Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Clothing of Books
Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
How do you clothe a book? In this deeply personal reflection, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri explores the art of the book jacket from the perspectives of both reader and writer. Probing the complex relationships between text and image, author and designer, and art and commerce, Lahiri delves into the role of the uniform; explains what book jackets and design have come to mean to her; and how, sometimes, "the covers become a part of me."
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
HeatherBookNerd
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

A tiny little book about an author‘s feelings about book covers. Such an interesting take. Also finished my Goodreads Challenge- 80 books!

31 likes1 stack add
review
Soubhiville
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

I often cover-shop for books. Litsy has helped me get past that some, since there are some Littens that I know I have similar tastes to.

This tiny little book is about the author‘s relationship to book covers, both her own and in general. I hadn‘t thought about this topic in any real depth before. It makes me want to spend even more time reading blurbs of books at random to see if I find treasures behind covers I would otherwise have walked by.

77 likes2 stack adds
blurb
ChaoticMissAdventures
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
11 likes1 stack add
review
NeedsMoreBooks
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

This really short audiobook as an extended essay talks about book jackets and books covers. Lahiri compares covers to clothes while Lao talking about her own childhood, trips to Calcutta, the exotic sin of India, commercialization of books in forms of reviews and blurbs, and just the experiment of reading. This was a very brief listen but very relatable. #NFNov #booksaboutbooks

Clwojick 6 pt. 5y
20 likes2 comments
review
Emilymdxn
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Very short, this 70-page book was barely there at all, but I found the essays about book design thought-provoking and well written. I‘ve always been a bit mystified by people being in love with and concerned about books as physical objects - not that I don‘t like pretty books if I think about it but the text is the thing for me - so it was nice getting the perspective of someone who‘s thought so much about an issue I never think about.

Daisey Great review that makes me curious to read this! I tend to not get as caught up in the physical characteristics of books either, I don‘t choose reads based on covers, and the books I love are more sentimental than based on their looks. 5y
63 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
rmaclean4
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Mehso-so

Super fast little read. Was too slight of an essay collection for me. It did make me want to read more from the author. I loved The Namesake.

review
RealLifeReading
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
Pickpick

The Clothing of Books was a lovely short piece about book cover design, from the writer‘s perspective. It‘s a really short and quick read, great for any book lover.

79 likes3 stack adds
quote
RealLifeReading
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

review
GatheringBooks
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

#Gratitude30 Day 15: Iphigene‘s review: Lahiri begins her story with the idea of #clothing. Having been raised in two cultures—Bengali and American—the idea of identity has a strong influence on her. Dressing like any American teen while her mother insisting on dressing her like most Bengali girls. It is this exteriority—expression of what is inside—that she ruminates over in discussing book covers. Her full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-goc

78 likes5 stack adds
quote
Tanzy13
Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

quote
Tanzy13
Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

CoffeeK8 Truth 6y
60 likes1 comment
review
LitDrivenGirl
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Mehso-so

Finished a book and checking in on my #24in48 time. This was short and not what I was expecting. I love books and about books so my hopes were high. I'm not sure it was memorable enough for me 😕.

10 likes1 stack add
quote
Tanzy13
Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

review
Macnjen
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

A short inspiration about books and their covers, from the author‘s perspective. Interesting!

review
Bibliogeekery
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

This book was a lovely little insight into Jhumpa Lahiri's perspectives, meditations and opinions on book covers. It was thought-provoking and made me curious how other authors feel about their book covers.

68 likes3 stack adds
blurb
mhillis
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

March was another good reading month! #marchwrapup

review
UnabridgedPod
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

This slim meditation on book covers was just lovely. Jhumpa Lahiri‘s consideration of her mixed feelings about her books‘ covers and the way the they reflect her life is thought provoking and vulnerable.

9 likes1 comment
review
Suelizbeth
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

This short essay is about the physical covers of books and the act/art of covering/clothing them. It makes one evaluate ones own visual preferences/prejudices when choosing a book. What impact does the cover truly have? And as I‘m posting this, the physical cover in my photo does not match the edition featured on Litsy, which inexplicably irks me. The content is unchanged, and yet...

Lindy The edition I received from @shawnmooney is beautifully designed with full French flaps that are made to look like a suit jacket. The cover does make a difference. 7y
Suelizbeth @Lindy I found your post and your book picture. It‘s beautiful. And I noticed that all of the pictures of the book are of that edition. Well, I just realized that mine is the British edition. How I ended up with that, I don‘t know. 7y
BlameJennyJane Heard a really cool lecture once upon a time in 2009 on a similar topic given by a fellow from Jaffe Center for Book Arts. 7y
79 likes4 comments
blurb
MallenNC
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

The book I'm reading now, Four Seasons in Rome, just missed being able to fit this prompt. Instead here are a few other books #Under200Pages #MarchinBooks @maich

33 likes1 stack add
blurb
StellarDoc
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

A forbidden photo of Jhumpa Lahiri.

blurb
Apinlibraryland
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Interesting, quick essay on book covers. Let's just say Lahiri has an opinion on this matter!

22 likes1 stack add
review
OffTheBeatenShelf.com
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
Panpan

What a letdown.

1️⃣The book has no answers and there are little to no insightful questions asked. It's just a cursory pondering about book covers.
2️⃣Her writing in Italian then translated to English reads NOTHING like her writing that's originally in English.
3️⃣The book is 80 pages with giant font & it's double spaced. Why did I pay $8 for a boring magazine piece?!

I LOVE Lahiri's fiction, but damn, this was a disappointment. 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

review
laurrose
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
Pickpick

This book is cleansing; it is grace and simplicity. For book lovers, it is a joy to read.

2 likes1 stack add
blurb
cewilf
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

I have been super busy this week, I've had zero time to read! I'm attending the Poetry Institute for Educstors at Boston University, led by Robert Pinsky, an incredibly brilliant man and former Poet Laureate who created the Favorite Poem Project. I encourage all teachers to attend this Institute! It runs every July and is an unforgettable week. Also, there's this awesome Barnes and Noble that I snuck away to to read this little volume 😊

review
ValerieAndBooks
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Originally presented as a lecture that is also personal essay, The Clothing of Books is a thoughtful look by Lahiri on the topic of book covers. Easily read in one sitting and will be adding to my books about books section. Also, see the "book jacket " visual pun with the inside flaps. #LitsyAtoZ (letter L author)

LeahBergen You know how much I LOVE books about books! ❤️ I'll have to read this one. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @LeahBergen if you don't have a copy already, Book Outlet has it for $2.19 USD 😉 -- I got it from there a couple months ago and it seems to be still in stock. 7y
elkeOriginal Those flaps are reason alone to want this! 7y
81 likes7 stack adds4 comments
quote
ValerieAndBooks
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

"I did not own many books as a girl. I would go to the library, where books were often undressed: without jackets or any images."

Also:

"They had an anonymous quality, secretive. They gave nothing away in advance. To understand them, you had to read them."

(Note: these former library books have been gained honestly over the years ?)

rubyslippersreads Great photo! 7y
Jinjer I prefer a naked library book to a purchased book with a cheesey cover.😂 7y
LeahBergen Love this photo 😍 7y
See All 10 Comments
Ole Oh yes! In my childhood library the books were even re-bound in anonymous leather bindings. So they all looked the same. 7y
Leftcoastzen What I love is the velvety softness of the many times read page edges. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Jinjer I agree. It seems that today's libraries are now able to use the dust jackets along with plastic covers, cheesy or not. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @LeahBergen thanks! I guess it shows my age -- these kind of bindings aren't around much anymore! 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Ole but still the books got read 😊 7y
ValerieAndBooks @Leftcoastzen you're right! I forgot about that aspect! 7y
79 likes1 stack add10 comments
blurb
readsusieread
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

I have a section on my bookshelf devoted to books I've borrowed from @lacythebookworm, including The Clothing of Books that I'm about to start reading! #currentlyreading

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
TheWordJar
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Hoping to polish off this tiny gem before bed tonight.

review
Lacythebookworm
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

All book lovers should read this tiny book! If you've ever given any thought to book covers, you'll definitely enjoy Lahiri's reflections! 📚😊

christineandbooks I really enjoyed reading her thoughts on the subject of book covers...such a fun little book! 7y
99 likes7 stack adds1 comment
review
GuiltyFeat
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Entirely unnecessary but perfectly delicious essay about book covers from an insider's perspective. at this point, I would probably read Ms. Lahiri's shopping list (in Italian, lots of smoky cheeses, perhaps some new type of muesli), but this contained enough identifiable moments for any book nerd.

56 likes1 stack add
review
LauraBrook
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Forgot to update from this afternoon! Book 2 of the #pantlessreadathon, this short book about covers was fascinating. It was interesting to hear both her ideas about book covers as some who has published books, and then to also hear about the publishing side, making decisions and so on. Really interesting!

christineandbooks I really enjoyed this little book! 7y
LauraBrook @christineandbooks It was so great! The size was deceiving, there was a lot in there. 💖 7y
63 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
LinusTheWonderPup
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Vacation book shopping in New Orleans #BookHaul #NOLA

BooksForYears So much 💗 for Faulkner House & Garden District Bookshop! (edited) 8y
9 likes1 comment
review
susanw
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

A quick little book/essay about book covers and what they mean to us, and to authors, well to Miss Lahiri. And spoiler, they mean a lot! I do wish her little book got a better cover.

80 likes3 stack adds
blurb
Eyelit
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Some snuggling kitties while I'm reading this rainy eve. 😻 #caturday #catsoflitsy

freyaheart So cute!!!! 😺😺 8y
Lmstraubie That's just too cute!!! 😻 8y
Laura317 The kitty smile is precious!! 8y
See All 10 Comments
SharonGoforth 😻😻 8y
JessClark78 🐱❤️ 8y
emilyesears Looook at the bebes!!! Sweetpeas!!!! 8y
DebinHawaii Sweet! 🐱❤️🐱 8y
KarenUK Those are two happy kitties!💕 8y
candyflossramparts Cute kitties! 😻 8y
Bette Siblings? They're beautiful. 🐱💜🐱💙 8y
140 likes10 comments
review
Shay
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Originally written and delivered in Italian as the keynote for the Festival degli Scrittori in 2015 after Lahiri moved to Rome to focus studying Italian. In this essay, Lahiri interrogates the tension between form and content using the book cover, both from her early perspective as a reader, and her later experience as a writer. A fascinating, if brief, meditation on the role of the jacket in the life of a book.

Full review: https://goo.gl/aTTNOA

blurb
Lacythebookworm
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Robinson's essays include the interview between her and President Obama. Looking forward to taking my time with this one. Also had to pick up this tiny one by Lahiri. Books about books - gimme gimme gimme! 😊📚❤

Lmstraubie I just love books about books! 😍📚 8y
Lacythebookworm @Lmstraubie 🙌 Do you have a favorite(s)? 😊 8y
Lmstraubie @Lacythebookworm Right now I'm enjoying The Invisible Library series. I liked Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. I really liked The Bookseller. It was a slow start, but so worth sticking with until the end! 8y
108 likes4 comments
quote
Sapphire
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Books come to stand for various episodes on our lives, for certain idealisms, follies of belief, moments of love. Along the way they accumulate our marks, our stains, our innocent abuses..

quote
BookishMarginalia
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Reading Lahiri's short meditation on book covers, a Valentines gift from @WanderingBookaneer 💜💜💜

Vbrrgirl I have been very curious about that book. Are you enjoying it? 8y
bio_chem06 @BookishMarginalia Fun Fact: Mindy Kaling named her TV character after Lahiri because she loves her work. 8y
Sass84 @lianneoelke an idea about your cover? 8y
187 likes3 stack adds3 comments
blurb
Sapphire
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Despite having read only one book since moving to Dallas five weeks ago, I spent my Christmas Amazon Gift card this weekend (after hearing Amy Jill Levine speak). Picked up a few from the wish list that seem popular right now.

Suzze A Gentleman in Moscow was so so good! 8y
celtichik Welcome to Dfw! 8y
EliNeedsMoreShelves What a great looking stack! 8y
Reviewsbylola I plan to read The Library at Mount Char soon. 8y
44 likes5 comments
review
christineandbooks
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

Opinions seem divided on this, but I loved this short, sweet essay on book covers. I love to read anything about books and found her musings in the purpose and creation of book covers interesting and informative. I didn't realize that authors mostly have little if any input into their cover design. This was, for me, a delightful read.

43 likes4 stack adds
review
MEGR
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

My heart swelled when reading this. So much thought and meaning in this small gem.

review
Qemorio
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

About the relationship between a book and it's cover. I was fascinated by the look behind the scenes at how a cover is chosen and Lahiri's feelings about her book covers and what they say about her and her books.

30 likes2 stack adds
review
Lindy
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

A wide-ranging essay, translated from Italian. What clothing - & book jacket - choices say about the person - & text - inside. The pros & cons of uniformity vs individuality. The ways readers are influenced by things beyond an author's control, including blurbs, cover art & jacket copy. What it's like for an author to release her work to readers. This is a beautifully-packaged little gem.

Lindy Thank you to @shawnmooney for this book. 😊 8y
shawnmooney So glad you enjoyed it! 💜💜 8y
37 likes2 comments
quote
Lindy
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

A cover is a sort of translation, that is, an interpretation of my words in another language - a visual one. It represents the text, but isn't part of it. It can't be too literal. It has to have its own take on the book.

Lindy Detail above is from one of Laurie MacFayden's paintings. She is pleased that the cover on her forthcoming collection of poetry will follow the pattern of the previous two, and feature her own abstract art. I share my life with a talented woman. 😊 8y
WanderingBookaneer I got my wife , @BookishMarginalia , books about books for Valentine's Day. This is one of them. 8y
Lindy @WanderingBookaneer What a great idea... But haven't you just spoiled the surprise? 8y
WanderingBookaneer She knows about this one. As for the other four… 8y
Lindy @WanderingBookaneer Ah ha. Well, this was a good choice. 👍 8y
33 likes5 comments
review
skrishna
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image
Pickpick

This short meditation on book jackets and covers is self-indulgent, but also very interesting. I especially appreciated Lahiri's commentary on stereotypical Indian book covers (henna hands, the Taj Mahal) that sometimes have nothing to do with the book's content.

Suzze Sure sounds interesting! 8y
BethFishReads Not my favorite 8y
75 likes9 stack adds2 comments
quote
kmbezner
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

"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-tight sweater: inadequate."

7 likes1 stack add
blurb
Lindy
The Clothing of Books | Jhumpa Lahiri
post image

Look what was waiting for me when I got back from my travels! A delightful gift of books from @shawnmooney . Thank you so much, you generous man! I look forward to reading every one of these. 😀

shawnmooney Yay! Glad they arrived safe and sound, all the way from Saskatoon! ❤❤ 8y
Lindy @shawnmooney I only just remembered 15 minutes ago that there was a package waiting. I had to ask where it was. LOVE everything! 8y
shawnmooney I couldn't be more pleased! 👍👍👍 8y
43 likes3 comments