Digital Book World ran an article recently on why we buy books. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything to look smart, but impulse purchases have definitely featured as strongly over the years as learning or entertainment.
I found it useful to see this broken down. Thinking about why we do anything can help us to do it better, and looking at this list has made me aware of how I’ll use one motive as an excuse for another when buying books. Many impulse purchases have been justified on rational grounds. Maybe in future I can save myself from the more foolish ones.
So why do you buy books? Entertainment, information, collecting, impulse, something else? What’s most often in your mind?