retard wrote:
Do you think the libraries also steal from the authors? If I can't afford
a book or don't find it important enough, I can ask the local library to
order it and later read it for free. This also encourages other member of
the target audience to loan the book without paying--the libraries have
lists of most recent books and all kinds of enthusiastics subscribe to
those lists. This is also a great way to introduce new readers to a
topic. I've noticed that books I order get lots of attention after
they're available from the shelves.
When I was a kid, I didn't have a credit card nor internet connection. It
was impossible to buy books from online stores. The local libraries were
the best places to find computer science / engineering related literature.
When I was a kid, the library was really the only place to get books. There were
no mega bookstores like B&N. (I remember when B&N first came to town, what a
magical place it was.) Even if there were well-stocked bookstores, I had no
money to buy books. I spent a lot of time at the library, reading hundreds of books.
As a teenager, there was a local strip mall bookstore packed with used
paperbacks. I'd buy a pile, read them, and then sell them back to the store for
half price and buy another pile. They were cheap enough that I could indulge myself.
These days, I buy all my books because going to the library twice (once to get,
once to return, plus late fees) is far more expensive and time consuming,
compared to point & click on the internet. My house is full of books :-O
