The Case

The case is the hardcover of a book. All hardcover books have a case underneath the jacket. This case is made of two boards - one on the front and one on the back - which are covered in a cloth or paper wrapper which holds the book together. The case also creates a little pocket in the book between the cover and the spine. This is what allows the book to sit flat on a surface.

What is it made of?

It is almost always made of fabric or paper. However, the fabric is usually fake for economical and preservative reasons. The fake fabric gives the same look as normal fabric, but it is more readily available and more economical than linen or cotton. Unlike paper covers which are printed, hardcover cases will often be stamped with the design instead. Stamping simply leaves a depression in the material to be filled with pigment rather than the usual printing. Sometimes, both printing and stamping are used on one case.

Historical Materials

These are four of the books from the sixteenth century examined for arsenic paint.

A study done at the University Library of Southern Denmark found that cases used to be made of toxic materials like arsenic which poisoned readers when contact was too concentrated. They discovered this by looking at the case materials of book from the medieval times in order to try and discover more about their origins and materials, specifically about the case. The discovery of arsenic in old book cases and bindings created media attention which fostered the discovery of more books during this time. Most books or letters discovered and analyzed from this time period also contained this arsenic material. This paint was popular when books were first beginning to be bound because it was used to make certain colors of paint. Through this collection of discoveries, scientists were able to unveil the inner workings of the sixteenth century binding process. This discovery gave significant insights to the process of making book cases when they first came about.

The Design Elements in the Modern Day

While most people may overlook it because it sits underneath the jacket, the case can be given a design as well. It is almost always designed on faux cloth or paper. The front and back covers of the case are often left blank save for the author's name and publisher's logo which is stamped along the spine. This allows the book to be identified even without the jacket. The cases of children's books, however, tend to repeat the design elements of the cover almost exactly. This is due to kids' frequency to just throw the jacket away or tear it. Therefore, the design of children's cases would include a relevant design as well as the title and author name. On occasion, a design will be put on the front of an adult case as well for the few readers who decided to unwrap the book and see what lies below.

For other books, where covers are more of a problem, the design is printed directly onto the case. Examples of these could be cookbooks where propping a book with a cover on the counter could just cause more problems if it slipped off or prevented the book from sitting up correctly.

This is significant in the industry today because the first thing people judge a book from is the cover and case. If these elements fall short, readers might not take as much notice of it. Whereas, if a cover and case have a beautiful or unique design, readers walking by in a store are more likely to take interest in it. The outside of a book is the first thing readers have to judge off of, so it is important in the industry that cases and covers have an appealing design.