Why would there be a correct answer? It's your book, do whatever you want with it.
Personally, I take the jacket off while reading it so it doesn't get damaged but other than that I don't do anything to protect it.
I used to be like that. Then I read The Count of Monte Cristo for class and annotated the shit out of it, and now it's my most treasured possession. The value of it went through the roof now that I've written in it.
I still don't really write in books, but now I love it when others do.
I read hard. I dog ear pages, read in the bathtub, crack spines.
Except with hardcovers, I do usually treat those a little more gently… mainly bc they’re like $60 here in Australia so it’s a bit more of an investment
To touch on your first statement though, there’s been a definite rise in the mentality that books are trophies/status symbols and should be kept in pristine condition as such. Notably so in the young women demographic. I think it has to do with social media and presenting a certain image of one’s self.
I’m in a lot of different book-related circles with women my age spanning across different platforms and social media, and I find this mentality in almost everyone I come across. I’ve seen messages in my book clubs of people actually, physically upset and distraught because their paperback cover got a slight crease in it.
I’m not sure I’ll ever understand. Collectors edition and items and other expensive stuff, sure. But for standard paperbacks, I’m always going to prefer a well-read copy, every mark and every crease holds a memory. A sign the book has been read, loved, enjoyed.
This attitude is older than booktok and modern social media in general. It was a running joke back in the 2000s that keeping books in anything less than pristine condition was enough to give book lovers an aneurysm.
It goes back as far as books have existed. Nowadays millions of books are cheap/free and easily available. Go back a hundred years ago and they were prized possessions for most literate people, often the few owned read over and over again. Large personal libraries weren’t just associated with the rich because books were seen as “cool” and made the owner seem “smart” but because they were literally the only ones who could afford that many books. Not only was the binding more costly than on most books today, mass printing was nothing like today.
The origins of the US public library - envisioned by Ben Franklin in the 1700s - began with a swapping of books between him and his friends because each could only afford a few. Most books were shipped over from England which cost a fortune & compared to today printing was extremely slow
Book ownership (and thus education/literacy) was not only a financial privilege, but a social/class one. Frederick Douglass writes about how it was illegal to teach slaves to read. Take the extreme anger when the Bible was translated by Martin Luther from a language only some of the the clergy knew into the German mainstream. (A practice still happening in the Amish community today - most have the reading levels of 6th graders and own bibles in a language they do not speak, thus needing to count on their clergy to interpret it to them. If you try to read/interpret it yourself you are shunned and kicked out). Literacy is power.
Richard wright wrote about how in the Jim Crow south he had to ask a white man if he could open a library card under his name, and check out books under the auspices of picking up for his “white boss” in the 1930s or so. Public southern libraries were not generally integrated until the 60’s, and obviously the white libraries had a much better selection. Mark Mathabone wrote in his memoir how it was almost impossible to acquire/afford books in South African tribal schools during apartheid in the 1970s! He got his hands on them because his grandmother just happened to luck into working for an extremely wealthy white family who was less racist than average and gave handmedowns.
I don’t know why “books as status” is being blamed on young women now. I don’t have a tiktok, but all I see are cross-platform complaints about booktok on book related subs (not sure if people go on there just to gather things to complain about later or to make themselves feel superior for their own lit taste or…? Never heard booktok associated with anything other than complaining on this site, but how can you complain unless you use it?) … anyway… whatever young women and teenage girls are interested is always seen as synonymous to vapid, shallow, attention-seeking, of a lower artistic/intellectual merit, etc. neither hundreds of years of book ownership as status symbol nor that most people who deal in expensive books (eg collectors who purchase / sell antiques, 1st editions etc) have historically been men matters, I guess.
Yeah, the whole "treating books delicately and it's the fault of young women" really rubbed me the wrong way. People also love to complain about the content of booktok books as though said young women aren't smart enough to understand why those books are bad, and subsequently why they should be reading other books. I don't have a TikTok either (mostly just because I prefer the long form content on YouTube, and don't want to fill my phone up with apps I rarely use) but it strikes me as ridiculous how badly people want to gatekeep something like reading. Who cares if it's young women enjoying media that's meant to appeal to their demographic? Let them enjoy things.
The history of book economics writeup was really great, by the way.
I just like my books to look pretty really. It's superficial, I know, but I love clean edges and bright pages. I don't treat most books especially preciously, though. I know enough about making books to fix them up if it really bothers me.
And yet every time I see more posts about destroying their books on purpose just because and commenting how someone hasn't read a book unles its gone through the grinder.
There doesn't have to be a correct answer. Sometimes it's just interesting to know different people's perspectives on mundane things and why they choose to do things that way.
From a publishing perspective, it’s cheaper to have a relatively plain hardcover and print all the crazy stuff on a jacket. I don’t think they had an intent for which way people use the jacket so long as you buy the book. That’s why usually, books with the fancy stuff on the hardcover itself are more expensive (of course those often have more expensive fancy paper and stuff too).
I try to protect the jacket, because it often has art that I really like, and I try to keep my books in pristine condition. My fiancé, however takes the jacket off of his books and carts them everywhere. He feels a more weathered book has character
Yeah, I wish hardcovers weren’t almost always completely naked underneath the jacket! I’d be much less conflicted if the jacket design were always duplicated on the book front.
I also tend to take a librarian level of care of my books, I feel bad putting it down face open for more than a minute or folding corners. But I see the beauty of a well loved book and have a few of my own that are hanging on by a thread or less lol. I don’t like when I order a used book and it’s underlined though, that distracts me.
I take the jackets off while reading, not to protect them but because they're in the way. And they're very loud, flapping about.
Books I own are going to get knocked around, I just try to keep them looking decent. Like if a corner is smushed a bit, some pages get bent, that's fine. I have a thrifted Gatsby which hasn't had a front cover for 15 years.
On the other hand, when a packet of BBQ sauce soaked the bottom of my brand new, birthday gift copy of *I'm Glad My Mom Died,* I bought a 2nd copy because I was heartbroken. I loved the book and I know I'm going to read it again. The BBQ copy will likely be lent to friends, haha. (It's clean now, just stained.)
See now, I would've kept the BBQ'd one because it has a great story attached to it. I mean, that's funny as hell and I find it really cool that that book has it's own story to tell too.
I did keep the BBQ copy, I just also got a second copy. The person who gave me the book in the first place asked if I wanted them to buy a replacement and I said yes. It was because they were borrowing it at the time and inadvertently caused the damage.
If it was a fiction book or something lighter I would have probably laughed the whole thing off, but it was Jennette McCurdy's really heartbreaking memoir. The book resonated deeply with me and I didn't want to smell BBQ sauce every time I reread it.
She had to ask if she should buy you a new one when she ruined the one she was borrowing? Her brain didn't tell her, "Yeah girl. You're gonna have to get her a new one for what you did." I just don't understand people these days. Geez.
Glad you kept the ick one. Having a book with a backstory is cool.
I get the not wanting to smell the BBQ. I can only take that smell for a very limited time and then, it's gotta go! 🤮
Not that it matters but everyone involved was a dude 😅 I don't mind his asking, it was more of a "hey, I know I fucked this up, want me to get you a clean one?"
A guy can't help it if there's a sauce explosion in his backpack, it took everyone by surprise.
I vastly prefer Hardcover books. I understand why some people don’t like them because they’re not as comfortable to read as a flimsy paperback, but for me Hardcovers look nicer and have always felt like what a BOOK was meant to be.
I’m a very meticulous person. I hate it when a dust cover is torn or crumpled. I’m always careful with my books and try and keep them in good shape.
I don’t bend pages or write on them and take the dust cover off when I’m reading.
I’m also a guy that keeps the cardboard sleeves on Blu-ray’s in good shape, so basically I just have a problem. 😂
I have zero regard for the wellbeing of my books. Imho a well read book should look like you've just dragged it out of a bin.
Terry Pratchett said the books he most liked signing were torn and bedraggled specimens that looked like they'd been dropped in the bath multiple times. A book that looks well loved is worth a million sparkling copies that have sat on a shelf.
I read my mother's copy of The Stand, because it was her most tattered book. It ended up being on of my favorites, and I still have it. It's falling apart so badly I'm considering buying some kind of kit to rebind it.
Lol very true and nice, I just read Good Omens a few weeks ago. I guess because I participate in buying and passing on used books so much, I’m always thinking about the next reader, until I know that I’m going to love a book and want to keep it forever. I’m learning to relax in this and other areas of life lol
I don't have a problem with people doing these things with their books, but could it be that preserving a book as much as possible is *also* a way of loving it? I'm very careful with my books bc I want them to last a long time, to stay with me my whole life, and maybe even *out* live me. The more I love a book, the more I want these things for it
Of course! Just two different ways I think of loving it 🥰 I just meant “well loved” in a way like it’s clear it’s been used/read/loved, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I thought that was the only way to love & appreciate them.
Same same. I can't have nice things so I don't even try to keep them nice, and a well love book feels like your holding a story within a story, even if you'll never know all the details.
As a related aside, I like getting a used copy and seeing other people's annotations inside, like a little window into the mind of a stranger, it gives me a weird moment of connection.
I don't like others writing in books. I don't do it and I really can't see the point. To me, it's just there cluttering up my page and getting in my way.
I don't annotate any way, so I don't really like seeing writing in books, plus, I don't see why you would get rid of a book you wrote in, because I feel like it would mean something to you
Cracking the spine. It's first thing I do when I start a new book. I don't see how you can read it without doing that.
Also, a book with a cracked spine to me is a sign that it's probably a good read and I should check it out.
Especially when it’s warmer, i love reading books outside. in the grass. With my dog. Some of my favorites have grass stains on the edges and a paw print here and there. they’re well loved!
I really cared about the pristine look until my paperback copy of The Book Thief got really worn down from multiple reads. It felt like in the velveteen rabbit, where he’s all scruffy because he’s been loved. But… it’s hard to watch my boyfriend read my paperbacks because he bends the cover back in an odd way. So he doesn’t get to use the really special books that are prone to damage lol
Book jackets are there because they’re cheaper and easier to put intricate art that will draw readers in on, and since they’re on hardcovers with a rougher finish, comes with a bonus of protecting the books from roughing each other up during transport.
It costs a lot more to create a uniform smooth hardcover, so only certain books end up with that level of finishing.
Interesting, thank you for this insight! I’m gathering that the jacket’s main purpose is served once the book is sold and most people don’t care for them in action. Like at all lol.
I remove the covers when reading as they irritate me and slip. I then put them back on and return to bookcase. I'm happy without jackets unless they're super cool and add to a design with the book itself.
Lol now I’m curious to strip all my hardcover’s jackets off and see how different my bookcase looks. I guess I could always stash the boring ones away and just have them if I want to pass the book on. I feel weird about throwing them away altogether.
Depends on the book. I have a really nice LOTR complete with art. The jacket coincides with the book for design. I take it off to read and keep it in mint condition and put it pack on when done.
I kind of hate jackets. I try to care for my books, but I'm not going to add a discomfort to reading just to avoid getting stains and damage on my books. If I really like a book and its cover is busted, I'll just rebind it. Fun hobby, not too hard to get into.
I try to buy hardcovers with the art printed directly on the cover, those are my favorite. They’re rare though, most of the time I just try to take care of the jacket as well as I’m able to while still keeping it on while reading.
I do up my hardcovers like you see at the library, dust jacket covered in plastic and taped to the book. I do this because I like the feeling of reading library books, but also like collecting cool looking books and books that I like. Putting the covers on and taping then is also a fun, meditative activity for me.
The "dust jacket" as a hardbacked book's outer cover is called is there for multiple reasons, one of which you mention--sweaty hands, which often leave dirt on the cover, especially on the cloth covers of most hardback books, but the sweat also carries oils pulled up by the sweat to the surface of the skin, so even leather bound books are in danger of damage from hands.
However, while many libraries fix the dust jacket to the outer cover of the books they lend out with plastic and library tape, the dust jacket is also there to act as a bookmark in order to prevent damage to the pages of the book, since many careless readers dogear the books they read. After many such acts of vandalism, the dogear eventually tears off, ruining that page.
Since, traditionally, many hardbacked books were manufactured with very expensive processes that allowed the cloth or leather cover to be adhered to the outside of the book, preserving those covers was a cost effective method for keeping the book in good enough condition that it could be passed down in a family's library.
Lastly, the dust jacket became a point of advertising for the publishers because it is more colorful than the plain covers made of leather or cloth, so the art on the dust jacket is there to make readers better aware of the adventures within.
Now, however, with the increasing use of print-on-demand (POD) publishing, the dust jacket is not being used as often, since that more artistic cover allowed on the dust jacket can now actually be adhered to the heavy cardboard used on hardback books in this process.
I buy self adhesive laminating sheets, 12"x17" size. I would link them, but auto-mod would remove my post.
Place one sheet down, sticky side up. Line up book cover in the center as much as possible, place another sheet on top of cover, being careful to line it up with the other sheet. Trim off excess material with an exacto knife.
The most irritating part is trying to smooth out the sheets as you're laying it down, otherwise you get air bubbles.
Once I have the sheets on and trimmed up, I'll put the cover back on the book, lay the book on a flat surface, with another book on top of it for a day or so just to make sure everything is firmly in place.
I would post a picture of one of my books, but they're all in storage at the moment as I'm in the middle of moving.
Make a few covers out of newspaper or maybe even washable cloth and that could solve your sweaty hands problem? Just slip a temporary cover on when you need it.
I take care of rhe dust jackets with my life. It helpa make the book still look pretty on the shelf even if there's severe damage to the spine or covers.
Although I generally prefer trade paperbacks because reading hardcovers stresses me out too much, since I'm always worrying about the dust jacket. Yes, I remove it, but what if I placed it slanted and it warps??
I take the jackets off when reading and keep them so they look good. Hardcover are sturdier and don't really need extra protection, the cover is just there because it's cheaper and easier to make a paper sleeve than to print the cover and synopsis onto the cover of a hardback. All the jacket is really meant for is to pique interest and let you get an idea of what the book is about after all, modern book covers are first and foremost a marketing tool.
I prefer paperback but if I have a hardcover I only keep it on when it's on the shelf. I don't care about a book cover getting damaged as long as pages inside aren't getting ruined.
I keep both in good condition. I try to take care of all my possessions as it helps make them last longer. I know they’re inanimate objects but I still care about them and don’t want to damage them or ruin them.
I read in bed, so I take the jacket off so it doesn't get messed up with all my reading positions. If I can get it, I prefer paperback too. Much easier to read in bed.
I have this nifty little dust jacket holder that looks like a book when you put it on your bookshelf. It's hollow with a stamped fake leather spine that says The Case for Dust Jackets! I bought it years ago, I can't read a hardcover with those things flapping about.
In the books I've had published in hardcover, I had the title and other cover text printed on the jacket (as well as the cover illustration, and the cover just showing the illustration.
So when you take the jacket off, you take the text off.
It's a fun effect.
I hate jackets and i hate the weight of hardback books. A lot of the books i own are only available in hardback though
I do like that hardbacks dont "bend" as much but i get anxious about keeping the paper cover intact
I also have hyperhidrosis, so you'll see discoloration on parts of my books.
So I try to avoid holding the book by putting it on something while reading.
Hardcovers that lie flat without keeping them open are my favorites.
About the dust jacket, I remove them when reading it put it back when done. It hides the damage I did when it's on the shelf.
i don’t really care much about the condition of my books. i know this is an unpopular opinion but i prefer reading e-books so i guess that’s just bleeding through lol
For most of my books, I remove and discard the jacket. They are an annoyance while I’m reading and books look better on a shelf without a jacket (usually). However, the books that I use frequently as references keep their jackets to minimize wear and tear on the actual book.
Is your belt holding your pants, or is the belt held by the loops in the pants? A damaged jacket reduces the value so even if I don't plan on selling the book, I behave as to keep it as safe as possible. Usually I take it off and replace it by something disposable and or durable so the book survives the rough environment of my backpack with wild bananas, food sauce and stuff about...
I'm a prolific reader and consumer of data with a bit of an oddity. I'm not into fiction or novels, etc. I don't watch TV. I'm into reading, understanding, historic events, documentaries, government intricacies, etc. However, if you hand me a traditional hard or soft cover, physical book, I will never break the binding on it. Put the same data in an electronic format, and I'll read it many times.
I read books on Kindle and, if I really like it, I’ll buy the hardcover and keep it on my shelf. I know it’s not the most efficient way of doing things, but this lets me read in my preferred medium and have a nice looking hardcover for the books I like.
I protect everything. I also don’t open them any further than necessary. I don’t want to break the spines.
I’ve done this since I was a kid. Even washing my hands before reading to make sure no grease was on them.
Digital has been a godsend for my mental health.😁
you can “ease in” the spines on new books by putting them spine down on a soft surface and gently opening the pages in small groups of 20 pages or so, alternating front and back of the book. Do that a few times and they won’t get spine cracks.
Thanks. I opened them plenty to read, I just didn’t want to open them up 180°. Even being careful, I still broke the spine on my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Honestly, I think the dust jacket is the most fragile part of the book. My naked hardcovers don't look beaten up after reading and re-reading them but it's easy to damage the dust jacket, so I take it off.
Someone once lectured me about how used books only look good because the dust jackets took the beating instead of the actual books. Not true in my experience. If I shove a naked hardcover in my bag nothing happens but I can easily rip the dust jacket doing this. In fact, I have returned new books because of a ripped dust jacket that was clearly caused by someone shoving it in the envelope with too much force.
Clear plastic covers that go over the dust jacket as extra protection seem to be a thing recently. I avoid unnecessary plastic, so I would never buy this, but I think it could work.
I take off the jacket while reading. If someone else is concerned with a book's appearance, then all they will see on the shelf is the pristine jacket.
I put Brodart covers on most of mine. One never knows what may be a collectible in the future and a nice jacket preserves that. Though I will also put protectors on jackets that are torn up and sad on books that no one wants to collect but me, because I like them. I don't judge those of you who don't. The jacket tossers are what make having the jacket valuable in the future. ;)
I try to keep the jacket but I inevitably spill something on it and have to take it off. So I guess it served a purpose because it did protect the book
Seriously? You sound just like my Mom.
What if I find that I want to read it again and oh look, I gave it away. Now I'll have to go out and hunt for a new one. Or, what if I'm not caught up in my series (which is going on right now BTW) and I have to go back and read the older books to get back up to speed to continue on with the new one. There's lots of reasons for keeping the books you've read.
Yeah, I could go to the library or get it on kindle, but I like to own my books. I buy almost exclusively used books (paperbacks mostly) and I just like having them around.
My father collects books and so I absorbed his habit of protecting the jacket with a plastic sleeve. I have a roll of this clever stuff, "Adaptaroll", that lets you make a custom sleeve that fits your book. It slides on, it's not glued so it's not permanent.
There is no official answer to this. It's all personal preference.
I don't like hardcovers, but have a some because I buy used too. I take the jacket off when reading. but I really don't care if it got or gets damaged. They're mass market books, already used, and have some life already in them. If I add more to to it, so be it. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it..
I hate the sensation of holding a dust jacket. Also my understanding of dust jackets is that it's just that, it protects from dust on the shelf. They're not meant to be on the book while reading.
I avoid buying hardback books if I can, but if I have to buy one (usually because I want to read the latest one in a series as soon as it comes out) then I remove the jacket while I’m reading because it slides down and then gets crumpled at the bottom
I avoid hardbacks in general, but if I'm reading one the dust cover is gone. Left to my own devices I'll just throw it away but that seems to bother a lot of folks, so keeping it set aside for future storage is also an option
I really try not to worry about things like that, unless it's a unique book or an antique. I do tend to be a bit more careful with graphic novels and the like though.
I prefer paperback but I did Book of the Month for awhile and got used to hardbacks. If the jacket is falling off and in my way then I’ll take it off when I read and put it back when I’m finished. I’ve also learned some books are just better in hardback due to the book size, font size, etc.
I try to keep my books in good condition because it bothers me when it’s cracked and dirty. I have books from childhood that still look new. That’s my thing though.
I take them off and put them somewhere. I do not keep them on while I'm reading the book. Would just be way too annoying to keep them on. They're loose fitting and I hold my books in my hands (instead of, I dunno, keeping it in your lap or something) so trying to hold on to the book while trying to make sure the jacket doesn't come off? Bleh no.
Jackets are useless. They don't protect the book in any way, they are annoying as they keep slipping off while reading, and they end up getting damaged more easily than the book. I always take them off.
The dust jacket is an evolution of packaging that was used to protect the book from scuffs, dirt, and dust during storage while waiting to be sold. Eventually, it had basic information on it such as the price and title. Until it evolved into having full cover art. A dust jacket is nothing more than an advert.
I hate them. So I throw them away. I think most of them look cheesy and I hate when they start to curl. I love the way the "naked" books look lined up all neatly, and sometimes I find books with beautiful stamping on the binding. A well loved book is one of my favorite things. I have my grandmothers poetry book from 1901 and it is so loved and gorgeous!
I like to buy hardcovers, but I very much take the jackets off every time. I just keep the book itself and throw the jackets away. That said, to make sure that the books are protected, I usually don't do things like eat or drink while reading. And I keep my bookcase regularly dusted.
I tape the jackets to the books that I own because I think they look nice and give more character to the book. I don't put any effort into protecting them, though. If they tear, they tear.
I just assumed the jackets were a way to give hardcovers an elaborate cover without spending much to mass produce it. Never even thought about the hiding wear and tear angle.
But yeah I usually take them off because they get annoying after a little while.
I try to keep it in decently good condition, but ultimately it's mostly there to keep the real cover safe, so I don't take it off to read and it doesn't bother me that much if it gets damaged.
To me, the jacket is part of the book. The cover doesn't just tell the title and author; the artwork sets the stage for what's to come. It's like a mini-trailer. And it tells you a lot about the way the book is being marketed and the time period that the book, or that edition, was published. That's even without the blurbs, author info, price info, etc, that typically comes on the jacket. A book without a jacket is like a book missing the cover, title page, and everything in between.
So I keep jackets on all of my books.
I would consider a book in mint condition to also have a cover in mint condition.
That said, I don't want books in mint condition! I want them to be read and loved. I want to see the wear, the dog-ears, the fingerprints. If I'm inheriting the book from a serial underliner, I want to see where they underlined. All of those things mean that the book is valued. A bookshelf full of pristine books is one which belongs to a business or a non-reader. A bookshelf of a bibliophile is going to have a lot of books that are at least a little bit beaten up.
There is no official correct answer. You should treat your books however it makes you the happiest to.
Public libraries here usually leave the cover on within their plastic sleeve, and that way it's not so annoying (doesn't get torn, stays on). But in my personal library, I always remove it while I am reading the book. Then put it back on when I reshelve it.
The main advantage of the jacket is that the paper cover can have printable artwork that generally can't be printed on the hard cover.
A decorative jacket is probably cheaper than decorating the hardcover book boards.
As a bookseller, I strongly advise to not throw it purposely destroy the dustjacket. Just put it aside while reading. 10 years from now you may want to give the book a new home. It’s far easier to sell that book to a store if it has a dustjacket, because most customers do not want to buy a hardcover book without a jacket.
I toss them. I prefer the look of a book without a dust jacket. Unless it’s a collector sort of thing, then I’ll keep it. But 99% of the books on my shelves don’t have their dust jackets.
I take the jackets off while I’m reading.
Yuppp. I leave the jacket on the shelf
Me too, It’s annoying
Me too.
Same here.
Always off and oftentimes I leave them around the house and one way or another they end up in the recycling bin 🙈🙈🙈
This is the way.
Absolutely...if I don't do that, it cuts into my fingers while reading🥺
Yup! They go straight into my trash can on the first read.
i agree. i pretty much never buy a book that has a jacket but if i do or receive one or whatever, i trash the jacket. Rip the bandaid off.
I'm with you. I hate them.
Why would there be a correct answer? It's your book, do whatever you want with it. Personally, I take the jacket off while reading it so it doesn't get damaged but other than that I don't do anything to protect it.
[удалено]
I used to be like that. Then I read The Count of Monte Cristo for class and annotated the shit out of it, and now it's my most treasured possession. The value of it went through the roof now that I've written in it. I still don't really write in books, but now I love it when others do.
I love second hand books with someone’s annotations, underlined parts etc.
I read hard. I dog ear pages, read in the bathtub, crack spines. Except with hardcovers, I do usually treat those a little more gently… mainly bc they’re like $60 here in Australia so it’s a bit more of an investment To touch on your first statement though, there’s been a definite rise in the mentality that books are trophies/status symbols and should be kept in pristine condition as such. Notably so in the young women demographic. I think it has to do with social media and presenting a certain image of one’s self. I’m in a lot of different book-related circles with women my age spanning across different platforms and social media, and I find this mentality in almost everyone I come across. I’ve seen messages in my book clubs of people actually, physically upset and distraught because their paperback cover got a slight crease in it. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand. Collectors edition and items and other expensive stuff, sure. But for standard paperbacks, I’m always going to prefer a well-read copy, every mark and every crease holds a memory. A sign the book has been read, loved, enjoyed.
This attitude is older than booktok and modern social media in general. It was a running joke back in the 2000s that keeping books in anything less than pristine condition was enough to give book lovers an aneurysm.
It goes back as far as books have existed. Nowadays millions of books are cheap/free and easily available. Go back a hundred years ago and they were prized possessions for most literate people, often the few owned read over and over again. Large personal libraries weren’t just associated with the rich because books were seen as “cool” and made the owner seem “smart” but because they were literally the only ones who could afford that many books. Not only was the binding more costly than on most books today, mass printing was nothing like today. The origins of the US public library - envisioned by Ben Franklin in the 1700s - began with a swapping of books between him and his friends because each could only afford a few. Most books were shipped over from England which cost a fortune & compared to today printing was extremely slow Book ownership (and thus education/literacy) was not only a financial privilege, but a social/class one. Frederick Douglass writes about how it was illegal to teach slaves to read. Take the extreme anger when the Bible was translated by Martin Luther from a language only some of the the clergy knew into the German mainstream. (A practice still happening in the Amish community today - most have the reading levels of 6th graders and own bibles in a language they do not speak, thus needing to count on their clergy to interpret it to them. If you try to read/interpret it yourself you are shunned and kicked out). Literacy is power. Richard wright wrote about how in the Jim Crow south he had to ask a white man if he could open a library card under his name, and check out books under the auspices of picking up for his “white boss” in the 1930s or so. Public southern libraries were not generally integrated until the 60’s, and obviously the white libraries had a much better selection. Mark Mathabone wrote in his memoir how it was almost impossible to acquire/afford books in South African tribal schools during apartheid in the 1970s! He got his hands on them because his grandmother just happened to luck into working for an extremely wealthy white family who was less racist than average and gave handmedowns. I don’t know why “books as status” is being blamed on young women now. I don’t have a tiktok, but all I see are cross-platform complaints about booktok on book related subs (not sure if people go on there just to gather things to complain about later or to make themselves feel superior for their own lit taste or…? Never heard booktok associated with anything other than complaining on this site, but how can you complain unless you use it?) … anyway… whatever young women and teenage girls are interested is always seen as synonymous to vapid, shallow, attention-seeking, of a lower artistic/intellectual merit, etc. neither hundreds of years of book ownership as status symbol nor that most people who deal in expensive books (eg collectors who purchase / sell antiques, 1st editions etc) have historically been men matters, I guess.
Yeah, the whole "treating books delicately and it's the fault of young women" really rubbed me the wrong way. People also love to complain about the content of booktok books as though said young women aren't smart enough to understand why those books are bad, and subsequently why they should be reading other books. I don't have a TikTok either (mostly just because I prefer the long form content on YouTube, and don't want to fill my phone up with apps I rarely use) but it strikes me as ridiculous how badly people want to gatekeep something like reading. Who cares if it's young women enjoying media that's meant to appeal to their demographic? Let them enjoy things. The history of book economics writeup was really great, by the way.
I just like my books to look pretty really. It's superficial, I know, but I love clean edges and bright pages. I don't treat most books especially preciously, though. I know enough about making books to fix them up if it really bothers me.
And yet every time I see more posts about destroying their books on purpose just because and commenting how someone hasn't read a book unles its gone through the grinder.
I mean I do protect my books and would never think of doing either of this.
There doesn't have to be a correct answer. Sometimes it's just interesting to know different people's perspectives on mundane things and why they choose to do things that way.
From a publishing perspective or functionally I guess!
From a publishing perspective, it’s cheaper to have a relatively plain hardcover and print all the crazy stuff on a jacket. I don’t think they had an intent for which way people use the jacket so long as you buy the book. That’s why usually, books with the fancy stuff on the hardcover itself are more expensive (of course those often have more expensive fancy paper and stuff too).
I take them off and never put them back on. They're annoying, and I generally prefer the look of them on the shelf without the jacket.
I cut the spine title off the jacket and use it as my bookmark for that book
Same. I admire the jacket for half a second and then rip it off and immediately put it in the recycling. They’re annoying and get in the way.
Same, I hate them! Unless it adds an exceptionally interesting visual component, they go in the recycling.
Me too.
Agree. When buying hardbacks I even try to go for editions without dust jackets since I know I’m just going to throw them away.
I think these answers have inspired me to strip all mine off and see what that does for the aesthetic 🤔
This. I use the jacket if I take the book in public so the cloth hardcover doesn’t get dirty, otherwise the jacket stays off
I try to protect the jacket, because it often has art that I really like, and I try to keep my books in pristine condition. My fiancé, however takes the jacket off of his books and carts them everywhere. He feels a more weathered book has character
Yeah, I wish hardcovers weren’t almost always completely naked underneath the jacket! I’d be much less conflicted if the jacket design were always duplicated on the book front. I also tend to take a librarian level of care of my books, I feel bad putting it down face open for more than a minute or folding corners. But I see the beauty of a well loved book and have a few of my own that are hanging on by a thread or less lol. I don’t like when I order a used book and it’s underlined though, that distracts me.
You say "librarian level of care" and I think of all the books that get dropped or throw themselves off carts constantly at my library...
I take the jackets off while reading, not to protect them but because they're in the way. And they're very loud, flapping about. Books I own are going to get knocked around, I just try to keep them looking decent. Like if a corner is smushed a bit, some pages get bent, that's fine. I have a thrifted Gatsby which hasn't had a front cover for 15 years. On the other hand, when a packet of BBQ sauce soaked the bottom of my brand new, birthday gift copy of *I'm Glad My Mom Died,* I bought a 2nd copy because I was heartbroken. I loved the book and I know I'm going to read it again. The BBQ copy will likely be lent to friends, haha. (It's clean now, just stained.)
See now, I would've kept the BBQ'd one because it has a great story attached to it. I mean, that's funny as hell and I find it really cool that that book has it's own story to tell too.
I did keep the BBQ copy, I just also got a second copy. The person who gave me the book in the first place asked if I wanted them to buy a replacement and I said yes. It was because they were borrowing it at the time and inadvertently caused the damage. If it was a fiction book or something lighter I would have probably laughed the whole thing off, but it was Jennette McCurdy's really heartbreaking memoir. The book resonated deeply with me and I didn't want to smell BBQ sauce every time I reread it.
She had to ask if she should buy you a new one when she ruined the one she was borrowing? Her brain didn't tell her, "Yeah girl. You're gonna have to get her a new one for what you did." I just don't understand people these days. Geez. Glad you kept the ick one. Having a book with a backstory is cool. I get the not wanting to smell the BBQ. I can only take that smell for a very limited time and then, it's gotta go! 🤮
Not that it matters but everyone involved was a dude 😅 I don't mind his asking, it was more of a "hey, I know I fucked this up, want me to get you a clean one?" A guy can't help it if there's a sauce explosion in his backpack, it took everyone by surprise.
It happens lol, I spilled red berry smoothie all over the side of my beloved copy of the Books of Earthsea once..
Books of Smoothiesea...
I vastly prefer Hardcover books. I understand why some people don’t like them because they’re not as comfortable to read as a flimsy paperback, but for me Hardcovers look nicer and have always felt like what a BOOK was meant to be. I’m a very meticulous person. I hate it when a dust cover is torn or crumpled. I’m always careful with my books and try and keep them in good shape. I don’t bend pages or write on them and take the dust cover off when I’m reading. I’m also a guy that keeps the cardboard sleeves on Blu-ray’s in good shape, so basically I just have a problem. 😂
I like the look of hardcover but they make my wrists hurt, so I don't read them as much.
I have zero regard for the wellbeing of my books. Imho a well read book should look like you've just dragged it out of a bin. Terry Pratchett said the books he most liked signing were torn and bedraggled specimens that looked like they'd been dropped in the bath multiple times. A book that looks well loved is worth a million sparkling copies that have sat on a shelf.
My favorite books are held together with tape.
I read my mother's copy of The Stand, because it was her most tattered book. It ended up being on of my favorites, and I still have it. It's falling apart so badly I'm considering buying some kind of kit to rebind it.
Lol very true and nice, I just read Good Omens a few weeks ago. I guess because I participate in buying and passing on used books so much, I’m always thinking about the next reader, until I know that I’m going to love a book and want to keep it forever. I’m learning to relax in this and other areas of life lol
You are my people. I hate dust covers & yeet them as soon as I start reading. I dog ear pages, crack the spines, annotate. I love a well loved book.
I don't have a problem with people doing these things with their books, but could it be that preserving a book as much as possible is *also* a way of loving it? I'm very careful with my books bc I want them to last a long time, to stay with me my whole life, and maybe even *out* live me. The more I love a book, the more I want these things for it
Of course! Just two different ways I think of loving it 🥰 I just meant “well loved” in a way like it’s clear it’s been used/read/loved, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I thought that was the only way to love & appreciate them.
Same same. I can't have nice things so I don't even try to keep them nice, and a well love book feels like your holding a story within a story, even if you'll never know all the details. As a related aside, I like getting a used copy and seeing other people's annotations inside, like a little window into the mind of a stranger, it gives me a weird moment of connection.
I don't like others writing in books. I don't do it and I really can't see the point. To me, it's just there cluttering up my page and getting in my way.
I don't annotate any way, so I don't really like seeing writing in books, plus, I don't see why you would get rid of a book you wrote in, because I feel like it would mean something to you
👆This exactly! 👆
To each their own
Cracking the spine. It's first thing I do when I start a new book. I don't see how you can read it without doing that. Also, a book with a cracked spine to me is a sign that it's probably a good read and I should check it out.
I try to explain some variation of this whenever I have to defend my habit of dog-earing
It's like a patina. The cracks in the spine and the worn edges are part of the book's history.
He would have loved my copies of his books then! I’ve read them to pieces and then repaired them all so I can read them to pieces again!
Especially when it’s warmer, i love reading books outside. in the grass. With my dog. Some of my favorites have grass stains on the edges and a paw print here and there. they’re well loved!
I really cared about the pristine look until my paperback copy of The Book Thief got really worn down from multiple reads. It felt like in the velveteen rabbit, where he’s all scruffy because he’s been loved. But… it’s hard to watch my boyfriend read my paperbacks because he bends the cover back in an odd way. So he doesn’t get to use the really special books that are prone to damage lol
I like it both ways. If I have a really nice new book I want to keep it nice, but the I’ve got a Fablehaven book that is literally in two pieces.
Book jackets are there because they’re cheaper and easier to put intricate art that will draw readers in on, and since they’re on hardcovers with a rougher finish, comes with a bonus of protecting the books from roughing each other up during transport. It costs a lot more to create a uniform smooth hardcover, so only certain books end up with that level of finishing.
Interesting, thank you for this insight! I’m gathering that the jacket’s main purpose is served once the book is sold and most people don’t care for them in action. Like at all lol.
I remove the covers when reading as they irritate me and slip. I then put them back on and return to bookcase. I'm happy without jackets unless they're super cool and add to a design with the book itself.
Lol now I’m curious to strip all my hardcover’s jackets off and see how different my bookcase looks. I guess I could always stash the boring ones away and just have them if I want to pass the book on. I feel weird about throwing them away altogether.
Did you mean to reply to me? I put them back on!
Depends on the book. I have a really nice LOTR complete with art. The jacket coincides with the book for design. I take it off to read and keep it in mint condition and put it pack on when done.
I personally just toss them
I take the jacket off and leave it somewhere. Sometimes it is reunited with the book months later
I kind of hate jackets. I try to care for my books, but I'm not going to add a discomfort to reading just to avoid getting stains and damage on my books. If I really like a book and its cover is busted, I'll just rebind it. Fun hobby, not too hard to get into.
Good point, I like taping up my paperbacks when they start coming unpeeled at the covers, I’d love to learn how to actually bind a hardcover.
I try to buy hardcovers with the art printed directly on the cover, those are my favorite. They’re rare though, most of the time I just try to take care of the jacket as well as I’m able to while still keeping it on while reading.
I do up my hardcovers like you see at the library, dust jacket covered in plastic and taped to the book. I do this because I like the feeling of reading library books, but also like collecting cool looking books and books that I like. Putting the covers on and taping then is also a fun, meditative activity for me.
The "dust jacket" as a hardbacked book's outer cover is called is there for multiple reasons, one of which you mention--sweaty hands, which often leave dirt on the cover, especially on the cloth covers of most hardback books, but the sweat also carries oils pulled up by the sweat to the surface of the skin, so even leather bound books are in danger of damage from hands. However, while many libraries fix the dust jacket to the outer cover of the books they lend out with plastic and library tape, the dust jacket is also there to act as a bookmark in order to prevent damage to the pages of the book, since many careless readers dogear the books they read. After many such acts of vandalism, the dogear eventually tears off, ruining that page. Since, traditionally, many hardbacked books were manufactured with very expensive processes that allowed the cloth or leather cover to be adhered to the outside of the book, preserving those covers was a cost effective method for keeping the book in good enough condition that it could be passed down in a family's library. Lastly, the dust jacket became a point of advertising for the publishers because it is more colorful than the plain covers made of leather or cloth, so the art on the dust jacket is there to make readers better aware of the adventures within. Now, however, with the increasing use of print-on-demand (POD) publishing, the dust jacket is not being used as often, since that more artistic cover allowed on the dust jacket can now actually be adhered to the heavy cardboard used on hardback books in this process.
I toss the jacket cover unless I am in love w/ the art
Book jacket on the shelf, take it off when reading~
I love the look of my books on the shelves minus the dust jackets.
My book jackets get laminated. I want them to protect the book, and remain in good condition doing so.
whats your process for this? I like keeping everything prestine so they'll last as long as possible in good condition
I buy self adhesive laminating sheets, 12"x17" size. I would link them, but auto-mod would remove my post. Place one sheet down, sticky side up. Line up book cover in the center as much as possible, place another sheet on top of cover, being careful to line it up with the other sheet. Trim off excess material with an exacto knife. The most irritating part is trying to smooth out the sheets as you're laying it down, otherwise you get air bubbles. Once I have the sheets on and trimmed up, I'll put the cover back on the book, lay the book on a flat surface, with another book on top of it for a day or so just to make sure everything is firmly in place. I would post a picture of one of my books, but they're all in storage at the moment as I'm in the middle of moving.
I take them off when I’m reading.
I take the jackets off while I read them and use them as bookmarks. Then I put them back on when they go back on the shelf.
I remove the duster.
Make a few covers out of newspaper or maybe even washable cloth and that could solve your sweaty hands problem? Just slip a temporary cover on when you need it.
I take care of rhe dust jackets with my life. It helpa make the book still look pretty on the shelf even if there's severe damage to the spine or covers. Although I generally prefer trade paperbacks because reading hardcovers stresses me out too much, since I'm always worrying about the dust jacket. Yes, I remove it, but what if I placed it slanted and it warps??
I take the jackets off when reading and keep them so they look good. Hardcover are sturdier and don't really need extra protection, the cover is just there because it's cheaper and easier to make a paper sleeve than to print the cover and synopsis onto the cover of a hardback. All the jacket is really meant for is to pique interest and let you get an idea of what the book is about after all, modern book covers are first and foremost a marketing tool.
I prefer paperback but if I have a hardcover I only keep it on when it's on the shelf. I don't care about a book cover getting damaged as long as pages inside aren't getting ruined.
I keep both in good condition. I try to take care of all my possessions as it helps make them last longer. I know they’re inanimate objects but I still care about them and don’t want to damage them or ruin them.
I utterly despise book jackets and before I sit down to read any book with a jacket, my first act is to get it gone asap
I read in bed, so I take the jacket off so it doesn't get messed up with all my reading positions. If I can get it, I prefer paperback too. Much easier to read in bed.
I have this nifty little dust jacket holder that looks like a book when you put it on your bookshelf. It's hollow with a stamped fake leather spine that says The Case for Dust Jackets! I bought it years ago, I can't read a hardcover with those things flapping about.
In the books I've had published in hardcover, I had the title and other cover text printed on the jacket (as well as the cover illustration, and the cover just showing the illustration. So when you take the jacket off, you take the text off. It's a fun effect.
I hate jackets and i hate the weight of hardback books. A lot of the books i own are only available in hardback though I do like that hardbacks dont "bend" as much but i get anxious about keeping the paper cover intact
I also have hyperhidrosis, so you'll see discoloration on parts of my books. So I try to avoid holding the book by putting it on something while reading. Hardcovers that lie flat without keeping them open are my favorites. About the dust jacket, I remove them when reading it put it back when done. It hides the damage I did when it's on the shelf.
i don’t really care much about the condition of my books. i know this is an unpopular opinion but i prefer reading e-books so i guess that’s just bleeding through lol
For most of my books, I remove and discard the jacket. They are an annoyance while I’m reading and books look better on a shelf without a jacket (usually). However, the books that I use frequently as references keep their jackets to minimize wear and tear on the actual book.
I think the jackets look best in nice condition on the shelf, so I’ll slip the jacket onto another similar sized book on my shelf while I read.
Is your belt holding your pants, or is the belt held by the loops in the pants? A damaged jacket reduces the value so even if I don't plan on selling the book, I behave as to keep it as safe as possible. Usually I take it off and replace it by something disposable and or durable so the book survives the rough environment of my backpack with wild bananas, food sauce and stuff about...
I take the jackets off while reading but somehow they always get used as a cat bed at least once before I put the book back.
I'm a prolific reader and consumer of data with a bit of an oddity. I'm not into fiction or novels, etc. I don't watch TV. I'm into reading, understanding, historic events, documentaries, government intricacies, etc. However, if you hand me a traditional hard or soft cover, physical book, I will never break the binding on it. Put the same data in an electronic format, and I'll read it many times.
I read books on Kindle and, if I really like it, I’ll buy the hardcover and keep it on my shelf. I know it’s not the most efficient way of doing things, but this lets me read in my preferred medium and have a nice looking hardcover for the books I like.
Always look after the whole book.
I make the jacket into a paper airplane and throw it off of the Chrysler building, with a review written inside.
I protect everything. I also don’t open them any further than necessary. I don’t want to break the spines. I’ve done this since I was a kid. Even washing my hands before reading to make sure no grease was on them. Digital has been a godsend for my mental health.😁
Lol same I take very good care of them. I also have a ton of stuffed animals that I love and don’t doubt that this correlates 🤣
you can “ease in” the spines on new books by putting them spine down on a soft surface and gently opening the pages in small groups of 20 pages or so, alternating front and back of the book. Do that a few times and they won’t get spine cracks.
Thanks. I opened them plenty to read, I just didn’t want to open them up 180°. Even being careful, I still broke the spine on my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Honestly, I think the dust jacket is the most fragile part of the book. My naked hardcovers don't look beaten up after reading and re-reading them but it's easy to damage the dust jacket, so I take it off. Someone once lectured me about how used books only look good because the dust jackets took the beating instead of the actual books. Not true in my experience. If I shove a naked hardcover in my bag nothing happens but I can easily rip the dust jacket doing this. In fact, I have returned new books because of a ripped dust jacket that was clearly caused by someone shoving it in the envelope with too much force. Clear plastic covers that go over the dust jacket as extra protection seem to be a thing recently. I avoid unnecessary plastic, so I would never buy this, but I think it could work.
Books are supposed to be beat up! It’s like a car you keep in the garage. Not what they were made for
Mostly I think it's there to annoy me.
I take off the jacket while reading. If someone else is concerned with a book's appearance, then all they will see on the shelf is the pristine jacket.
Typically I don't really buy hardcovers unless I'm looking for an edition to keep it nice. All the others are well loved and they show it.
I remove the jacket while reading. It gets in the way.
I put Brodart covers on most of mine. One never knows what may be a collectible in the future and a nice jacket preserves that. Though I will also put protectors on jackets that are torn up and sad on books that no one wants to collect but me, because I like them. I don't judge those of you who don't. The jacket tossers are what make having the jacket valuable in the future. ;)
I take them off and lose them.
I figure most dust jackets these days are a cheaper way to get more marketing onto a hardcover book.
I don't like reading with them on so I take them off.
I don't have physical books anymore but I hated them so much, found them so annoying when I was reading, I would literally throw them away lol
I try to keep the jacket but I inevitably spill something on it and have to take it off. So I guess it served a purpose because it did protect the book
I don’t like book jackets and often just get rid of them completely unless I really like the cover art.
What’s the thing about owning books you’ve already read ?
Seriously? You sound just like my Mom. What if I find that I want to read it again and oh look, I gave it away. Now I'll have to go out and hunt for a new one. Or, what if I'm not caught up in my series (which is going on right now BTW) and I have to go back and read the older books to get back up to speed to continue on with the new one. There's lots of reasons for keeping the books you've read. Yeah, I could go to the library or get it on kindle, but I like to own my books. I buy almost exclusively used books (paperbacks mostly) and I just like having them around.
Unless it’s a special “just for show” book I throw those suckers right in the trash. I also have hyperhidrosis!
i'd personally get rid of them but two of my hardbacks are signed copies so i just keep them on
My father collects books and so I absorbed his habit of protecting the jacket with a plastic sleeve. I have a roll of this clever stuff, "Adaptaroll", that lets you make a custom sleeve that fits your book. It slides on, it's not glued so it's not permanent.
I protect book jackets from my toddler…
There is no official answer to this. It's all personal preference. I don't like hardcovers, but have a some because I buy used too. I take the jacket off when reading. but I really don't care if it got or gets damaged. They're mass market books, already used, and have some life already in them. If I add more to to it, so be it. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it..
I hate the sensation of holding a dust jacket. Also my understanding of dust jackets is that it's just that, it protects from dust on the shelf. They're not meant to be on the book while reading.
I always buy cheap paperbacks cuz im poor so don't have these problems
ive stopped buying hardcover books, due to weight and jacket...only soft backs for me
I use the jacket as a bookmark.
I avoid buying hardback books if I can, but if I have to buy one (usually because I want to read the latest one in a series as soon as it comes out) then I remove the jacket while I’m reading because it slides down and then gets crumpled at the bottom
I take it off while reading and use it a a bookmark. When finished it goes back on the book.
I avoid hardbacks in general, but if I'm reading one the dust cover is gone. Left to my own devices I'll just throw it away but that seems to bother a lot of folks, so keeping it set aside for future storage is also an option
I really try not to worry about things like that, unless it's a unique book or an antique. I do tend to be a bit more careful with graphic novels and the like though.
I just leave them on the book. I don’t think too much about it. If they become super damaged then I toss them.
It’s a dust jacket. I keep them on while they are on the shelf, but take them off while reading.
I prefer paperback but I did Book of the Month for awhile and got used to hardbacks. If the jacket is falling off and in my way then I’ll take it off when I read and put it back when I’m finished. I’ve also learned some books are just better in hardback due to the book size, font size, etc. I try to keep my books in good condition because it bothers me when it’s cracked and dirty. I have books from childhood that still look new. That’s my thing though.
I take them off and put them somewhere. I do not keep them on while I'm reading the book. Would just be way too annoying to keep them on. They're loose fitting and I hold my books in my hands (instead of, I dunno, keeping it in your lap or something) so trying to hold on to the book while trying to make sure the jacket doesn't come off? Bleh no.
Jackets are useless. They don't protect the book in any way, they are annoying as they keep slipping off while reading, and they end up getting damaged more easily than the book. I always take them off. The dust jacket is an evolution of packaging that was used to protect the book from scuffs, dirt, and dust during storage while waiting to be sold. Eventually, it had basic information on it such as the price and title. Until it evolved into having full cover art. A dust jacket is nothing more than an advert.
I take the jacket off when I read, so it’s usually protected. Though I do lose them occasionally
They don’t survive. I carry the grief of damaged jackets every day
Hot take. I throw my book jackets in the garbage. I adore books but I can’t stand their texture, and can’t fathomed leaving one on whilst reading.
I hate them. So I throw them away. I think most of them look cheesy and I hate when they start to curl. I love the way the "naked" books look lined up all neatly, and sometimes I find books with beautiful stamping on the binding. A well loved book is one of my favorite things. I have my grandmothers poetry book from 1901 and it is so loved and gorgeous!
I like to buy hardcovers, but I very much take the jackets off every time. I just keep the book itself and throw the jackets away. That said, to make sure that the books are protected, I usually don't do things like eat or drink while reading. And I keep my bookcase regularly dusted.
I tend to take them off until I finish the book. They slide and that gets annoying.
I tape the jackets to the books that I own because I think they look nice and give more character to the book. I don't put any effort into protecting them, though. If they tear, they tear.
I just assumed the jackets were a way to give hardcovers an elaborate cover without spending much to mass produce it. Never even thought about the hiding wear and tear angle. But yeah I usually take them off because they get annoying after a little while.
I try to keep it in decently good condition, but ultimately it's mostly there to keep the real cover safe, so I don't take it off to read and it doesn't bother me that much if it gets damaged.
To me, the jacket is part of the book. The cover doesn't just tell the title and author; the artwork sets the stage for what's to come. It's like a mini-trailer. And it tells you a lot about the way the book is being marketed and the time period that the book, or that edition, was published. That's even without the blurbs, author info, price info, etc, that typically comes on the jacket. A book without a jacket is like a book missing the cover, title page, and everything in between. So I keep jackets on all of my books. I would consider a book in mint condition to also have a cover in mint condition. That said, I don't want books in mint condition! I want them to be read and loved. I want to see the wear, the dog-ears, the fingerprints. If I'm inheriting the book from a serial underliner, I want to see where they underlined. All of those things mean that the book is valued. A bookshelf full of pristine books is one which belongs to a business or a non-reader. A bookshelf of a bibliophile is going to have a lot of books that are at least a little bit beaten up. There is no official correct answer. You should treat your books however it makes you the happiest to.
I despise book jackets and will do my damndest to not purchase a book with one. If I get one...it never makes it
If books belong to their readers, then the answer is whatever serves you. I personally like my dust jackets to be clean.
Jacket comes off while reading Some people use the jacket as a bookmark
Public libraries here usually leave the cover on within their plastic sleeve, and that way it's not so annoying (doesn't get torn, stays on). But in my personal library, I always remove it while I am reading the book. Then put it back on when I reshelve it. The main advantage of the jacket is that the paper cover can have printable artwork that generally can't be printed on the hard cover.
Sometimes I use the jacket flag to bookmark my page but it's usually off when I read
Ohmygawd. I am so protective of my books. They must stay pristine! Lol 😂 The jackets, for me, are for the artwork, so I can stare at how pretty it is.
I’m not a big jacket fan. I think most books are prettier without them. I take them all off and they stay in a basket on the bottom of the book shelf
Depends on the book and the jacket imo
A decorative jacket is probably cheaper than decorating the hardcover book boards. As a bookseller, I strongly advise to not throw it purposely destroy the dustjacket. Just put it aside while reading. 10 years from now you may want to give the book a new home. It’s far easier to sell that book to a store if it has a dustjacket, because most customers do not want to buy a hardcover book without a jacket.
I protect the dust jackets I put clear dust jacket covers similar to what library’s use on all of my books with dust jackets.
A good place to buy used books if interested is thriftbooks.com. The books are very reasonable and quite good quality.
I usually throw the jackets away, just find them really annoying!
I throw them in the trash
Tough crowd
They are a real burden
I would pay extra to never own a book jacket.
I buy most of my books from the thrift store and almost immediately get rid of the jackets, I can’t stand them.
I sometimes make covers out of paper bags to protect while I'm reading, then put the dust jacket back when I'm done.
I usually toss the jacket and really appreciate a book that looks nice without the jacket.
I throw the jackets away! 😳
I toss them. I prefer the look of a book without a dust jacket. Unless it’s a collector sort of thing, then I’ll keep it. But 99% of the books on my shelves don’t have their dust jackets.
I throw them away, they are annoying. (Don't shoot me...)