Poll

Dust covers are just a place for publishers to put prices and barcodes which look ugly, and sales pitches for why you should buy the book inside. Flashy, colorful and classless. The actual book cover is what is actually worthy of the bookshelf. I would take them off and store them so if I give them or sell them to someone who thinks that a book without a dust cover isn't a complete book they'll be happy.

~☆~Autumn♥♥ wrote: "Mammoth wrote: "Does anyone use the inner flaps as bookmarks or is it just me? Haha"

My ex did this so I picked it up and do it also. It is very helpful as the dust jacket doesn't fall out of the ..."

Once in while I use the book cover flaps , but I have so many cool bookmarks I usually think to use them first . Thanks for reminding me about the flaps .

I don't like them at all. Like some previous commenter said, I take them off whenever I can to show the beauty of the plain bindings with the title written on it. I have a big pile of them which I think I'll frame or use for decoration at some point. Using a bookmark is a much better option, and you can use one bookmark for any book.

Sam wrote: "I don't like them at all. Like some previous commenter said, I take them off whenever I can to show the beauty of the plain bindings with the title written on it. I have a big pile of them which I ..."

Framing them as a collage . That's the idea I like . If you're an avid reader of many different genres , it should be an interesting collection .

I take them off to read regardless - just more practical that way. I've kept them if it's an autographed copy of a book. Otherwise I tend to think of them as part of the packaging and marketing of the book (which is why I keep if autographed), but otherwise it's not necessary to keep them. I tend to be a bit of a minimalist in some ways, so I kinda like the visual simplicity of the books on the shelf without the cover.

Jessica B wrote: "I take the dust jacket off when I get a hardcover book adn I keep them all together and i am slowly framing them all and hanging them in my book room!~ :)"

Love this idea!

Casey wrote: "Jessica B wrote: "I take the dust jacket off when I get a hardcover book adn I keep them all together and i am slowly framing them all and hanging them in my book room!~ :)"

Love this idea!"

Someone else in this blog is doing exactly the same thing with their
bookcovers . Great idea .

I purchase dust jacket covers (the shiny plastic that library books have) and cover mine the same way libraries do.

This lost hurt my soul so bad. I can see not wanting to use them but how could any true lover of books ever bring themselves to actually throw away a piece of the books. If if you don't use it, the very least you could do is storm them all in one pile. I take extreme care of every book and dust jacket. Anytime I see someone being careless with one it absolutely crushes me. Unfortunately I see this far too often with my nephew's.

I usually take them off for reading and then put them back on. I like how they look but they can get annoying when reading.

People who throw away dustjackets just absolutely baffle me. I work in a used bookstore and unless the book is really sought after and very popular, we won't even take hardbacks without dustjackets.
I'm a HP collector and I was just heartbroken when I found a used (and therefore affordable) copy of the illustrated Goblet of Fire and it didn't have a dustjacket. Who would do that? It's just so wasteful and so confusing to me, no judgement on anyone who does it, but...actually, yeah, a little bit of judgement. Why!?

Enter wrote: "People who throw away dustjackets just absolutely baffle me. I work in a used bookstore and unless the book is really sought after and very popular, we won't even take hardbacks without dustjackets..."

Same . Brand new hardbacks and some antique books can be pricey
So I always keep the dustjackets they come in as reminder .
And some dustjackets are just too pretty for me to throw away .

i like to use it as a bookmark

I take it off and hide it when I load a book to one of my family members. They keep losing the dust jackets for my books.

I keep and hide dust jackets when I load my hardcover books to people. People lose the dust jackets if I don't do that.

I have always taken off the dust jacket and set it on my bookshelf while reading so I don't lose it. Then I read the book without the jacket on and when I am done I take the dust jacket from its place on my shelf and put it back on the book...I just feel like dust jackets are too fragile for when I am reading so in order to keep them safe and in good condition I just choose to read without them, plus I like how it feels without the annoying dust jacket sliding around. It feels a lot sturdier without it.

I had a friend say that use contact paper on their hardcovers and attaching them to their books before reading to prevent them from getting damaged or lost.


I myself, tend to either keep them on or take them on depending on how I feel when reading. I just wait buying a new copy to replace my damaged dust jackets.

What do you think about contact paper on dust jackets?

Chantal wrote: "I am really surprised I am the only person so far that throws it away. Brian and I were arguing about this, hence the poll. Hmmm."

I always heard that you should keep the cover in good condition because that will make the book more valuable when it's old.

Helena wrote: "Chantal wrote: "I am really surprised I am the only person so far that throws it away. Brian and I were arguing about this, hence the poll. Hmmm."
I always heard that you should keep the cover in ..."

The artwork on some bookcovers are more worthy of owning than the text of the book they enclose . I just can't throw mine away .

What’s a dust jacket? Lol but I agree I usually try to read paperbacks unless it’s a book I really want to read that’s only available in hardcover.

Mammoth wrote: "Does anyone use the inner flaps as bookmarks or is it just me? Haha"

Yes, I always do this too!

I hate dusk jackets.

Mackenzie wrote: "I hate dusk jackets."

Chuckle . Life's unfair .

Vanessa wrote: "Mackenzie wrote: "I hate dusk jackets."

Chuckle . Life's unfair ."

I know right? :)

Taylor wrote: "I hate dusk jackets."

Me too, the plain book cover is so much more beautiful, plus djs are annoying:-)

Elisabeth wrote: "Taylor wrote: "I hate dusk jackets."

Me too, the plain book cover is so much more beautiful, plus djs are annoying:-)"

:)

I like to remove the dust jacket cover while reading a hardcover for sure but my fingertips always stain the color of the hardback...which is usually black. Anyway to avoid this? I thought about using a temporary dust jacket protector. Anything but gloves, lol.

I personally prefer the clean, minimalist look of the hard cover on such books, why would you cover that with a cheap-looking paper cover? I also have never liked re-selling my books, I love either giving them to friends and family or donating them, so it never occurred to me that books may love value without their jackets.

However, reading comments, I think I might start keeping the jackets in a drawer or something in case I ever want to frame them (a really cool idea).

There are 399+ people who throw away their dust jackets? How did I not know this was an option in life :0

Paperback Pianist wrote: "There are 399+ people who throw away their dust jackets? How did I not know this was an option in life :0"

chuckle chuckle

I usually prefer the art on the dust jacket but I hate the movement and sound it makes when I try to read, easier to just take it off lol.

People throw them away??? I would have never even thouht of that.

What an interesting discussion. I personally consider a dust jacket as sort of an advertising medium to make the book look more attractive to a buyer in store. After all, that’s mostly what it is now, isn’t it?
That said, i still can’t bring myself to throw them away.

Books may look much better on shelf without them on, and sometimes I just put the jacket inside a book. But not always.

Effie wrote: "I leave the jacket on, and/or take it off depending on how it speaks to the heart of the message in the book, as I read. I find it to be an integral part of the book's story. An important covering ..."

Good answer .

I take the dust jacket off whilst reading. I could never ever throw one away, firstly it devalues the book, secondly if you keep your books on shelves then they do actually get a bit dusty and sun bleached over the years..the dust jacket takes all the bleaching leaving you with a pristine hardback book.
On top of that I only buy hardback books that are real keepers, i wouldnt buy a cheap quick novel as a hardback... but a good history book or philosophy book, i prefer the hardback, and like pristine dust jackets, so i keep them.
if you take the dust cover off, then you have a pristine hardback book and a pristine dust cover... this is lovely stuff.
In my eyes it takes a really brave person or a really crazy nutjob, to throw a dust cover away, only a total psychopath could pull that off and sleep at night.

Chantal wrote: "I am really surprised I am the only person so far that throws it away. Brian and I were arguing about this, hence the poll. Hmmm."

I Do through away dust jackets from time to time, my mom always does and my friend is so meticulous she'll flatten them and reshape them to the book to fit better. But for sure I can't stand reading a HC with the jacket on because it's so darn slippery!

Jennifer wrote: "Heidi wrote: "I use the dust jacket for a bookmark, but it does get annoying sometimes!"

Best part of a dust jacket is using it as a book mark! :)"


I lost my mind the first time I realized you could do that🤣

Pen&Quill wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Heidi wrote: "I use the dust jacket for a bookmark, but it does get annoying sometimes!"

Best part of a dust jacket is using it as a book mark! :)"


I lost my mind the first time..."

Chuckle
There have been SO many creative suggestions for recycling dust jackets listed in this thread , I love reading them .

Vanessa wrote: "Pen&Quill wrote:

Best part of a dust jacket is using it as a book mark! :)"

I lost my m..."
So question, do you like literally make a book mark out of the jacket or just stick the flap into the pages to act like a book mark?

Rundown wrote: "I take the dust jacket off whilst reading. I could never ever throw one away, firstly it devalues the book, secondly if you keep your books on shelves then they do actually get a bit dusty and sun ..."
I feel a bit guilty and panicky everytime I throw on away.

Chantal wrote: "I am really surprised I am the only person so far that throws it away. Brian and I were arguing about this, hence the poll. Hmmm."

Most used bookstores won't buy a hardcover without it's dustjacket, so throwing it away makes the book of less value, or even worthless for resale if you or your heirs ever choose to dispose of it.

ForestGardenGal wrote: "Chantal wrote: "I am really surprised I am the only person so far that throws it away. Brian and I were arguing about this, hence the poll. Hmmm."

Most used bookstores won't buy a hardcover withou..."

Good point .

I usually take it off, put it back in the shelf so I don't have a hole and then put it back on the book once I'm done reading it 😊

valdreamybooks wrote: "I usually take it off, put it back in the shelf so I don't have a hole and then put it back on the book once I'm done reading it 😊"

Good choice ! I save my book covers too . They are what initially intrigues me about the book and I consider them works of art .
Distinctive covers also make the book easy to find again if you are saving them for a second read .

Why are these comments so… ancient?

I always take it off, I am a messy reader..!

You can use it as a bookmark you know. :)