Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Books are often passed down through generations as family heirlooms, and many of these are rare and valuable collector’s items. Most publishers shield books from moisture, dirt and accidents using a dust jacket. However, even these protective coverings can become worn with time or use. Maintaining your dust jackets is the first step in keeping your books in good condition, as many book collectors will dismiss the value of a rare first edition book if the dust jacket is missing or damaged.
A dust jacket is a protective layer that goes around a book. They are commonly found on hardback books, but can also be fitted to paperbacks to stop dust, sunlight and other factors from damaging the book itself. Using a piece of paper and a basic template, a dust cover can be easily created and with some extra effort can be made to look very professional.
Dust jackets protect your favorite books from dust, dirt, moisture and too much love. They prevent dented spines and bent corners, keeping your favorite stories intact for many years. If your style doesn't jibe with brown paper dust jackets, you might consider leather. Craft leather is thin, workable and gives every book a vintage feel. Steampunks looking to hide modern tomes will love leather dust jackets, as will anyone with a flair for vintage-chic style.
Dust jackets help protect your book from scuffs as you slide it over tables and into bookshelves, but they can start to look ratty after extensive use. You can make a replacement jacket that will guard your book just as well with the added benefit of customization. One size doesn't fit all, though, so take the specific needs of your book into consideration when you construct the dust jacket.
If you've ever loaned out a hardcover book, chances are good that you got the book back with a tear or stain on the book jacket. This is a frustrating situation if you like to keep your books looking like new. Create a fabric book jacket that you can place on any hardcover book you loan out. It will look distinctive, so your friend will remember that it's a loaner, and your dust jacket will stay safe at home.
A dust jacket is a covering over the outside of a hardcover book. Some dust jackets are paper, some have plastic and some are both. Library edition hardcover books will often have a plastic cover over the dust jacket to prevent the dust jacket from becoming easily torn and damaged. Some people discard dust jackets as soon as they receive a book. Vintage or hard-to-find dust jackets can add value to important books. Buying dust jackets depends on which type you are purchasing.
A first printing of a first edition book has the ability to increase greatly in value over time. Modern collectors look for these and consider them both works of art and continually appreciating investments. There are several points you must establish to determine if a book is a first edition, including verifying its authentic binding, authentic typos found only in the first edition, dust jacket and author's signature. Once you know how to do this, you can build a library worth a literary fortune. The last fifty years have seen a number of best-selling, well-written books that are now highly…
"Dune" is the name of a wildly-popular science-fiction novel written by Frank Herbert in 1965. The book won the "Nebula" award for Best Novel in 1965, and Herbert himself won the Hugo award in 1966. "Dune" spawned several more novels, including several that were written after Herbert's death by his son and a colleague named Kevin J. Anderson. Several computer games and a movie were also based on the book. The first edition of "Dune" was printed in 1965 by the Chilton publishing house and is relatively simple to recognize.
Collecting vintage magazines is an exciting outlet to keep the voice of the past alive. Such collectibles are often passed down through family members of the era who have kept their favorite issues, featuring movie stars and fashions of the day. Clean newly acquired magazines and store properly to ensure the highest resale value or pass them down through the family once more. Vintage magazines are a prized commodity among the fashion and collectible-minded and should be handled carefully.
Many people have old books laying around that are accruing dust, fraying at the edges or even becoming moldy. Whether it's an heirloom Bible that's been passed down from generation to generation or just an especially treasured copy of a fiction novel, you will want to take steps to preserve these books so that they can be enjoyed for many years to come.
An experienced book dealer and online seller explains how to spot dust jacket flaws in this free series of book collecting videos.
