Book History: D is for Dust Jacket

A dust jacket is a paper cover made to cover the outside of a book.  Although it is ostensibly to protect the cover of the book from wear, dust jackets have become an important part of the book, as they have illustrations, advertisements, written descriptions, and other printed matter that does not appear in the book itself.  The first known dust jacket was made for The Keepsake, published in London in 1832.   Dust jackets came into more common use as books covers began to be made more often from bookcloth rather than leather.  Illustrations became a part of dust jackets towards the end of the 1800s, although the illustrations were often copies of the front covers of the books.  Around 1920, commissioning illustrations specifically for dust jackets that did not appear in the book itself became standard practice.    Currently, one of the most expensive dust jackets ever made is the first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, valued from between $140,000-$170,000, more if the book is included.

  

***Cover picture from the University of South Carolina

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/essays/eyes/eyes.html