Will Ferrell's puffed-up anchorman, Ron Burgundy, indicated his sophistication by keeping a collection of "many leather-bound books" -- and Burgundy would certainly rather lose his mustache than have a paper-coated volume muck up that rich look.

This fall, the New York Observer reports, new hardcover editions sans traditional dust jackets will be on bookshelves everywhere. Cover designs will instead be embossed directly onto the cardboard cover, giving it an understated, elegant look.

At a time when the latest book incarnation is a wireless-streamed file sliding through an Amazon Kindle, the stamped covers feel refreshingly retro -- a nod to the pleasant permanence of a paste-and-paper book.

Hovering around the new-release average of $25, they also won't cost any more than the covered editions. And they're certainly much greener -- which is appropriate, considering one of this fall's naked releases is Colin Beaven's No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process.

You stay classy, hardcover fans.