Sunday, March 29, 2009

Why buy used books?


Can buying an old book ever compare with buying a new one? “Of course not!” you say.

Quite true - few things can compare with ripping the shrink wrap off a paperback and opening the pages of a book for the first time. The new book always looks better, smells better, and definitely reads better.

However, since thebookcrew deals mostly with secondhand books, let me try to make a case for the humble used book:

The used book arguably has more character than the new one. Since its publication years before, it probably has been read by numerous people before you; it has sat on the coffee tables, bedside tables, and desks of readers who have read those same words that you now read.

These readers have gone through the same emotions, and thought the same thoughts that you now think as you go through those same pages. This rich history is something that a new book is surely devoid of.

Also, buying a used book makes more environmental sense. Following on from having done your part for the earth by participating in Earth Hour, why not continue the good work with books?

By passing on a book from one reader to the next, the book is ‘recycled’.

Rather than being consigned to your bookshelf for the rest of its days, the book is passed on and given a new lease of life.

Additionally, there is the interesting moral aspect of book buying, as explained here, to consider. If you think the struggling independent bookseller deserves your dollar more than the author of the book does, do go out and purchase that used book (from thebookcrew!).

Finally, used books are cheaper! The price of 1 new paperback could possibly get you 3 used ones.

The increasing popularity
of used books in recent times has been so powerful that it has not only been credited with increasing literacy rates, but also with the downturn in the book industry!


Used books are back in fashion! So do pick out a book you like from thebookcrew today!

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