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Dust Jackets And Newspapers

I think both of these things were invented to mock me. The first thing I want to do with a dust jacket is pull it off. I suppose people invented these things so they could write exciting blurbs on the inside of the book. We all have to eat, I understand. But I've never thought, "This book would be so much less dusty if it had a dust jacket."

And another thing. Has anyone ever been glad to have to turn in the newspaper to read the rest of a story? Has anyone ever enjoyed the effort of holding pages together? I had those "choose your own adventure" books when I was a kid; in that case, flipping around was the point. And if being able to separate out the sections is the point, then why not one staple in the middle of the paper, which is easily removed, if desired?

I suppose as a good curmudgeon and Luddite that I should lament the decline of the newspaper, but at the moment, I am quite thankful for their online iterations. I know John Q. Tech Support isn't going to make me flip to page A3 to finish reading a thing that I got pretty wrapped up into.
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Anonymous said…
If you read your newspaper at a desk or table you could easily separate each section beforehand. And dust jackets can be potential bookmarks on the fly, especially at the beginning of the book. That way you won't have to make any dog ears.
11:21 AM
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