Books: hardback vs paperback

I always find it very hard to pick a certain edition from a book, especially when I am ordering them from the internet. There is so much choice! Especially with very popular books like those of Tolkien and classics like Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. While I have a very weak spot for beautiful covers, I tend mostly tend to pick the less expensive ones so I can buy more books.

The most common decision you have to make while buying books is the choice between hardback or paperback. I absolutely love hardback books and have a couple of them. They look great on my bookshelves and they don't get damaged as easily as a paperback. There is, however, a downside. Hardbacks are heavy and more expensive. If I'm reading at home, the weight isn't such an issue, but I always try to take a book with me where ever I go and than it because an issue, especially if I have more things with me. So if I start reading a hardback, I mostly have a take-with-me-book as well. It is annoying sometimes, because if the take-with-me-book is more interesting, I might read it as home as well instead of reading the hardback.
Another issue is the price. Hardbacks cost more (and sometimes a lot more) than paperbacks. This is actually the main reason why I mostly buy paperbacks. The downside of paperbacks is that they are damaged more easily. While I am very careful with my books, I have some that are damaged. It isn't rare that the plastic thingy that protects the cover comes loose or you get creases on the spine.

Beside hardback or paperback, you can sometimes chose between buying the works of a certain author collected in one book or all in different books. I prefer to buy it all in different books because it is a lot easier to read and to take along. I have a few collected works (all from the Wordsworth Library Collection) because I found them for very little money. It is not very practical to read though. The books are huge and heavy so i won't be able to take them out.


My bookcase is mostly filled with pocket paperbacks with here and there a bigger hardback and a collected works. What kind of books do you prefer to buy and why?