Here's what Google's AI thingy has to say about this:
This image captures the nostalgic tradition of cutting open brown paper grocery bags to custom-fold, tape, and decorate as protective covers for school textbooks.
The practice was widespread from the 1960s through the 1980s as a resourceful and cost-effective way to keep new, rented(?) or reused school books in good condition throughout the academic year.
Students often personalized their homemade paper book covers with doodles, their name, class subject, and stickers.
Me? I wrote what the subject was on the skinny side/the spine of the book - genius move, I must say. Seriously, after my Mother taught me how to do it in the first grade, I did it myself throughout my schooling, up to and including senior year of High School - all Catholic Schools I might add. My one rebellious take on it? I always did the covers inside in, so most of my books said PathMark, ShopRite or A&P on the outside. What a mastermind, huh?
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School books were effectively rented back in the 1070s in the UK. Your parents would pay the school for them at the start of September with the price depending on the condition. In July you traded them back in and the school paid some of the money back to your parents. Nice little scam as the teachers were like used car-dealers when it came to evaluate the books.
ReplyDeleteMy sister would use old jeans and cover the books in denim.
ReplyDeleteStarted school around 1958, never did this nor ever seen anyone else do it.
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