am i being unreasonable to wonder why people buy new books

I buy new if I have spare cash, or book tokens. However, I also use "Read it swap it", which is a great way of reading books that you might not find in a charity shop, or of passing on ones I have finished with.
I do have a lot of books that I keep though, piles of them everywhere

lucyellensmummy, if you CAT me I will send you a link to my website. I don't ever put it on here as it would mean I am no longer anonymous!

I dont really like the old book musty smell. I give my old books to charity shops though for people who do, does that excuse me from buying books new?

anyway I am doing the book world a service by buying new as authors would have to go back to their day jobs if noone bought new, and publishers would cease to exist

Sorry Habbibu, didn't read this thread properly.

Think I am being oversensitive to "don't want any more". People in my book group say that they can't part with a book. I can - don't have the space but also I can always find a way of re-reading if I want to.

Anyway, we all love books or we wouldn't be posting here.

Don't think I was being sniffy? I was just responding to Cote and UQD's assertions. Or am I completely missing your point? Am doing that a lot today...

Habbibu, don't think you should be sniffy about not wanting books any more. I just couldn't keep all the books I read, I keep some to re-read, but I like to spread the joy and not clutter up my house!

Rusty, I'm not angry at Normal Punters who buy books from a second-hand shop (books are over-priced anyway) but I think writers should stick together and support each other.

Wonders whether to admit to buying one of UQD's books from a second-hand shop (but only because I couldn't find it new) And I have just bought another one new....

I but loads of books second-hand, it annoys dh that there are piles everywhere. I just wish I had more time to read them. Maybe if I stopped mnetting...

Just because one person doesn't want/like a book, and so gives it away, doesn't automatically make it a bad book, though, does it?

my local library is staffed by lemon sucking burds.a chilly wind blows

no thanks

my dp buys tons of new books and reads them carefully. if i read them i usually break the spine so he had to replace them

The books in charity shops are the ones people don't want any more. I once went off on one with rage (after putting the phone down) about a fellow writer who had bought my book from a sodding charity shop.

I'm not organised enough for the library and usually end up with fines higher than the price of the book . I'll stick to second hand shops and amazon, don't have to worry about scribbles or sticky handprints then.

sorry, x posted, that was to tigerdriver.

I love libraries.

DS1 got his library card at 1 week old. DS2 I was more slack and he was nearly 2 weeks old .

I've just got a brand new book today and the smell and feel of it's pristine pages and cover have given me untold pleasure,even before reading it ! I don't buy new books often so it's a real treat

oh completely - and I am as guilty of this as anyone .

I think buying, borrowing or stealing a book on any terms has got to be better than not reading at all - that if anything will be the death of the UK publishing industry.

But it's nice to support small players when you can.

Agree with compo - use your library - hey it's what I do! (for a living)
Pretty much anything you want will be ordered for you either new or old and you will be delighted by how welcoming they are to your Little Ones.(can only speak for Central Scotland actually)
Also it's free and eco friendly.
And.......if you really must own it consider us as try before you buy service.

youngvisiter

I do agree with BOGOFs etc, but I have to admit that if you are in Tesco and there are a couple of contemporary paperbacks which you'd read anyway, and it might be weeks before you hit a proper bookshop or even a Borders etc, it's very tempting.

We have a great local bookshop and I do buy when I can, but I can't stop the cash register in my head thinking that I could be getting two books for the price of this one...

I buy some books full price, some books discounted, some books 2nd hand. It depends.

If I buy full price it's because I feel the author needs the support and I buy it from our local independent bookshop who certainly needs the money.

If I buy discounted it's because it's a major player who doesn't need the royalties.

If I buy 2nd hand it's usually becuase it's someone I secretly despise and don't want to give any money to at all, or someone who's dead.

Fine to shop around, but just be aware that without our support, independent booksellers and up-and-coming authors will get even thinner on the ground than they are now.

I think that BOGOFs and 3-for-2 offers have been a very bad thing for diversity and choice in the publishing industry, sadly. Many current big names would have sunk without trace if they were starting out in today's market.

i give mine away to pt library,so someone else can have pain of memory keepers daughter

Sort of agree with ScottishMummy although I am the reader of schlocky crime....

Also sometimes find I buy things twice by mistake.

I buy new, love the new smell etc but really can't find time to get to library as I used to before DS appeared. I keep v few books as I read about 3 a week, and many are whodunnits, so no point re-reading.

They go to like-minded mates, or charity shops.