I prefer online. BUT if I'm out and about and see a magazine (fairly inexpensive) and it has a pattern with a lot of detail, I just might purchase it. It goes into my file drawer for future reference. I have some quilt books that a couple I've purchased at the store or estate sales. In those books I usually insert a tab on the page of the project and the tab is of course marked. One of the books I purchased was a $25.00 book that I paid $3.00 for and worth more than the $25.00. Has templates and patterns. Nice size templates with instructions on how to increase/decrease the size of the templates. I often take these books with me for reading material.