What's the Point of Hardbacks?

I've lost the point of dead trees entirely. My disenchantment is the result of moving many times over the years and lugging a once-huge but now dwindled collection of books, along with being able to send library books straight to my e-reader. If anything, my reading volume has picked up over the years due to the convenience of the small device.

I no longer buy printed books, but I do keep a few favorites around on a shelf because they look cool and remind me of my favorite reading experiences. I still have my Asimov's SF and comics, though. I'll never give those up.

I have most of Iris Murdoch's novels in hardback, routinely 500 pages but small and compact, a lovely thing to hold and read on the Tube. But I almost never buy modern hardbacks, simply because they are huge.

The question is posed about popular fiction. Apparently the audience for the latest Nora Roberts or Danielle Steel book is the person who expects to toss the book into a bag to take to the beach on on an airplane, read it once, then give it away or forget about it. The nonfiction and literary world are much more into hardbacks that last and can be enjoyed or consulted repeatedly.