Leather Scraps

What do you do with the protective paper cover that envelopes your hardcover book?

After much handling, the paper cover begins to look shabby and beaten. Rips and tears start to appear. Mysterious folds and crinkles make themselves known on the once pristine, flat paper. Stains who's origins are equally unkown offend the eyes.
So do you keep the well-worn piece of paper, so that it may continue to fulfill its role?
Or do you scrap it? Book looks more intelligent anyway, with it's ebony coloured leather cover, and silver writing.
A "dust jacket"? Is that what it's called?
hmm...

Dust Jackets do have a collector value, if you keep them in good shape. They also are important to the worth of first editions in so far as collectors are concerned. if a jacket has pretty much bit the dust, Its really up to you isn't it? they do have the practical purpose of keeping the book from collecting soil, and scars. You can fix them with tape etc, replace them with paper from another source, even buy replacement covers made of various materials if you like. Or just scrap 'em. Most modern books are just bound in cloth or paper these days, so I am not sure about your silver and leather analogy, unless you are collecting very old books - which, by the way, seldom have dust covers.

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