hollow body vs. solid body

Can someone tell me the pros and cons of solid vs hollow body electric? Is it just the difference in sound or can you do things with the solid body that you can't with the hollow and vice versa?

I am aware that a hollow body can have feedback problems.

Are there other advantages or disadvantages? For those that know both, which do you prefer and why?

BTW, if it matters, I am looking for my first electric guitar

Thanks -

Solid Body's are a bit more common, and usually are a little less fragile (sort of how an acoustic guitar is very fragile, if you know what i mean).

I would go with a Solid Body, but thats just me...

If you are just starting out down the electric road, Id get to know the landscape a little. One of the best ways of doing this is to get a relatively cheep electric and experiment. If after discovering the intricacies of tone and sound you decide you want to go down the hollow body path...well cool, you will have a head start ! I think that as far as entry to mid rang guitars go, you will get a much higher quality solid body guitar relative to a hollow body in the same price range.