Hasta La Creative!

Even old dogs like hardcover books can learn new tricks.

Random House and creative director Suzanne Dean picked five Japanese illustrators to design stickers inspired by characters from Colorless Tskuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, the latest book by celebrated author Haruki Murakami. The book is already out in Japanese, and due in English come August. And translated first editions will include the sticker set, which includes objects ranging from swim goggles to pianos and convertible cars, and the publisher is encouraging readers to make the cover their own by slapping the drawings on its front.

It’s a cool trick, a blend between a marketing gimmick and a nostalgia-inducing perk that at least some die-hard fans should be able to enjoy. The only problem is that anyone old enough to actually want a hardcover or paperback probably also had an elementary school librarian who made it exceptionally clear that no person should ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, deface books, because they are precious.

Or maybe that just increases the appeal of finally getting to do it.