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Book Jackets

display case
The Wheat Law Library regularly displays book jackets from many recent acquisitions. Since the regular location of this display is temporarily unavailable, jackets from books received during the fall semester can be viewed in the main library display case. Additionally, the opinion column written by Professor Michael Hoeflich for the Lawrence Journal World can again be read in this display. Please enjoy browsing these titles and learning a little bit about the history and importance of book jackets.

            Book jackets were first used during the early nineteenth century simply as a means to keep dust and smog off of books in London bookshops.1 These early jackets protected such books as those bound and encased in stamped cloth, a decorative practice implemented in the 1830's.2 During the early 20th century book jackets became more common and often displayed the same blocking from the binder. Occasional blurbs and some pictures for children showed up on jackets at this time when publishing competition was increasing. The market experienced a lapse during World War I, but saw a boom in visual advertising in the 1920's.3 Previously, publishers paid little attention to the artistic quality of book jackets. However, by the 1920's a market for selling books to more people arose and more jackets contained publisher information and graphic design.4 It was becoming important for graphic designers to visually portray the contents of the book.5 These early cover designers used jackets to integrate the cover and the interior of the book as a whole, making the jacket less commercial and more of an art medium.6
            display caseThrough the 30's and 40's jackets became increasingly important for attracting customers and selling books.7 Throughout the decades of the 20th century book jacket design has undergone many changes following artistic styles such as modernism, new wave and postmodernism with increasing use of technology to achieve interpretation in cover designs.8 Although the book jacket looks different and now serves a different purpose than it did for the London booksellers, book jacket design is still a strong advertising tool and a treasure to many book lovers.

  1. Charles Rosner, The Growth of the Book-Jacket vii (1954).
  2. Sue Allen & Charles Gullans, Decorated Cloth in America: Publishers' Bindings 1840-1910 11 (1994).
  3. Alan Powers, Front Cover: Great Book Jackets and Cover Design 7 (2001).
  4. Rosner, supra note 1, at viii.
  5. Id. at xviii.
  6. Ned Drew & Paul Sternberger, By Its Cover 24 (2005).
  7. Id. at 33.
  8. Id. at 138.