At least in terms of how it would look on your shelf.
Back before slipcovers were introduced — let alone mass market paperbacks — hardcover books had actual cover illustrations. The ones reproduced here, a couple turns of the century ago, are truly lovely.
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I remember seeing books like these when I was a wee lad. A unique form of art. A dying art too, it would seem. :-/
Peter David castigated me for removing the dust jacket from a book before bringing it to the convention for him to sign. "They're to protect the books, and people take them off!" Maybe they were to protect the books at one time, but now they're of aesthetic value. I'd rather let the normally-hidden book cover get stained than the dust jacket you see when the book is displayed.