Friday 23 February 2018

Book Blogger Hop: Hardcover dust jackets, on or off?


This Week's Question: 
Do you read hardcovers with the dust jacket on or off? Why or why not? 

My Answer: 
Oooh... It's been a really long time since I read a hardcover. 
I avoid them like the plague. 
They take up too much space on my shelf, they're heavy and, in my humble opinion, a complete rip-off.
I especially detest it when a series starts off in paperback and then part way through flips to hardcover. I mean, seriously?! What is the point? You suddenly realise that people like it and decide to milk them for as much cash as you can? Not only by making them spend double - or more - on a hardback but my manipulating a bookworm's OCD and forcing them to re-buy the previous books in hardback so their shelf matches? Or forcing them to wait months more for the continuation of the story when it finally releases in paperback? 
Not cool publishers. Not cool.
Don't even get me started on publishers charging hardback prices for an ebook... 
However, long before Kindle, I did cave to the machine and buy hardcovers on occasion, because I couldn't wait to continue a series. 
When I did this, I always took the dust jacket off and stashed it somewhere refusing to put it back on until I had finished reading. 
They're fiddly and pointless and just make an already fiddly book even harder to read unless it's stripped off. 

What about you? Do you like hardbacks? Do the dust jackets annoy the ever-loving bejeezus out of you? 
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27 comments

  1. Katherine P23 February 2018 at 13:59

    Dust jackets are definitely annoying - especially since a hardback is usually a bit unwieldy to begin with! I do like them on the shelf though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci24 February 2018 at 08:00

      Yeah, I can concede that hardcovers look nice on the shelf... When the shelf is a shelf of hardcovers. No mixed shelves, lol.

      Delete
  2. Elizabeth23 February 2018 at 14:30

    Sounds like you aren't a fan of dust jackets. LOL!!

    I take mine off just so they don't get damaged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci24 February 2018 at 08:00

      Dust jackets, hardcovers... Not a fan of either! :)
      Thanks for stopping by Elizabeth!

      Delete
  3. Edel23 February 2018 at 15:29

    I don't think I've ever seen someone so against hardcovers before, haha! I will agree though, they are quite pricey. Also, editions should be all in one format!

    As for me, I adore hardcovers actually. I will always take the dust jacket off!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci24 February 2018 at 08:01

      I think hardcovers are only awesome when they are super old books and that was the only format they used to be printed in. Like, in ye olde libraries.

      Delete
  4. Grace @ RebelMommyBookBlog23 February 2018 at 19:14

    Not a fan of hardcover books either. I only buy if on Bookoutlet for so cheap I can't refuse. I take off the dust jacket when reading because the are just too annoying otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci24 February 2018 at 08:02

      Yeah, if it's not messing up my shelf, and it's super reduced, I may buy a hardcover. It's rare though.

      Delete
  5. Heather's Reading Hideaway23 February 2018 at 21:24

    I typically take mine off so they don't get damaged, and it's so annoying when they slide all around. But I completely agree with you when it comes to Kindle book prices being almost the same as hardcover prices. It's absolutely insane.

    My Book Blogger Hop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci24 February 2018 at 08:04

      There's no need! I think they do it to try and offset the impact ebook sales have on the physical sales. If the ebook is the same as the hardcover, you might as well buy the actual hardcover. However, with me, I'll just not buy the book at all (unless I'm SUPER desperate) and I'll wait until it's in paperback and/or the ebook is reasonable.

      Delete
  6. Sue Bursztynski23 February 2018 at 21:28

    I have a book stand on which I can prop my book, open, while I eat. What a joy! And the good thing about a hardcover is that even if you don’t have a book stand you can just lay it down open, something you can’t do with paperback.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idonea23 February 2018 at 23:53

    Dust jackets don't worry me. I leave them on while reading.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous24 February 2018 at 08:46

    Is this a trick question?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown24 February 2018 at 10:56

    I think the covers are pretty. That's why I take them off, to keep them neat. However, I prefer ebook or paperback b/c hardcover takes up more space and is heavier.

    Here's my link- https://wp.me/p6C2DX-1sq

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anstice Brown24 February 2018 at 11:43

    I typically don't buy hardbacks either, unless I'm desperate to continue a series, even though they look great on the shelf. The dust jackets have never bothered me though, so I keep them on.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Eli24 February 2018 at 16:11

    I like hardcovers just because they last longer. My students are often really hard on books and will return paperbacks to me without covers on them.

    eli @ the (book) supplier
    My Blogger Hop Answer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci25 February 2018 at 08:33

      I can totally see the advantages of hardbacks in that scenario!

      Delete
  12. Anonymous24 February 2018 at 19:00

    I am the opposite, I love hardbacks. I tend to buy them more than paperbacks. I also leave the dust jackets on. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicci25 February 2018 at 08:35

      They do look better on the shelves and they're hardier. This hop has been a good one for broadening the perspective on the hardback! :)
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  13. EFC Chrissy25 February 2018 at 14:26

    I don't mind hardbacks, and I don't mind having a mixed series (hardback and paperback.) When reading a hardback, I keep the dust jacket on. I will also use the flap as a bookmark.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Maria Behar28 February 2018 at 05:22

    VERY FUNNY post, Nicola! LOL!! Really enjoyed reading it!! :) :) :)

    I hear you on all the things publishers do that you don't like! DITTO ON EVERYTHING!!! And how about this one? You buy a hardcover with a BEAUTIFUL, OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD dust jacket, and plunge into the story, which you ADORE. Then, when the next volume is released, the cover style is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the style of the first book!!!! AAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!! This happened with the Nightshade series, by Andrea Cremer, and the Rebel of the Sands series, by Alwyn Hamilton. So I have bought the paperbacks for the second and third books in the Hamilton series. Now I need to buy the PB of the first book, so they will ALL match! (In the sense that they will all be paperbacks. I do have the hardcover of the first book.)

    Anyway, I do prefer to take the DJs off. The only way I will be okay with leaving a DJ on while reading is if I'm reading a library book. The DJs are covered in Mylar plastic, and taped to the hardcovers. The DJs will neither slide around, nor get edge wear. Thing is, though, I no longer check out books from the library! Lol. I'm MUCH TOO possessive of books to do THAT!! Lol.

    Thanks for sharing!! Sorry for the late comment back......:( Thanks for commenting on my own BBH post!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Katiria2 March 2018 at 03:01

    That is understandable why you take the dust jacket off. lol Thank you so much for stopping by my blog hop last week.

    ReplyDelete

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