The front cover is the front of the book, and it is correctly identified as such by text or pictures (namely as the very beginning of the book). The front cover generally includes the title or author, as well as a suitable artwork. It may also include other information like awards or reviews. In general, books have their fronts covered with paper or cloth, which are then decorated with illustrations and printed matter. The word "cover" comes from a French term for what we now call a jacket: bréviaire or bibliotheque. A book cover is therefore the protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book. Books can have one or more covers. If there is only one cover, it is called the front cover. Other names for front cover include dust jacket, flap cover, or simply cover. If you open a book and its front cover is missing, that means that the book is old or that someone has removed it from another book. Even if the book has many chapters and other items inside it, if its front cover is missing, so are those other items - they cannot be reached without the front cover. People sometimes ask me if they can reuse old or worn-out book covers. The answer is yes, of course you can! They will just not look as nice. Also, some people collect old books and write on their covers.