I like to get my hands on the cheapest edition I can in the best condition at that price. If the words in the book are the same as a more expensive one, I’m getting a better value, in my opinion. Then if it’s a story that becomes really important to me I might consider upgrading to a “nicer” or collectors version, and keep the old ones as lender books.
I got a copy of the Codex Seraphinianus as a gift to myself.
It was pretty expensive, but I love it.
If I had no dependents I’d buy more expensive, I prefer hard covers or books I can rebind. Depending on the series I’d be willing to shell out 60-100 a book. New reads I get now are always from book sales or discount stores. Can’t exactly drop 600 bucks on a series and keep up with my kids, wife and our pets
The most I was willing to pay apparently was $325 in 1995 or so for a single textbook. After that, the leather bound edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard but I can’t remember how much it was. (If anyone remembers I’d like a reminder)
I’m happy with cheap reading copies. I was brought up browsing through second hand stores and I have some reading copies that may well be Victorian, like Thackeray and Dickens.
I do collect certain books and I came across an early copy of Robert Burns that had been signed by a previous owner- who was my 3 great’s grandfather! I paid a couple of hundred pounds for it!
I’m happy to pay a bit more if the book contains colour illustrations, or has a particularly gorgeous binding. However my maximum for a single book is £35. Unless it’s a textbook that I’m told I have absolutely no choice but to purchase and second hand copies are unavailable.
It really depends on what it is. If it’s something I love, it depends on what I can afford. I paid $500 for a first edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide with the Capricorn 1 ad on the back. And I paid quite a bit for an American first edition copy of The Hobbit that I used in place of a ring to propose to my now wife. But most of my books are pretty cheap.
I did manage to find a first print/edition copy of The Shining for $1 at a library sale years ago…that was a cool find.
Don’t have a limit but I almost never went above 40€ for a single book (except once for a gift)
I once paid $60 ish for a book
I’ve spent $100 on nonfiction physical books on particular subjects (not textbooks). I’m running out of physical space for regular books, so I’m switching to ebooks for most fiction. For them, I don’t like to go above $4.99. I did spend $12 on an ebook recently because I had heard a lot about it. It was terrible.
Over $720 for a signed/leatherbound/new in shrink wrap copy of a book I missed buying for $50 on amazon at release. Part of a series of which I got all the other books at release, and just couldn’t pass when one finally came up for sale, even at a ludicrous price.
There’s a library close by where i check them out for free.
Right now, maybe $50, but only because I’m renting a room in a house and don’t have space for a bookshelf. But if I had my own place and built an office with a bookshelf, I’d easily pay $200 for a hardcover version of my favorite books.
I’m fully aware I’ve overpaid for some fancy special editions with sprayed and stenciled edges.
I accidentally paid 40 for the rise of kyoshi book set when i thought it was 20 and I’m fairly sure that would be my limit on a price. Totally worth the price though.
Why are so few people actually answering the question?
I’d pay $20…anything above that and I’m not sure it’s worth it when there are kindle or library options available.