Printed dust jackets as we have them today didn't really exist in colonial times; they're basically a 20th-century innovation. As the article points out, the ea

Printed dust jackets as we have them today didn't really exist in colonial times; they're basically a 20th-century innovation. As the article points out, the early convention was for titles to be stamped horizontally. The title would have been stamped on the binding, and a plain paper wrapper covered it for protection.