The hill I will die on: Heavy, awkward and incredibly expensive – we don’t need hardback books | Larry Ryan
It’s an annoying choice: either lug around a heavy tome or try to remember when the paperback version is coming outRecently, readers have been all a-flutter over the publication of...
By Larry Ryan · The Guardian Opinion
It’s an annoying choice: either lug around a heavy tome or try to remember when the paperback version is coming out Recently, readers have been all a-flutter over the publication of Patrick Radden Keefe’s richly reported new book, London Falling . Reviews of the celebrated writer’s exploration of the death of an English teenager embroiled in the murky worlds of crime and the ultra-rich have been rapturous. The podcast interviews are plentiful and images of the fresh hardback copy are popping up all over my Instagram. And about all of this I think: “Looks great, but I’ll wait for the paperback.” I’m a fairly typical reader and get through a decent number of books every year. I mainly read fiction and try to keep up with what’s going on in contemporary literature. But time and money aren’t plentiful; I’m a slow reader and a freelance journalist. Larry Ryan is a freelance writer and editor Continue reading...