Pappbände

Pappbände are books whose covers are made from cardboard or heavy paperboard and are typically bound with a paper or card cover rather than cloth, leather, or a printed dust jacket. In German bibliographic and publishing terminology the form is often described as a kartonierter Einband or simply Pappband. The binding is usually less durable than cloth- or leather-bound editions and is generally cheaper to produce, which has made Pappbände common for mass-market titles, schoolbooks, and popular non-fiction, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Pappbände can be distinguished from gebundene Bände (hardcover bindings with cloth or leather) and from broschierte Ausgaben (softcover editions with flexible cardboard or paper covers). In many cases the cover is a printed paper over the board, and some editions carry a removable or non-removable wrapper. The term emphasizes the binding material rather than the format or size of the book.

Historically, Pappbände were a widely used compromise between durability and low cost, enabling publishers to reach broad audiences. Over time, the distinction between Pappbände and other bindings has decreased in daily practice, as modern softcover methods and thinner bindings blur the lines. Today the designation remains primarily bibliographic: a book issued with a cardboard-covered binding is described as a Pappband or kartonierte Ausgabe in catalogs and library records.