So the other day I was browsing one of my favorite online shops and I found some pretty reprints of some popular titles in their books section. The titles (Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, etc.) were in a nice hardback edition with a nice pattern printed on the entire covers (relevant to the contents/style of the book) with the title printed in an attractive font on the cover. Despite already owning some of the titles, I was tempted to buy these pretty copies, and that got me thinking about the aesthetic value of books. In lots of home magazines, I'll see pretty bookcases featuring a collection of hardbacks all in a bold teal or a striking green, and I can't help but wonder if they just so happened to have already owned those, or if they bought books they had no interest in for their decoration value.
So, do you ever replace (or refuse to buy) less attractive versions of novels (like the notoriously ugly mass market paperbacks), worn out copies, or otherwise less-than-pretty books with new, attractive copies? Do you ever buy pretty books just to decorate with them? Do you collect different versions of a beloved title?
I'm quite interested to know what non-reading purposes people put their books to use as. So please do discuss!

If I could afford pretties, I would. But, I can't. So I shop at Savers/Goodwill for my books. I can find books in decent to good shape very cheap. I was able to buy seven Stephen King books for around ten dollars total. I don't really care about the aesthetic value. It's what's inside that I want. As long as I can read it and it's not falling apart, I'm happy. If it is falling apart, then I'll buy a new(er) copy that isn't.

The only book I can consider in exceptional pretty value is my collection of Edgar Allen Poe. It's a leather bound book with the page edges painted gold, and gold embroidery on the cover as the title and name. It holds all his words inside, and I got it as a gift.

Do you have much luck finding books at Goodwill? Lucky you! Every time I check the books at my local goodwill, I don't see a single interesting thing.
I'm pretty much the same as you, though. I buy my books used since I can't afford new books. So I have lots of MMPs, books with creases on the covers, very worn edges, etc. I understand some creasing on the spine, it's hard to read paperbacks without creasing it, but the condition some people leave their books in makes me wonder as to what exactly they were doing with them! :lol: But I'm getting off subject.

Your Poe collection sounds lovely! I wish I could say that I had a book that nice. Do you display it in any special way, or is it on the shelf with the rest of the books?

I do find good books every now and then. Just takes some good eyes to look :lol:

And the rest of my books are standing up in my shelf, but the Poe collection is laying down in the back corner. I honestly don't remember why I put it that way, I think it's because its so big it doesn't fit normally.

I have no care for the aesthetic appeal. If there is a book I like as long as I can read it I'll buy it. Now sometimes I can only find lovely editions sometimes the covers falling off.. I don't mind.

If there are several different versions of the same book and the covers are the only thing that differs, I don't really care which version I have. It does annoy me somewhat if I have part of a series with one sort of cover and others of the same series with different covers, but not so much that I have to go out and buy a different copy so they all match or anything.

However, I can't stand if books look extremely worn, ESPECIALLY if the spine is covered in creases. I don't mind a little wear on the cover, but for some reason I cannot stand creased spines. I actually refuse to buy them if they look like that, even if I have to pay a little more for a different copy. I don't even really know why it annoys me so much in the first place though. xD

Pweep - Yeah, I try to check out the book section every time I'm there, but even though they've only got about three bookcases, it takes a while to check all those titles. And I'm not at Goodwill just to look at books, either, I like to go through the entire store with a fine tooth comb. :lol:

Syraanabelle - If you had an book with "the cover falling off," would you consider replacing it with a pretty version if you later found one?

Heiress - So you don't crease the spines yourself when reading paperbacks? With some books it's easy not to, but with others you can barely open them without cracking the spine a little. I try not to crease mine up too badly, but sometimes it's a matter of being able to read the book comfortably. :lol:

I'm with Pweep. If I want to replace one of my older, uglier books with a newer, prettier edition, that's just more money that's not going to another book I haven't read yet.

If I see two copies of the same book at a book store or Value Village or something, I'll get the one that looks the nicest to me, but aesthetics just don't matter that much to me when it comes to reading.

But there is something about an old, worn out book, isn't there? I have some old books that are so worn and dog-eared that they're almost falling apart, but it's kind of nice. They really feel like old friends that way. That's why used book stores are more fun to shop in; the books there have a little more character. New books look sterile and uninteresting a lot of the time.

I personally prefer if they're worn out from my use than someone else's. But maybe I should be less uptight about books' conditions. :lol: I like your way of looking at it.

Yeah, I prefer my wear-and-tear to someone else's, too. Sometimes it's kind of cool to get a book that has other people's writing/notes in it, though. It's interesting to see what other people think about it.

Yeah, that could be interesting! Provided it didn't make it difficult to read the book in the first place, that is.

@ Cherry * *shrugs* meh, depends on how much it costs. I do have books that I glued back to the spine, and upon seeing better condition in book stores, I just keep walking.

Ooh, I'm a book collector. I don't generally buy new books, but my city has several great used bookstores downtown. Most books I only have one copy of, but I pretty much buy Tolkien everywhere I see it. I have several copies of all of those books, takes up a whole bookcase.

I don't spend much money on books, though. A few times a year, the used bookstore downtown will have a 70% off Sale, and then I buy a ton, for about a dollar each.

I have a couple books just because they're pretty and old, though.

Wow, a whole bookcase of Tolkien's? Do you have a picture of that? I'm interested to see all the different versions. I'm afraid that all I have is a mass market paperback of the Hobbit. :lol:

A dollar a book sounds fantastic! Let me come to your bookstore, we don't have those kinds of deals here! :lol:

If I buy a book it's usually a sale book or a book from a thrift shop. Once I've read a book, and if I really liked it, I stay on the lookout for pretty copies. One day I want to have a personal library and would love to have a wall, or at least a full shelf, of pretty books I enjoy enough to read more than once. A kind of trophy cabinet, since I'm not really a trophy girl.
I keep the 'not as pretty' books. They have sentimental value and there is something about a clearly well read book that is visually and emotionally attractive to me. I don't like the in-between of pristine and enjoyed thoroughly but I enjoy both. This goes for my journals and notebooks as well. Either they have to be pristine, and not written in; or battered and well used. Extremes are beautiful.

Good plan, I like it! I'd like something similar one day - biiiig bookcases with nice copies of my favorite books. Maybe I shouldn't worry about being so careful with my crummy MMPs. :lol:

Honestly, I'm generally more interested in what's in the book, but honestly, I do like when the cover is interesting. But for decorative purposes, I generally use CD jackets and comics. Sometimes the one thing that'll get me hooked on a new band is just the art on the CD cover intriguing me.

I also actually avoid getting multiple copies of a book because I don't have enough room to store all my books as it is because I collect from so many authors. Plus, my book collection has to compete with my Transformers one for space in my room. >.>

Yeah, having only one room to display your various collections in can be a big hamper on what you'd like to do. I'm pretty much all out of horizontal space in my room for displaying knick knacks, but knick knacks are sort of my favorite thing ever, so I still keep buying them. >>

If I may inquire as to how you use comic books and CDs for decorative purposes?
I know I have one CD with an autographed jacket that I have propped in one of those little things meant to display plates.

I used to hang old CDs on my wall for decoration. I'm kind of ashamed of a lot my taste in music, though, so most of my CDs are squirreled away. :)

I actually PREFER the look of old, well used (or as I like to say well-loved) books. I LOVE used book stores. You can tell how good a book is by how broken and crinkled the spine is. A broken and Crinkled spine means it's been read (and possible re-read) a lot, which means the original owner must have LOVED it. I also have a thing for the famous old book smell XD THat being said, I love buying new books too. I'm in a small town and we have one little local bookstore, and the owner is sooo nice, as I like to support her whenever I can :D

I almost always try to buy the hardback pretty books over the less appealing paperback library-looking books. I have a very nice book shelf in my living room that I have most of the way full with all hardcover books and plan on finishing with all hardcovers, simply because it just looks better.

But when it comes to a book I really want to read, if the store only has the paperback, I'll buy it... but usually upgrade later and donate the paperback :3

I ran into this dilemma at the bookstore the other day. They had the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in wonderful hard cover with illustrations on the cover. I was so tempted to get them even though I already own the books (never even finished them for that matter) just because I liked how they looks. >.<

Ahh, glad we're getting more love from people who like the pretty hardbacks, I was beginning to think I was too visual-oriented by preferring them. :lol:

They just tend to look nicer on a shelf, I think. Paperbacks tend to look more messy and cheap. But the downfall is that I really dislike actually reading hardcovers. I have problems holding books to read them comfortably as it is, a big hard cover makes it even more difficult. No bending. ><

There's a store down the street from my house called 'Two Dollar Books.' It's one of my favorite places in the world because you can find tons of awesome books for two bucks or under. Torn pages, missing covers, crayon drawings in the background, I don't care what my books look like, honestly. Its the author or genre that holds sway over what I buy, the condition of the book is meaningless.

If I buy it new or in good condition, I try to keep it nice looking... but I wouldn't pass up a book that sounds good just because it's not pretty. Honestly, I would buy mostly used books if there was a good store nearby.