David James

I much prefer a paperback. In fact, I reluctantly buy a hardback unless it's the only option. I'd never read a hardback in public, I find them too much hassle to carry.

I wouldn't say I've ever deliberately gone out of my way to read a book in public that I know will turn heads, but I have read several different books that I know would make people turn their heads. I remember when I read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment on the train back and forth from work and the amount of looks I got was quite astonishing really. I'd also say some works are best advised to not read in public like Lolita or the works of the Marquis de Sade like his The 120 Days of Sodom, although no-one or nothing can stop someone from reading such material in public, I don't think too many people would be pleased to see someone reading it. I think it's good to fluctuate between a more easier going book and a more harder going book. I generally read two books at a time, one being more of a casual read and the other a more difficult one. It's more efficient too because some of the more harder philosophy books might take a long time to finish such as Tolstoy's book War and Peace. If you had more energy and time to read a more difficult book, would you? Sometimes people will start reading a difficult book e.g Nietzsche's book Thus Spoke Zarathustra and realise straight away that it's not going to be an easy read and give up at the first hurdle. When it comes to books like the one I've mentioned you simply have to be patient and persevere. Of course it's horses for courses when it comes to someone's choice of reading material but in order to be more well read and gain more in-depth knowledge then someone simply has to read more thought provoking reads and books that require real concentration and dedication. It's like a lot of things, you simply can't run before you can walk, if someone wants to read such material then they would have start reading the basics and gradually work themselves up to reading the more harder stuff, I can't imagine a starter of philosophy being able to find Sartre's novel Nausea the best book to begin with. There are many other book genres that also require someone to know a fair amount about a certain subject before reading in-depth stuff about it.

Everyone judges and I definitely think that the type of book you are reading will essentially play a role in how someone will judge you. Most people wouldn't bat an eyelid if you were just reading a well known novel and would probably think you're just enjoying a casual read and enjoying the fine weather. If I were to see someone reading a philosophy book in public such as the works of the philosophers you mentioned then I would assume that the person would be intelligent, well read, pedantic (to an extent), etc. Generally speaking, people who read philosophy books tend to be of above average intelligence, the average person doesn't care for philosophy and wouldn't be able comprehend such in-depth stuff. The works of the philosophers that you mentioned are also not something anyone could just simply pick up and read without some sort of basic knowledge of philosophy, they are not easy reads and were never meant to be. No philosophy book is easy to read but some are a lot more easier to comprehend than others. A good example of how reading material does matter is actually the other week I was going home after work and was on the train and some guy was reading Plato's book The Republic and several people looked at him and it was quite obvious that they all thought of him as intelligent. In comparison, I was walking with my friend through a park and saw a couple of women reading on a bench and people just passed them both and didn't bother to look at what they were reading. The type of book you read will have a significant result in how someone will judge you. Also, I don't think if you were to read Mein Kampf in public that everyone would automatically assume that you're a Nazi unless you also have the stereotyped physical appearance of a neo-Nazi (skinhead, etc), that may make people think that you're that way inclined, possibly. But one thing is for sure, you will certainly get some funny looks from people if you choose to read this book in public. If you're bold enough to read it in public then you've got to be willing to accept the fact people will judge you because of it. I'm not saying you should be ashamed of reading it but it's one of those books that is infamous and its author is almost universally condemned so if you're reading his work then some people might look at you in a negative way for simply associating yourself with such material.