For all of us who still appreciate the tangible presence of holding a book in our hands, who have not quite jumped onto the Kindle bandwagon, and who have a general appreciation for beautiful things, we can absolutely appreciate both the practicality and the beauty of book covers.
Fine kraft paper covers have been taken to a new level of greatness with Book City Jackets’ Artist Edition No. 1. Using original drawings from Eveline Tarunadjaja of Melbourne, Australia, Morgan Blair of Bushwick, Brooklyn and Matthew Caputo of Jersey City, New Jersey, Book City Jackets offers art that you can carry with you on your subway ride, place on your coffee table or bookshelf and even flaunt while you wait in line to pay for your groceries. Such subtlety turns your must-read (or guilty pleasure) into portable pieces of art.
Aside from adding a little extra beauty to the monotony of your daily schedule, such book covers add a little mystery to your book of interest. Maybe you don’t want to flaunt the fact that you own the Twilight series in its entirety. Or perhaps an artistic cover will make your Economics textbook a little less painful to open (or at least offer a nice distraction and catalyst to your daydreams).
If the art for arts sake mentality doesn’t quite do it for you- I find comfort in the fact that my clutsy tendencies are rectified by the protection such covers offer to my morning coffee spills. And as an avid note-taker, I can preserve the integrity of my book while having a place to scribble.
Such finds great finds, available at various markets (including Brooklyn Flea) and at www.bookcityjackets.com for $9, are breaths of fresh air in our current economy. You can treat yourself to something beautiful and practical without even the slightest tinge of guilt!
PS: for the artsy folks who are interested: Book City Jackets are now accepting submissions for their next Artists Edition series. Check out the site for more details.
I love bookcity jackets. I was recently introduced to them by a friend and adore the concept. Vanity book covers are quite helpful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to remove the jackets from some of the more controversial/guilty pleasure books that I read just to avoid dirty looks on the subways.
As a new mom I must agree that anything that is functional and beautiful is the highlight of my purchasing power. And while its not always coffee on my books (spit-up, milk, the substance of questionable color?), the art keeping pages clean is a life saver. These bookcity jackets are a great find.
lovely :)