Contact Paper

I like to cover my books with clear contact paper.  I just really want them to stay in good condition.
I do love my books.  =)

I have always loved to read.  As a child, I collected every good book I could acquire, finding many at Goodwill or other places.  I kept every one, even the old raggedy ones.  When I was 12, my Mom got me a big box of used books, mostly Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
That was my favorite gift!

One was printed in 1925, and I have since learned it was one of the original Hardy Boys that still had the 25 chapters in it.

← I even kept this old book.  It is a book after all, and readable!  =)  See my lovely duct tape?  Well, I was 12!  LOL!

A few years ago, I wanted to fix it up.  My other Hardy Boys books had blue on them, so I cut a blue file folder to fit my book.  I used three file folders before I got it just right!  =\
I looked online for a picture of the cover of the exact book.
Then I cut white paper for the inside front, since the front page was torn and stained.  (The torn page is between the white paper and the folder.)  I lightly glued it all in place to hold it so I could get the contact paper adhered.  I also glued the picture to the front cover of the folder.

  
I wrapped the contact paper around the folder/front torn page/white paper together, and across the next page.
In the back, I ended up wrapping the contact paper around the folder, around both sides of the whole entire back page, and onto the next-to-last page.  The pages in the back were more loose, and there was nothing to connect the file folder to otherwise.

I was pretty proud of my result.  It took me long enough!  I'd say nearly 2 hours, including hunting and printing the picture, and my trials and errors.
It's a sturdy little book now!  =)

If you want to cover a book, and you're new at this, you might want to have a helper to hold the top edge of the sticky plastic as you smooth it onto the book.
If you get bubbles, you may be able to smooth them out.
If not, I prick a tiny hole w/ a pin and let the air out.
Here are directions at wikihow.
I don't start from the spine, tho.  I just fully complete one side of the book, flip it over and press the contact paper to the spine, then do the other side.