Dust jacket
The dust jacket (or book cover ) referred to in the book making a loose envelope that is placed around a book and stamped on the front cover edges. Unlike the name suggests, the protection of the surrounding book is no longer the priority function of a protective envelope.
Elements Dust Jacket
The jacket consists of a front and back, back, front and rear door (inside and back cover) as well as the most unprinted inner pages. The design is limited usually to the front, in some cases, however, the back is included. The reverse, however, is usually a short carrier content information or wooing quotes. The front flap text often contains the so-called laundry list, a short, stylistically appealing text that should pique the interest of the book, whereas the back flap is often used for information about the author.
Sometimes the dust jacket also occurs a bookbinding (or abdominal binder ). It comes mostly added later, if current events are intended to serve as an advertisement, such as prizes won.
History
The history of the protective envelope is closely linked to the development of the laying clean bands. Although some cases of decorated book covers are already documented from the late 15th century, but remained the exception. Only in the 19th century, developed the present form.
The first modern book cover comes after current knowledge layer of the England of 1833. Before a firm bond by the publisher became customary got books usually an interim cover. This usually made of paper or thin cardboard, glued to the spine of the book block envelope was labeled and sometimes even colored. At the further development may be the end of the forties resulting station bookshops has had a decisive role. The ultimate in a hurry travelers should be made aware of the product with bright colors and wooing words. When then put the clean installation tape, it was natural to make this sale benefits also available. Fritz Helmuth Ehmcke therefore assumes that the cover has virtually pushed between the book block and cover.
However, it was not until the dust jacket as an advertising medium really prevailed for some time. In the second half of the 19th century, first you put tracing paper, which was shining through the cover, printed wrapping paper or little to the book. The protection played a decisive role here.
Around 1890 the advertiser dust jacket but was generally established. He has now been printed multicolored on white papers. Well-known artists and graphic designers have been entrusted with the design, such as Henri Toulouse- Lautrec in France or Thomas Theodor Heine in Germany. Content and presentation were here but still no connection. The book art movement, however, which arrived in 1900 to great importance, advocated the unity of the book, which integrated the determining relationship between content and external shape. 1921 led John Heartfield photomontage as a design element on the book cover a.
At first it was rather recent literature which was advertised with a dust jacket, he established himself in the episode for genres that had previously refrained from such editions of the classics or scientific literature.
The dust jacket today and its functions
Advertising
Even today heard the advertising function of the major arguments for a dust jacket. Especially in the field of popular fiction and children 's books, he plays a major role as an incentive. Most publishers therefore regard it as the most important advertising medium and basis of any other promotion.
Orientation
Coupled with this is the orientation function. A dust jacket will not only advertise but also inform. It can convey both content and character of a book, as well as give on the membership to a publisher or a series decomposition. Depending on the type of book one can therefore distinguish between typical and individual book bindings. While the former should increase the recognition value after the brand principle which emphasizes the specificity of the second. To combine these two points, involved some publishers house artists who usually are the features of a company for many years.
Aesthetics
This often also the aesthetic value of the protective envelope is not to be underestimated. Only 12 % of book buyers remove it after purchase, most of the others put the book together with the envelope on the shelf. Some estimate the dust jacket, so much so that they in turn want to protect him and place before reading to the side.
Protection
The protection of the book from wear and pollution also plays nowadays still a non-negligible role. Thus, the dust jacket is usually due to paint or lamination with gloss films less sensitive to skin oils or other contaminants, as the actual book cover fabrics such as linen or other types of porous materials. In addition, it prevents the fading of cover color by light irradiation. Nevertheless, this function is strongly shifted in consciousness in the background.