Do you buy second hand books or do you only...

Hi marguicha, I tend to buy neither to be honest. It's just that any book I've ever wanted to read my local library has it, or if not they are willing to order it in or get it transferred from another library in the same county. I don't mind knowing that these books have been handled by other people, but sure so has money, door handles (you get the picture) so I'm not going to obsess over germs, bugs or whatnot. I don't tend to buy anything secondhand; not because I have an aversion to doing so, just haven't quite found the *need* or desire to yet, not that there is anything wrong with buying secondhand stuff. IrishGal77 :)

hi marguicha! yes i do buy second hand books. there is a store here in our place called 'booksale' and they live up to their name with a vast collection of second hand books. they have hard bound books, reference books, textbooks, novels, children's books, and even old magazine issues. i take time to visit different 'booksale' branches and look at their inventory. some books that they sell have discolored paper and dog ears and what not but there are those that are still in good and even in mint condition. anyway, i've purchased quite a couple of books from the store and i'm quite happy with my purchases. never really thought about 'bugs' in books or spraying these books with lysol until you brought it up but that may be the case if need be. so far, i haven't had any sneezing or coughing fits with books that i've purchased from 'booksale'. either the books are well dusted or i just have a greater immune system. hopefully, both! lol! anyway, here's a three thumbs up to second hand books!!!

I handle things all day that have germs on them and from what I see, so do most people. I buy second hand books, new books, eBooks, get free eBooks, use libraries and all of them have the dreaded germs on them in some manner, shape or form. Maybe I should wear surgical gloves to keep the dreaded germs off my hands, but I breathe, and the air is full of dreaded germs. I'd have to wear scuba gear everywhere and change it in a sterile room. An heaven forbid I was exposed to the dreaded germ, I would have no immunity to them because I would have never been exposed to dreaded germs. I'd have to live in a sterile environment, and that is totally impossible without a ridiculous amount of expense and effort. It almost sounds like I'm writing a comedy routine. I love exploring used bookstores. I love exploring garage/yard sales for books. I must be in love with the dreaded germs!

Hi Marguicha! I read 3 or 4 books per week. If I was compelled to buy them all new, I'd be broke. Once in a blue moon I'll buy a new one, but mostly I either get them from the library or or buy them used. Yard sales are great places to find books, and usually they've only been read once. Church bazaars, flea markets and yes, 2nd hand book stores are also good places. When I borrow books, I really try to keep them in perfect condition. However, finding an occasional crumb, coffee stain or other debris doesn't really bother me. It just shows that whoever read the book before me was so engrossed that they just didn't notice. I get more irritated by people too lazy to use a book mark, who dog ear the pages instead.

I buy new, I buy used, and I also go to the library. I prefer new books, though I've never been afraid of "book bugs" and the idea sounds a little bit ridiculous to me. I like buying books new for a number of reasons, firstly because I like to know that I am supporting my favorite authors. The other reasons are pretty much just sentimental... I like the feel of new books and I like getting a new book and reading it before anyone else. I also like to keep a big collection of books and new books (in hardcover, that's my favorite) last much longer. Most of the books that I've bought used have been in good condition... I can only recall ever getting one book that was in bad condition, but that was because the book's previous owner had treated it like a notebook and coloring book. I think it was a copy of "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and while it was still readable, it wasn't the kind of copy that I would want to keep. I don't have it anymore, I think I sold it right back to the used book store! I bought a brand new copy of The Secret Garden. I get books wherever basically, but I do prefer to buy them new.

I rarely read real books and if I did the only thing that would concern me is if someone with a contagious disease handled it and coughed or sneezed all over it. Of course most viruses don't live that long outside a living organism so most likely any germs from those infected people would probably be long gone before I picked up the book.

I am a cheapskate I don't buy books new or second hand, I rather go to the library for them, although I am not such a big book reader as I used to be, I blame the internet for that, when I started using the internet I read less and less. The only books I own are all the Harry Potter books and a couple of dictionaries which were all bought for me! Anything I read is on line now. Plus when I was younger I moved around a lot, I had a big book collection and you can imagine having to move boxes and boxes of books every time, so I gave them all away to charity and just kept a few books.

Second hand book stores save me a lot of money each year. I haven't given much thought to books being all that dirty. I am fairly selective about a secondhand book when it comes to it's condition. I also buy new books as I prefer to buy new if it is a book I want to keep in my collection. I don't consider myself germophobic but I will admit that handling money is something I pay attention to. I am conscious of everything I do with my hands (specifically keeping them away from my face) until I can cleanse my hands after handling money.

I regularly go to the second hand book stall to check what books they have. I am very fond of reading and am ready to pick any book that is worth reading. For the last couple of years because of my job I have not been able to read much so have not bought many books of late.

I think those second hand book is good but depend on the book itself. Like Electronics book...these books must be new and updated because if the electronic book is second hand the other new technology will be inclined into it... Like the civil laws and criminals... But if the book is history, bible, fictions and other related into those books. Well, i said they are good to read and to buy for them... Yup! I buy second hand book sometimes but I like history and the bible

Hi Marg, when i was still a student before, i remembered buying quite a few second hand books from senior students. It is because i need a lot of reference books for my final year revision. In order to save my parents from financial burden, i decided to buy second hand books. At that time, i don't know much about the anti-virus and germs spray, so just follow my mother's method, that's drying out all those old and second hand books to the sun, to kill those germs. I only buy new books when it is necessary to me and when i am unable to get hold of the same book in any second hand bookstores.

I buy second hand books too. I can't afford the price of the brand new ones. I also swap books with people. I believe like you do.....Share!

I like second hand books if the condition is good but if book is not in good condition then I not purchase the second hand book then I purchased new book. I collect my old book also.

I only buy second hand books most of time and usually at a book sale. I can no longer afford the brand new books because they are too expensive and I have to live within the budget. I have been buying second hand books for years and have never encountered any bugs whatsoever. Neither have I thought about the danger of buying those second hand books because my only goal was to have something interesting to read. Anyway, most of what we touch with our hands are always unclean with bacteria and viruses and that includes money. We just have to strengthen our immunity system in order not to be severely affected by what we touch with our bare hands. For sure, we book lovers would not want to sacrifice reading because of the fear of dirt, don't we?

i will definitely buy second hand if it's in a readable condition...I love books so much so that the majority of the books I own, I have never read...I am starting to read them now & get rid of the ones i will never read again.

I personally prefer buying new rather than old. It's a preference. I'm not saying that I wouldn't or haven't bought used books, as I'd be lying if I said that I never have. However, I generally tend to buy new.

Yes, I still buy second hand books. I am more concern on the topic than the dirt it possess. I just make sure that it is readable and no torn pages. Just like you I can spray lysol or wipe it out first before I read it.

Much like you, I am quite a bookworm and I do get a lot of my books second hand, either from a second hand book store or from yard sales. The only thing that will keep me from buying a second hand book is that the book is not in good shape. If the spine of a book has been broken, then there is no way that I'm going to buy it. With that said, I think that the reason that a lot of people don't read second hand books is because they mostly want to read newly released titles.

Hi! Yes I think that the book bug is a bit much but if he is really apprehensive, see if a book cover will alleviate his fears.

I prefer new books, or ebooks to read on my ipad. Old books give a creepy and obnoxious sensation. I hate to feel their aged rubbing pages, yellow-blemished paper, smelly appearance and filthy texture. there's nothing like a store brand-new book, the cleanliness of their colour, their new and sophisticated covers, their clean smell, their cream-foam pages, their deep-black printed letters. It's a great experience with no comparison.