I’m wondering about this because a hardcover book I been frequently using a lot for university just got its front cover torn out after frequent use for my homeworks across the semester. Granted it was already used when I bought it but the whole reason I chose it over the much cheaper softcover copy was precisely because I’m expected to use this text for multiple semesters.
So I wonder does a book really being hardcover really protect it for longterm use? Are they really worth the extra typical $10-$30 dollar price over softcover and paperback books? If protection is not the reason, why even buy hardcover books? I ask this because of my disappointment of how my textbook didn’t last long in an entacted state?
I have a ton of mass market paperbacks (the small format that is often used for popular genre books). The pages tend to turn yellow and get brittle over time. Hardcover books are often printed on better paper, so they last longer.
Textbooks are wildly overpriced and kind of a scam. I worked at a library in college and it was shocking how quickly these (very expensive) books fell apart.