I'm a bibliophile, so, yes, of course I'm going to say they are "worth it".
Nevertheless, I'll admit, yes, most books are worthless.
However, the books that are important are so totally important that it's almost impossible to overstate how important they are.
Yet, there's no way to tell in advance which books those will turn out to be, for an individual, for a society, and for societies that come after. (A few books are thousands of years old and still relevant and important to this very day!)
Go! Search for treasure! (Cue theme of "Reading Rainbow"....)
Love this. I used to go to this giant book fair in West Bloomfield, Michigan (USA). I marveled at how many books there were that, at first glance, were horribly written. Yet, I could always find a handful of truly great books. A book can be like a magic mushroom. One dose and your outlook changes for ever.
Nevertheless, I'll admit, yes, most books are worthless.
However, the books that are important are so totally important that it's almost impossible to overstate how important they are.
Yet, there's no way to tell in advance which books those will turn out to be, for an individual, for a society, and for societies that come after. (A few books are thousands of years old and still relevant and important to this very day!)
Go! Search for treasure! (Cue theme of "Reading Rainbow"....)