Why? There are so many great resources online these days, it wouldn't surprise that many programmers have never bought a programming book.

Also, libraries. I read a lot of technical books when I was a kid, but I certainly couldn't have afforded to shell out the $80-100 for each of them.

I see no harm in doing so. I have a ton of books in digital formats, just never thought about buying a physical copy before. The only reason I did so this time is because I have some travelling upcoming, so it's ideal to read on the plane.

Maybe he just prefers to buy books in kindle/epub formats.