Tactility

Our collective descent into OMG Perfect Binding?! has made me think about texture—how do books feel, and why is that important?

There's weight, and there's texture, matte covers and deckle edging:

These are critical choices in the creation of a book experience. They signal any number of aesthetic qualities about the book and its content. There's been a great resurgence of letterpress arts. Personally I love a the feel and look of a heavy card stock with deep impressions. It feels more real, more of this world.

Materials generally signify quality in a basic sense, but how do they help bring out more of the book itself? Are there situations where a matte cover is weird? Can a vellum dust jacket be used in any situation? You don't have to answer these specific questions, but I am curious about your experiences with texture and books. What do you prefer? What sort of snap judgments do you have about a certain material choices?