Dust Jackets

[Senior2315]

Hey guys. I was just sorting through some of my books and noticed that several of the dust jackets are ripped or looking really worn. What are your thoughts on them? Are they worth keeping if damaged or do you ever throw the dust jackets away?

[The Comedian]

Hate them. If I buy a hard-cover book, the first thing I do is throw the dust jacket in the trash. Rubbish. Clutter.

[dfloyd]

A first edition of "Tender Is the Night" recently sold for $7,500 with a torn dust jacket. Also, some of the dust jackets illustrated by great illustrators are valueable. A dust jacket with an N. C. Wyeth illustration or a dust jacket from the Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series can command a very good price, making the book twice as valuable as one with no dust jacket

[qwas]

I take them off whenever I read the book, then put them back on. If one rips or is in a shabby condition, I simply throw it away. I don't understand why they exist. Wouldn't it be better to have the cover art printed on the actual book cover?

[hazelk]

I tend to read only paper backs, my local library only seem to have them as well.

[plainjane]

Never throw away a dust cover. Adds value to the book no matter what the condition, although the better it is, the more value it adds. I shop a lot on Amazon Marketplace, and never purchase a hardcover that does not have a dust jacket.

Most hardcover books are not smooth, therefore dust can accumulate in the crevices, the dust cover protects the cover from being worn and dusty looking.

[stlukesguild]

I'm not interested in the "value" of a book in monetary terms. I don't have the income nor the interest in collecting books as collector's items... although I will spend a little extra for a nicely bound edition that will hold up to use. I largely hate reading with dust covers on and so I simply remove them while I am reading the book and then replace them once I shelve the book again.

[urb]

I always leave the dust jacket on the shelf while I read the book.

[Helga]

I throw it away when I put a new book on the shelf. I have a lot of books that have the same cover underneath the dust jacket so I take it off and keep them together, also many books by the same author often look the same under the dust jacket so it looks better on the shelf. and they tend to get in the way, also I don't see the point in them...

[Night_Lamp]

I bought a 100' roll of the plastic jacketing for book covers, and regardless of condition use it to protect the jacket. I leave it off when currently reading something but when on the shelf in my library the cover is on.

[marcolfo]

i've always tought hardcover books. look better without the dustjacket