Author Mark Twain said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." Books could be one's best friend. You can learn about the whole world without moving from you place. It opens our minds and our eyes. Once you have book as your companion you can easily glide through trying times.

For a real book lover with an appetite for reading it doesn't matter if the book is new or old. He/she would probably have read the books from the local library or borrowed books from friends to read. However for some book lovers the condition of the book also matters a lot. For them books are not just for reading but also for collection. People go a long way to get their hands on a mint condition comic book or the first edition or one that is personally autographed by the author.

So while shopping for books, based on your priorities you may go to a flea market to pick up a used first edition or go to the biggest book store in the city and place an order with the publisher for the first edition in mint condition. Again based on your taste, books can be categorized into a number of categories. Broadly we can classify books under fiction and non-fiction. Under fiction you may have romance, thriller, comedy, etc. and under non-fiction you may have from autobiographical books to management books, health, finances, travel, hobbies, pets, etc. all included.

If you do not consider yourself a voracious reader, one who reads almost anything that comes his/her way, the best ways to buy a book is probably by reading the reviews of the book. Most dailies and magazines come up with reviews for all recently published books and you can see whether a book is to your liking or not. The other way to choose is probably by following the recommendation of a friend who has similar choices as you do or through your book club. You may also want to just walk in a store, browse through books, read a few pages and then decide.

There are various online book stores that sell both new and used books e.g. Amazon.com. They have a commendable collection of books. While shopping for a special edition book or an autographed book always ensure the authenticity of it. Often publishers print the author's autograph in the book. Beware that that's not a personally autographed book.

If you are buying books online, check that the seller has a return policy if the book on receipt is found to be damaged. Use keywords to search for a specific book or a writer. Make good use of the categories that are provided in most online shopping stores. Double-check that the mode of payment is secure.