entropynchaos t1_j9ons2j wrote on February 23, 2023 at 2:06 PM

Reply to comment by KiwiTheKitty in How do you read paperbacks without getting cracks on the spine? by [deleted]

Once I learned the method outlined in another post, open a few pages at the front, a few pages at the back, keep going; I have never visibly cracked another spine.

Trade paperbacks function in the same way as mass market paperbacks unless they have a crease down the cover. I hold paperbacks in one hand. Trades crack as easily as mass market paperbacks when you read like that, or if you fold pages back, or read books multiple times. (The no-crack spine trick works for trades as well.)

KiwiTheKitty t1_j9ozojf wrote on February 23, 2023 at 3:31 PM

Understandable. My issue with mass markets is that they're usually printed with very little gutter (if that's the right word) so I have to break the spine to read the lines fully, which is an issue I don't usually have with trade paperbacks.

Haha but also I do want to emphasize I'm not trying to judge people for it!

entropynchaos t1_j9peo5b wrote on February 23, 2023 at 5:06 PM

I found this less of an issue with the method outlined; since you’re essentially breaking the spine invisibly. But this is definitely more of an issue with mass markets, and I get why it would be frustrating.

And from the same perspective; I get why you don’t like them. I adore them; but that’s a side effect of how I read; they make reading easier for me but harder for you. No judgement here, either!