One of my favorite things about this particular meme is that it not only requires you to think, but it also allows us to share a bit more about ourselves so that our readers understand we are more than our reviews, our books, and other memes. Sure, the questions are book-related, but they often allow us the opportunity to share our reasons behind our actions. If this doesn’t promote a sense of community and getting to know each other, I don’t know what does!
Anyway, enough about that. On to this week’s question, as always provided by Rebecca!
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about dust jackets.
Do you prefer books with a dust jacket? What do you do with your dust jacket while reading? Leave it on or take it off? (Question courtesy of Kim from Page after Page)
I am not a fan of dust jackets. Isn’t that awful? I think a book looks so much more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing when it is sitting on my shelf without its dust jacket that upon finishing reading a book and deciding to keep it, I will recycle the dust jacket and proudly place the book on its shelf naked. To be completely honest, I really do not like dust jackets when I am reading a book for the first time either, as I feel they slide around to much and just get in the way. I do believe that they serve a purpose in protecting the binding on an initial read, so I will gamely keep it on for that first read. That way, the book is immaculate no matter if I decide to give it away or keep it for myself!
I want to hear others’ thoughts on dust jackets? If you remove them, when do you do so? Am I alone in thinking a naked book looks prettier on a shelf than a jacketed book?
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Brandy – I'll admit there have been a few times where I have reconsidered on a hardback and have wanted to give it away but the dust jacket is long gone. I never know what to do in those situations. There are some absolutely gorgeous old bindings out there that should never be covered up!
Well, I prefer just lovingly wiping them down with a clean rag or duster. But dirty dust jackets are the worst! Ew. I try not to imagine just what is on them and get rid of them as soon as possible!
Thank you so much! I hope you like what you find!
Glad I'm not alone in my eccentricities. I just can't bear dust jackets either! The feel of them all slipping about as I try to read is horrid, and they are often quite grubby on second-hand books, too.
I always remove them from any book I am reading – only to put them back on for storage on the shelf later (they do keep the dust off, after all).
Yes, that is definitely the best of of both the worlds 🙂
Your blog is wonderful, by the way! I am looking forward to reading your posts.
Brandy – I'll admit there have been a few times where I have reconsidered on a hardback and have wanted to give it away but the dust jacket is long gone. I never know what to do in those situations. There are some absolutely gorgeous old bindings out there that should never be covered up!
Vishy – I've heard of hardbacks that have the art right on the cover but I don't believe I have seen one yet. That would definitely be the best of both worlds, in my opinion!
Amused – Yay for taking off dust jackets! I knew I could not be the only one who ditches them!
I too like the look of hardbacks underneath the jacket, and tend to take them off to display the beautiful spines underneath. I LOVE take the jacket off for the first time just to see the "art" or "stamps", if you will, on the book itself. However, I do not throw the jackets away, I do save them in their own box in case someday I change my mind, send the book to someone, need to sell…whatever, I can't part with them 🙂 I do, however LOVE really old hardbacks that don't even have jackets…those are my fave!!!
Interesting post! I love dust jackets, but I used to find them inconvenient to read. So I used to take them off and read the book, and then put them back on and put the book on the bookshelf. But I have got more comfortable with reading a book with the dust jacket on, across the years. Whenever I lend my book to friends, I take the dust jacket off and then lend the book, because I have noticed that friends normally tend to lose the dust jacket when they return the book! Sometimes a friend doesn't return the borrowed book and so I end up having just the dust jacket! I have some new books which I bought in the past few years, which have the dust jacket art in the actual cover too. Some of the hardbacks don't have the dust jacket but have the art in the actual cover. I love such books 🙂
I'm like you – dust jackets bug me and I usually hurry up and take them off! I find the books underneath are usually beautiful!
My recent post Mailbox Monday – Mar. 1 – 6, 2010
Kristin – My husband and I go back and forth too. It isn't just at your house!
Lori – In the end, what matters on the inside is what counts the most!
Ceri – My husband does the same thing with jacket flaps. It drives me nuts. I have so many bookmarks though that I cannot understand why he does not borrow one rather than ruin the cover. Oh well. To each his or her own!
Caite – There are so many beautiful bindings out there. It often surprises me when I take off a cover how pretty it is. Yes, some are more aesthetically pleasing than others, but it is our own personal preference after all.
Hehe. I like jackets. I can't do with a hardback without the jacket. I like a good cover to a book rather than just a plain hard black or navy cover. I use the jacket flaps as quick bookmarks too. 🙂
It doesn't matter to me, as long as the book is good on the inside. I tend to take them off while reading though. Here's Mine.
My recent post Musing Monday (#8)
This is always a debate in my house. Here are my thoughts.
I'm a sucker for a hardback. I'm not into the art but the words on the page, and most of my books I buy knowing that I will be keeping them in my permanent library. I would rather have a hardback, which I think keeps longer, than a paperback for that reason. Also, I think it is easier to keep hardbacks cleaner and fresher. Because I have so many, I deal with dust jackets a lot.
I don't have a feeling one way or the other about dust jackets. I don't give them much thought. Although I prefer paperbacks, where the art is right on the cover.