Learn Hardcore Japanese: sono hon ha takaku mieru kedo, yasui mitai. - That book looks expensive, but it seems cheap.

X が見える = X is visible / I can see X.
Adj(-く)/Noun・な-adj(-に) + 見える = to look/appear Adj/Noun. Example: 高く見える = looks expensive; 若く見える = looks young; きれいに見える = looks pretty.

Why is 高い changed to 高く before 見える?

With い-adjectives, you use the adverbial form -く before 見える: 高い → 高く見える.

い-adj: 高く見える, 明るく見える, おいしく見える
な-adj/nouns: add に: きれいに見える, 子どもに見える

Could I say 高そう instead of 高く見える? What about 高そうに見える?

高そう = looks expensive (visual impression).
高く見える = looks/appears expensive (very similar).
高そうに見える is also natural and slightly more hedged (literally “appears to look expensive”).
All three are acceptable; differences are subtle. 高そう is the shortest and most common for “looks expensive.”

What does けど do here? Could I use が or でも instead?

けど is a casual “but/though” that contrasts the two clauses. Alternatives:

が is more formal: 高く見えますが、…
でも starts a new sentence: 高く見える。でも、… Meaning stays the same; the choice is about register and flow.

Why is は used after その本? Could I use が? What changes?

は marks the topic: “As for that book…”. It sets the stage for what follows.
が would mark it as the grammatical subject of the first clause and put focus on it: その本が高く見える (“It’s that book that looks expensive”), which can sound more contrastive. Using は is natural when continuing to talk about the same book across both clauses.

What exactly does その mean (vs この and あの)?

この本: this book (near me, the speaker)
その本: that book (near you, the listener; or already known/referred to)
あの本: that book over there (far from both, or not in either party’s immediate space)

What does みたい mean here—“like” or “seems”?

Here it’s the conjecture meaning: 安いみたい = it seems (to be) cheap / apparently cheap.
Note みたい also has a resemblance use meaning “like/as”:

子どもみたいに泣く = cry like a child
学生みたいな人 = a person like a student

Does 安いみたい express hearsay, a guess, or something I can see?

みたい is a casual, speaker-side inference based on some evidence (context, what you checked, etc.). For clearer nuances:

安いらしい = I hear it’s cheap (hearsay/rumor).
安いそうだ／そうです = I’m told it’s cheap (reported information).
安そう = looks cheap (visual impression).
In your sentence, 安いみたい suggests “apparently cheap” based on what you gathered (price tag you glanced at, what you read, etc.), but still somewhat tentative.

Is みたい casual? What’s the more polite option?

Yes, みたい is casual. Polite options:

みたいです (polite but still casual-ish in feel)
ようです (more neutral/formal): 安いようです
You can also say 高く見えますが、安いようです for a formal version.

Can I write 安い見たい? Are みたい and 見たい the same?

No. みたい (kana) = seems/apparently; it should not be written with kanji.
見たい (with kanji) = want to see.
So 安い見たい would mean “I want to see cheap,” which is wrong here. Use 安いみたい.

If I already know the price and it’s a fact that it’s cheap, should I still use みたい?

No. State the fact: 安い. For example:
その本は高く見えるけど、実は安い。 = It looks expensive, but actually it’s cheap.

If I heard from someone/a website that it’s cheap, what should I use?

Use a hearsay form:

安いらしい。 (I hear it’s cheap.)
安いそうです。 (I’m told it’s cheap.)
Full sentence examples:
その本は高く見えるけど、安いらしい。
その本は高く見えますが、安いそうです。

Why is there a comma, and what about the spaces between words?

Japanese doesn’t normally use spaces; they’re only added here for teaching clarity. The comma just marks a natural pause. A normal written version is: その本は高く見えるけど、安いみたい。

Can I end a sentence with けど to sound softer?

Yes, in conversation: その本は高く見えるけど… This trails off and invites the listener to infer the contrast or respond. It’s a common softening strategy in spoken Japanese.

When do I use に見える vs く見える with 見える?

い-adjectives: -く見える (高く見える, 若く見える)
な-adjectives: -に見える (静かに見える, きれいに見える)
Nouns: -に見える (子どもに見える = looks like a child)

How do I say “looks expensive but the quality feels cheap”?

Use 安っぽい for “cheap-looking/shoddy (quality).”
Example: その本は高く見えるけど、中身は安っぽい。 = It looks expensive, but the content feels cheap.

How can I make the contrast stronger than けど?

Use のに (despite/even though):
その本は高く見えるのに、安いみたい。
This sounds more strongly contrary to expectation than けど.

Is その本が高く見えるけど、安いみたい acceptable? What’s the nuance?

It’s grammatical. その本が puts focus on “that book (as opposed to others) is what looks expensive.” With は, you’re just setting “that book” as the topic. In most neutral contexts, その本は is more natural here.

What’s the difference between 見える and 見られる for “can see”?

見える = be visible/come into view (situation-based ability): 富士山が見える = Mt. Fuji is visible.
見られる = can see/watch (ability/permission): ここからはスクリーンが見られない = I can’t (manage to) see the screen from here.
In your sentence we’re using the “appear” sense of 見える.