The dictionary
Dictionaries or lexicons. Who reads those from start to finish?
I had a dictionary of etymology that I truly loved. Can’t say I’d read it from start to finish like a novel, it’s not meant to be used that way, but I did spend time jumping from word to word learning about their histories.
But I’m a writer so I’m one of the few that would genuinely be into that.
The bible
I don’t even need to buy them. They just pile up unread. One of them has nice art in it.
I don’t even need to buy them. They just pile up unread
How? I’ve read this many times, but I never understood it. Do people just hand them out on the street or is it customary to give bibles as a gift?
When I was in college, once or twice a year there were people from some religious group who would come and stand at the most busy intersections for foot traffic and literally hand them out on the street, yes. They were quite pushy about it
I was going to contradict you, that bookstores always carry bibles…but then I realized the memory I was thinking of was from the 90s.
I’d say this is just a good excuse for me to go to the bookstore and check…but they’ve all become so small and sad that I kind of don’t want to. I just get depressed.
I know ebooks and audiobooks have massively taken off so people are reading/listening still…I just miss my childhood refuge being stuffed chock-full of treasures.
Sucker play, it’s trivial to get a bible for free. For instance, one could find it on libgen or something idk
Why exactly would you buy a book and not read it ?
The same reason anyone buys anything that they don’t use, they think they’ll enjoy it but in reality they don’t find time or lose interest.
But those things aren’t the answer to OP’s question, are they? I’m sure that out of all the Harry Potter or DaVinci’s Code or whatever whatever popular book you look at there’ll be a nice % of books that haven’t been read, but I’m pretty sure that a majority of.peoole that buy them also end up reading them.
The more reasonable answer would probably be something that’s popular but not necessarily something you read. Like others have said, a dictionary, cookbook, or book related to some other skill. Those are a lot more likely to go unread
The meaning of OP’s question seems blindingly obvious to me, as long as you don’t take it too literally…
I’d say the DaVinci code would be a good answer, I’ve got a copy that I’ve never read. Same with the Harry Potter books as well.
The girl on the train is another book that everyone seems to own, but nobody reads.
Looks good on the book shelf. Many people decorate with books. Look at all those old mansions you see in movies, where there is a giant library.
I guess it’s never crossed my mind. I never thought someone would get a book for a reason other than reading it. They do look good in a living room
I sometimes run into interior design pics where books are organized by spine color, and I gasp and clutch my pearls at the heresy.
…but yes, some people do use books as decorative props instead of as things to be read and enjoyed for their content.
I’ve purchased many books that I haven’t physically read.
I mostly read on my Kindle, or I listen to audiobooks. But for books I really love, I will also buy the physical copy to display.
Adhd
I have a few dozen books. A third I’ve read all the way through, the rest I’ve picked up and put down or skimmed.
It helps to have a lot of options so that I’m more likely to find one that clicks and holds my attention for longer.
Plus I frequently reference books for specific info or quotes.
I have a pretty decent sized library. My fiction section is about 95% read, but the non-fiction sections are much less. You sometimes buy non-fiction as reference materials, to flip through, etc. Not necessarily to read cover-to-cover. (I’d guess my non-fiction is 25% read.)
Probably meditations or some popular philosophy book.
