As someone who has shelves upon shelves of books ranging from recent to old, new to used, biographies to thrillers, and everything in between, I can genuinely say that used books are just downright better than new books.

I'm not here to say that I'll never read a new book because I most certainly will, I just prefer the used books. New books are clean and prim, used books are musty and worn down. The new is always nice to give and/or receive as a gift, whereas the used are typically bought by yourself and for yourself.

A prominent reason to buy used books instead of new books is that used books are more affordable than new books — by a lot.

Why spend money where you don't have to when you can get the same thing for a substantially lower price?

When college students and young adults hear the words "used book," their mind immediately goes to a textbook. Textbooks are ridiculously expensive, so finding your book used for a lower price in a good condition is the goal for almost every student. But, aside from textbooks, used books for pleasure are also cheaper than new ones.

Used book sales (non-textbooks) are typically through a local business. Supporting local businesses has begun dwindling. More and more people are just buying their goods, including books, from department stores like Walmart and Target because it's more convenient to purchase all the goods on your list at one time than running all over the place.

Buying used books will support a local small business and help provide income for the owning family.

Books themselves tell a story, but used books tell a larger story. They tell the story of the people who owned the book before you through the underlined sentences and notes in the margins, through the disintegrating binding and the ripped pages.

You won't feel as bad when you fold the corner of a page or when you put your own notes on the pages — you'll feel as though you're making your story known to the next reader