The dust jacket (sometimes dust wrapper, abbreviated dj or dw) of a hardback book is the paper, usually illustrated and including front and back flaps, that protects the binding of the book from scratches. However, since dust jackets themselves have value, aesthetic and sometimes financial, they themselves are sometimes wrapped in transparent, acetate book jacket covers. In the world of book collecting the presence or absence of an original dust jacket has a significant impact on a collectible book's value.
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