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No Jacket, No Problem

  • Writer: crymeariverby
    crymeariverby
  • Nov 16, 2018
  • 2 min read

The results of a hasty and informal poll are in: most people remove the jacket from a hardcover book when they read it. Sometimes they get put back on when the book’s been read, but if they’ve been splattered by tea or torn, the jacket ends up in the trash.


Books come to us this way -- without their dust-wrappers -- all the time, and sometimes we don’t buy a book because of it. Why? Isn’t the jacket -- as one customer put it recently -- “the least important part of the book?”



For most of the 19th century and into the 20th century, dust jackets were undecorated and completely utilitarian in design -- plain paper wraps that protected the elaborate bindings beneath. Now the opposite is true: under the jacket, most books are plain and call no attention to themselves. It’s the thin paper jacket that must compete visually with every other book on the shelf, and without it, most books would be passed over.


We wanted to shine a little light on books in the buff. No dust jacket, no stickers, no summaries or blurbs on the back cover to influence you. These books, published between the late 19th century and early years of the 20th, were designed by illustrators influenced by art, history, and cultural movements of their time.

Which book would you pick up?



“The right cover is like a beautiful coat, elegant and warm, wrapping my words as they travel through the world, on their way to keep an appointment with my readers. The wrong cover is cumbersome, suffocating. Or it is like a too-light sweater: inadequate.” Jhumpa Lahiri


To see the full catalog, click here.

 
 
 

15 Comments


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5 days ago

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Ava Smith
Ava Smith
7 days ago

This post really made me smile sometimes the most unexpected reads are the ones that stick with you the longest. I’ve found that getting lost in a good book can be such a calm escape, especially during stressful times. When I was exploring emotional support options, Paw Tenant helped me understand how even simple routines like reading can support your mental well-being. It’s the little things that end up helping the most.

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Ava Smith
Ava Smith
Jul 08

I really felt this sometimes the comfort we find in a book or a quiet moment is more powerful than we realize. I went through a time when small things like that made the biggest difference. That’s also when I came across Paw Tenant, and it helped me see how emotional support can come in many forms, even just feeling safe and present. This post was a good reminder of that.

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Jul 05

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Jose Wages
Jose Wages
Jun 30

Wow, what a fantastic read! Delving into the importance of book jackets and how they’ve changed over time really gives you a new outlook on literature. I recently tackled a project on publishing design and how readers perceive it, and while I was digging around, I stumbled upon Journal Publishing Service. Their insights, particularly those related to a Manuscript Writing Service in USA, were super helpful in polishing my paper and grasping the connection between design and academic content.

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We are OPEN: Monday - Saturday 10-6 and Sundays 11-5

We are BUYING books - no need to make an appointment, just come on in.

Riverby Books is located at 805 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA.

(540) 373-6148 riverbybooks@gmail.com

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