I mean the physical copies are still in good reading condition even after another 20/30 years
20 years
30 years
For a lifetime!
I mean the physical copies are still in good reading condition even after another 20/30 years
If stored properly there's no reason they won't last 20+ years. I'm anal retentive about all of my books, but particularly so for my large omni's. I generally leave them in shrink-wrap until I'm ready to start reading, stored upright and supported on acid-free shelving in a walk-in closet. Keeping the closet door mostly closed prevents light exposure and I have a hydrometer to periodically check and make sure they're around the 50/70 mark. Once I open them, I condition the spine, I place Brodart protective covers. and cut an acid-free foam support for the book block. Overkill? Probably.
For some older leather bound books (non-comic) I use micro chamber paper as well. I'll probably integrate this into my omni collection but haven't gotten around to it yet. Everything is in Comic Collector database as well.
Yes. I also have a life and a wife/kid.
Assuming at least away from sunlight for a start...
With care, a lifetime. Books have lasted over a 100 years.
I imagine they will dry up and crack many years later...
Unless you are a vampire who lives for centuries, your books with decent amount of care will last long enough for you.
For general care for books, the general rules are keep them out of sunlight and avoid excessive moisture. Too dry, too long may also affect glue over time but those would be relatively easy things to fix if needed 30 years down the road. The sewn binding unless you are rough with them will be fine. On the books using acid free paper, the paper itself will be readable and fine for decades. It will not become brittle and unreadable over a few decades which for a book is not a long period of time.
Last edited by RamblingMan; 05-08-2019 at 04:51 AM.
Unless you are rough with them, you’ll be dead before they are so don’t sweat it
I have Marvel trades that are over 20 years old and they are still fine.
The problem with the poll is that "for a lifetime" is very subjective. In my case, "for a lifetime" is likely under 20 years, and almost certainly under 30 years. But books, well preserved and used with care, can exist for centuries. Hardcover editions last longer than paperback.
It is selfish of me, but for me the question is irrelevant: any collected edition I buy, paperback or hardback, will almost certainly last me for the rest of my life. Heck, the monthly comic book edition will probably outlast me!! It is a pointless thing to worry about.
"Age is not defined by years, but by regrets...I'm an old man now." --Fighting Yank, "Project Superpowers"
It's all made of the same material so the only variable would be the binding. I think the only ones that would "wear worse" than others would be the omnibus over 1000 pages due to the stress on the binding - which can be curtailed by storing them properly.