Purchase prepared book covers or make your own.
Book covers on hardback books are necessary for holding the pages intact, as well as identifying the contents of the material. Whether you are a book collector or you need to keep a borrowed book protected from wear, book covers are the most efficient method of protecting the outside of books. If you have aged books, prevent damage from occurring by protecting the covers from exposure to the elements. Air can dry book covers, leading to deterioration of the materials. Keep your book out of water, sunlight or extreme heat.
Instructions
1. Purchase a pre-made book cover or make a custom-fit cover. Choose from materials suitable for book covers, such as heavyweight paper, plastic, cloth, wall paper, leather, rubber or felt. Pick a cover depending on your budget, type of book and how you plan to use the cover.
Consider a more durable cover, one that allows you to write on the material or a cover that you can reuse for another book, if you are selecting a cover for a book that you will use frequently, such as for school. Select less durable protective book covers for books that spend most of their time on a book shelf. Purchase high-quality and adorned protective covers to cover books that are used for decorative purposes.
Make your own book-cover protector using felt, paper or cloth. Decorate your homemade book cover with embroidery, stamping or embellishments. Add pockets on the outside or inside flap to give you somewhere to hold pencils, rulers or book notes.
2. Provide protection against clothes moths, which are insects that eat and nest in certain materials, including wool, cotton, silk and leather, that are found in some book covers. Inspect book covers made from these materials periodically for signs of moth infestation, such as moth nests, eggs or larvae. Protect book covers from dust that will collect on exposed book covers, causing discoloration and creating a nest for insects. Keep antique books in sealed plastic bags to protect the cover from insects, dust and mold.
3. Purchase a leather protectant that is available at archival shops to repair book covers suffering from red rot. Remove books with covers that are infected by red rot from the rest of your books in order to prevent damage to other books. Use a leather protector or conditioner on leather book covers to prevent damage from air, rot or fungi.
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