Paul Graham: Buying Books Sorted by Price is a Poor Experience
Paul Graham shared his experience at a rare book fair: he originally thought he would no longer be surprised by book buying, but found that browsing books sorted by price was a very poor experience.
He only found three books he truly wanted, and these three were among the cheapest on site. He mentioned that in the past, when he had money, he would buy any book he wanted, but he always browsed by theme; sorting by price felt "dismayingly bleak."
Market Mechanism: The knowledge consumption and collecting field is accelerating the reflection on the logic that "price ≠ value," with funds and attention shifting from high-priced rare collectibles to practical books with high content value and cost-effectiveness. This observation drives readers and collectors to focus more on the actual reading experience rather than superficial pricing.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Paul Graham's post continues his consistent rational and minimalist thinking style. He has previously emphasized that reading and learning should focus on essence, and this experience reaffirms that market prices are often driven by scarcity and collectible attributes, while truly valuable books are not necessarily the highest priced.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
The best books are never the most expensive, but the most underrated.
When you sort books by price, you have shifted your attention from wisdom to vanity.
True taste is learning to ignore price tags and focus solely on the content itself.