The book covers are two parts of the book cover. The book covers protect the book block, ie the pages of the book, from damage, bumps and soiling. They are connected to each other by the bridge. One differentiates between front cover, also front cover and cover, which protects the front of the book and back cover. The book covers usually protrude somewhat over the book block and are for the purpose of the protection from harder materials (grain, cardboard).
In the Middle Ages, such covers were mainly made of wood and were partially upgraded by means of gildings and ornaments. Nowadays, cardboard covers are widely used, with covers made of leather, fabric, paper or plastic being common. Modern book covers are often printed with pictures or fonts, using different techniques (offset printing, screen printing, preprinted printing, printing lacquers and punching).
Accordingly, the front cover nowadays mostly refers to the title of the book, is partly decorated by an illustration and bears the name of the author as well as the publisher. Books in a hard cover are also often equipped with a protective cover, the folded-in ends of which provide space for the flap text, as well as an elaborate design and provide even greater protection.
The book cover consists of two parts: the front cover and the back cover
Origins of the book cover
Formerly books consisted exclusively of some layers of paper, which were either rolled or folded. This was subdivided by three or four columns (columns), but very rarely a protective cover protected the contents from bumps, dirt or damage.
But already in the Christian Alterum (approximately until 311 AD), the worship of the sacred word led to the fact that some writings were purely ornamentedly ornamented externally. Partially, a preciously integrated Gospel code belonged to the permanent ornament on church altars. These bindings went back to the elaborate ivory diptychs between which the individual parchments described were placed.
These initial book covers, therefore, consisted of wood, on which the noble ivory plates were fastened with rivets. These panels were partly bordered with silver or gold plates, in which pearls or precious stones were often used. Each of these high-quality book covers was unique because it had its own jewelery and individual embellishments.
Overview: The most important overview
The book covers are part of the cover of a book. They are divided into front covers and rear covers. These covers have the function to protect the book from bumps, dirt or damage, but also provide space for illustrations and inscriptions.
They were made of wood and are nowadays mainly made of cardboard or cardboard. However, they can be supplied with a wide variety of materials. For example, covers made of leather, fabric, paper or plastic are used.