I love a hardback. But they are heavy.
And keeping my backpack light is a daily challenge. I often read the paper on the train to work, but I love having a paperback for when I’m done, as well.
When I was growing up the paperback was king. It was everywhere. On metal racks in bookstores, on parent’s bookshelves, and in wicker baskets at vacation homes. Three iconic titles, with arresting, artfully-designed covers, come to mind: The Thorn Birds; Sybil; and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Somehow, the Bantam Books paperback, with its small red- or black rooter is the one I remember most. Then, of course, there was the price: 75¢ for Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger and $1.50 for Agatha Christie’s Postern of Fate.
I’ve been hunting around for the next paperback to pack. Maybe a mystery. Or one I’ve never read, that seemed to be everywhere back in the day: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins.
I’ve got my commute covered.
