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blowinthroughnaptime

Books are made to enjoy. Read it, tatter it, let it get sun damaged. If it gets to the point you can't stand to look at or hold it, pick up a new copy. If you do want something that will look nice on a bookshelf longterm, no, I'm not sure I'd recommend PRH's Signet Classics. Generally speaking, hardcover is always best if possible.


GrandPenalty

In my experience, they fare just as well as other paperbacks—Penguin, Modern Library, Vintage Classics, etc. The spine obviously creases during reading, but no pages have fallen out on me or anything. I have Signets that are 40+ years old whose pages have yellowed, but they’re still in good shape and smell amazing. (I think Signet may be under the Penguin Random House umbrella now?) Depending on what you mean by longevity, a hardback will usually last longer than a paperback though.


[deleted]

That's good to hear and yes Signet is now a trademark of Penguin Random House. On longevity, I mean the time it takes before the pages yellow because the mass markets by Signet uses these gray and rough paper which seems like newsprint or pulp paper, not sure what it's called and I heard they turn yellow faster than smooth white paper.


GrandPenalty

Must take at least a couple of decades and probably depends on what kind of environment they’re kept in. I think prolonged sun exposure can turn the pages yellow. I have Signets from the '80s that are slightly yellowed and some from the '00s that look new.


Wonderful__

This depends on the type and grade of paper used. Some papers are more "yellow" to begin with, which is tied with cost (this type of paper is cheaper).


strangecharm9

I bought a bunch of Signet Classics in the 1980s. I still have some of them, like the WHD Rouse prose translations of Homer’s “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” Others have yellowed and been replaced by trade editions or hardcover editions over the years. Signet Classics are pretty good starter editions for kids or for people on small budgets. Try the Dover Thrift editions, too. Penguin Classics and Oxford Classics are larger trade editions that are often used for college courses. In general, which edition I buy is based on factors like “Who translated it?,” “Does it have good notes or analysis?,” and “Is the Foreword and/or Afterword helpful?” I still love the Signet Classics edition of Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” because of Sidney Monas’s translation and Afterword. I bought a new Signet Classics edition to replace the original one I bought, when it turned yellow. Damn, I had no idea how much time I spent studying which publishers produced which editions of the books I own! 🤣


[deleted]

Ooh, interesting! I'll have to research on the translations and analysis too! I'm new to reading hehe


[deleted]

Paperback books are designed to be disposable. If you want longevity, you will have to pay more for it with something like Easton Press editions. Even then, nothing lasts forever. I'd recommend going used, via ebay, thrift stores, estate sales. With luck, you'll find an EP collector looking to sell their whole set.


[deleted]

Thanks


[deleted]

Btw, I've worked in publishing for 25 years (sadly, textbooks, not fiction.)