed are probably the only two benefits I see from them. I don't find them any easier to read and forgetting my tablet on the dash of my car is far more likely to result in a theft than if I had forgotten a paperback. Also, if I go somewhere where there's limited hydro, they're pretty much off limits. One thing that I have found that I'm rather fond of is a lot of the older classic books are being released in leather bound versions. They've got the advantages of both hardcover and softcover books, not to mention they just look gorgeous. They're like giant moleskine notebook or a bible with things in it you actually want to read.
Most of the time I do digital, but if I really love a book I'll often follow up with a paperback purchase if that format is available to show the author some love. Most of the books I read don't even get released in hardcover, and some are available in ebook format only.
Heavy, bulky, can't bend the spine to make it easier to hold in one hand, and the dust jackets irritate the heck out of me.
Tenderizer, that's my view exactly. Do you take the dust jackets off when you read them? Y'know to keep them nice. Then damage them when you put them back on anyway? Or is that just me reaching MAXIMUM RETARD?