How important is the dust jacket to the value of a book?
Dust jackets, or wrappers, were designed to protect the binding of a book during shipping and were thus usually discarded. Most early dust jackets, there initial use dating to the 19th century, have not survived. However, during the 20th century dust jackets became more artistic and often included advertising for an author or publisher’s other works. Many collectors value the dust jacket as they search to find a book as close to its original appearance in every way. Many will “trade up” to get a book with an original dust jacket if possible.
