Discussion posts are some of my favourite posts to read. New ideas get shared that way, or old ideas are revisited and given a new spin. And of course, I get to be my opinionated self as I hoist my views upon others, while pretending to be objective. Or maybe not. I do welcome alternate views and I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
I hate dust jackets. Take a look at my bookshelf, and you’ll notice that I exclusively own paperbacks when it comes to my English fiction books. Like I said, I hate dust jackets. Yes, so much so, that I hardly ever choose to buy hardcovers. Dust jackets are the primary reason I stay away from hardcovers. Of course there are other reasons, like paperbacks are handier for reading on the go and also cost less than hardcovers.
However, portability isn’t always my primary concern when it comes to book purchases. For instance, given a choice, I will surely pick tracebacks over mass paperbacks. Tradebacks for all intents and purposes share the dimensions of their hardcover counterparts. They just don’t have sturdy hard covers. Besides, I do borrow a lot of hardcovers from the library but they don’t bother me as much because those books are wrapped in clear plastic, which keeps dust jackets snugly in place.
On the other hand, when you take a look at my German fiction books, you will notice that I own a good mix of paperbacks and hardcovers. For some books, paperbacks weren’t available, so I didn’t have a choice. But there are some books that I chose to buy as hardcovers, even though I had the option to obtain paperbacks.
So why the discrimination for my English books and not my German books? Well, a whole lot of those German covers don’t have dust jackets. The covers were printed directly onto the panels. I wish that that were the case with more of the English hardcovers. Sadly, I rarely ever come across hardcovers without dust jackets when if comes to English fiction books.
Dust jackets throughly annoy me. I find them superfluous because they’re constantly in the way when reading. For all the protection they’re supposed to provide books, they look shoddy faster than the books themselves, even those books without dust jackets. Dust jackets bend in awkward directions when reading, which distracts me because then they’re in the way, sticking out where they shouldn’t. That’s why I generally take them off before reading but I don’t feel good about them lying around either. If I’m not careful, they just get bent in the wrong places.
Then there’s the problem with shelved books. The edges of the dust jackets tend to curl outwards if neighbouring books are shorter. This makes them less presentable, so I have to keep turning my books in order to ensure the dust jackets are pressed and remain flat. When covers are printed directly onto the books, I don’t have to worry about tattered edges.
Once in a while I wish I had it in me to abandon dust jackets. I imagine it would be liberating but then the cover designs would also be forsaken and I don’t want that. There’s only one dust jacket that I threw away. It was the dust jacket of a book that had the identical cover printed onto it. I figured since the covers were technically double that way, I could part with the dust jacket in good conscience.
My sentiments towards fancily printed paper to wrap around books are clear: Dust jackets, begone! Make way for printed covers.
How do you feel about dust jackets? Do you hate them as much as I do? Or do you prize them as an integral part of hardcovers?
I never buy hardcovers anyway because they’re sooo expensive. Like no, I’m not going to pay twenty dollars for a book when I can wait for it to come out in paperback and get it for ten! Though to be quite honest, the gap between the prices of paperbacks and hardcovers, I find, have become smaller so I’m not saving much when I choose paperbacks. But anyway, I honestly don’t mind my dust jackets at all! I actually like my hardcovers more than my paperbacks because of the dust jackets. Yeah, they curl and can be a hassle when reading but I just love the way they make the books look. So if you don’t want your dust jackets, I will gladly take them haha! Except no because that doesn’t make sense. *Sigh* I’ll just ignore my attempt to make a joke…
Every dollar saved can be put towards another book! Never mind the price difference between hardcovers and paperbacks. I used to be very against hardcovers but I’ve overcome that.The only thing I don’t think I can ever come to terms with are dust jackets. Still, stripping my books of them and handing over them dust jackets to you feels just wrong :P Besides, I would miss the cover design.
I never bought a hardcover before 2011 and I only bought The Fault in Our Stars because it was signed and there was no paperback available. I’m very careful when it comes to handling books. Yet this hardcover has a tear in one place, it curls in another place and it’s just…heartbreaking.
But hardcover are so pretty and this is why I like them. I hate that I’ve to remove the dust jacket and that they’re so heavy. I generally feel like it’s a big beautiful waste. Still, I do want to own hardcovers of all my absolute favorite books.
What a dilemma. Sigh. So for now, I just either buy ebooks or paperbacks.
I feel you! It’s really sad when these things happen to books :(
True that. Sometimes I do look wistfully at my bookshelf and wonder what it would look like, packed with hardcovers. It would definitely carry a different air as compared to now where it is predominantly lined with paperbacks. But at the end of the day, I care more about how a book feels in my hands when I’m reading.
I read this and my first thought was “YES SOMEONE GETS ME!”. I am totally down with the dust jackets! I do own quite a few hardcovers because I tend to buy whatever is handier/cheaper at the time(I buy mostly used), and sometimes only hardcovers are available. I LOVE book design but dust jackets are so, so sensitive and such. I can’t even read with a dust jacket on. I just flat-out refuse to.
HIGH FIVE! And yeah man, dust jackets are far from practical when you’re actually trying to read a book. But you’ve got a point, pity the designs for hardbacks are often better than for paperbacks.
Dust jackets, and the expense, are why I opt for paperback books over hardback. That’s not to say I don’t own any hardback books, because I do, but the vast majority of my reads are paperback books. Dust jackets annoy me, they really do. They never stay in place and whilst they have good intentions they really are just an inconvenience. For that reason now when I’m reading a hardback book with a dust jacket, I take it off. I replace it upon completion of said book because I don’t have an issue with them once they are actually on my shelf.
In my eyes, dust jackets are a waste of paper…
:-)
Yes, such a wast of paper! I find inconvenience is putting it mildly. Haha. Interesting how there seem to be quite a number of people who aren’t partial towards dust jackets. Makes me wonder why publishers still use them anyway.
I’m actually really interested to see a book with the cover printed on it! That would be cool. I can feel the same way, and I hate it even more when something damages the jacket and it’s just ruined. Paperbacks, I can wrap with plastic, but I don’t see the need to do that with hardcovers.
And sometimes, the dust jackets are just so sensitive. I got Golden by Jessi Kirby, and it’s a lovely shade of gold. It’s just not scratch resistant enough.
But oh, the lovely gold. Looking at the flaps inside sets my designer heart aflame with love.
Ooh, I can take a couple of photos early next week when I have time! :) I love them that way. I can stroke those books without worrying that I’ll destroy anything. (Don’t mind the weirdo factor. Haha.)
Actually, paperbacks aren’t scratch-resistant either. At least my Divergent series has me believe that.
Down with dust jackets! I hate them too. When I used to get books from the library with them, I would take them off and set them aside, then reattach them to return to the library. (I no longer go the library so it’s not an issue.) I’m mostly ebooks now, but I much prefer paperbacks over hardcovers when I do buy physical books. When I get a dust jacket, I usually just throw it away.
Exactly! Well, removing them from my library books would mean removing the tape, then retaking the wrapping in place after I’m done. I don’t want to make that effort. And wow, what made you decide to actually throw away the dust jackets? Don’t you miss the cover designs? I know I would.
I started throwing the dust jackets out because I could! No other reason that that. I’m not a big rereader so I don’t keep most books when I’m done with them. I read mostly ebooks now anyway.
So you give physical books away after you’re done reading? Don’t people get suspicious when you hand them hardcovers without dust jackets? I can so imagine their faces and dismay at the missing dust jackets! Lol.