How to Wrap a Book: The Easiest Gift to Wrap Well

If you want to learn how to wrap a book, you have picked the friendliest gift there is. A book is a firm, flat rectangle with square corners, so the paper lies smooth and the ends fold into small, neat points with very little effort.

The only real difference from wrapping a box is that a book is thin. That means less paper at the ends, smaller flaps and a few small precautions to protect the cover.

Why a book is easy to wrap

• It is rigid, so it does not shift or sag while you tape.
• It is flat, so the end flaps are short and have little room to wrinkle.
• Its two large faces show off patterned paper well.

One thing to notice: three sides of a book are slightly recessed where the pages sit inside the cover. On a hardcover, pull the paper snug over the cover edges rather than pressing it into that gap, or the paper will dent.

What you need

• Wrapping paper: matte medium-weight paper or kraft paper is ideal
• Sharp scissors
• Clear tape or double-sided tape
• Ribbon or twine, and a tag
• Optional: a sheet of tissue paper to protect the cover

Thin glossy paper can tear on the sharp corners of a hardcover. If that is all you have, pull gently and do not crease the corners too hard.

Measure the paper for a book

Around the book, the paper should go once around the girth, which is twice the width plus twice the thickness, with about 2 in (5 cm) of overlap.

At the ends, the paper needs to stick out by a little more than half the thickness of the book. About two-thirds of the thickness works well. For a book about 1.5 in (4 cm) thick, that is roughly 1 in (2.5 cm) at each end. For a slim paperback it may be barely 1/2 in (1.3 cm).

This is much less than most people leave. Too much end paper is the usual reason a wrapped book has thick, crumpled ends. The general method is explained in how to measure wrapping paper.

Wrap the book step by step

1. Lay the paper pattern side down. Place the book face down on it, so the back cover faces you. The seam will sit on the back.
2. Bring one long side of the paper up and over to the middle of the back cover. Tape it to the book with a small piece of tape, or to a sheet of tissue if you have wrapped the book in one first.
3. Fold under about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) along the other long side to make a clean edge.
4. Pull that side snug over the first and fasten it. Double-sided tape under the fold hides the tape entirely.
5. At one short end, push the top flap down flat against the edge of the book. Small diagonal folds form at the sides; pinch them.
6. Fold the two thin side flaps in.
7. Crease the remaining flap into a point, fold it up and tape it. Repeat at the other end.
8. Turn the book over and run a thumbnail along every edge to sharpen the creases.

These are the same folds used on any box, only smaller. If you would like to see them on a larger scale first, the beginner lesson on how to wrap a gift shows each one.

Paperbacks and thin books

A paperback bends, so paper pulled tight around it can make the cover curl. Two things help.

• Pull the paper snug, not tight. Let the creases along the edges do the work.
• For a very thin or floppy book, lay a piece of stiff card the same size against the back before you wrap. It keeps the parcel flat and protects the corners.

On very thin books, the end flaps are too small to fold into points. Simply fold the whole end over to the back in one piece, crease it and tape it, as you would close an envelope.

Wrapping a stack of books

Two or three books given together can be wrapped as one block.

1. Stack them with the largest at the bottom, and line the spines up on one side.
2. Tie the stack loosely with a piece of twine, or wrap a band of scrap paper around it, so it does not slide.
3. Measure and wrap the stack as a single box, using the height of the whole stack to work out the end allowance.

If the books differ a lot in size, the block will have steps in it and the paper will not lie flat. In that case, wrap each book separately and tie them together with ribbon instead.

Other ways to wrap a book

A book suits simple, textured wrapping.

• Kraft paper and twine. Plain brown paper with a cross of twine is a classic parcel look. There are more ways to dress it up in kraft paper gift wrapping ideas.
• Cloth. A square of cotton or linen knotted over the center of the book makes a wrap that can be reused. See fabric gift wrapping for the folds.
• A paper band. Wrap the book in solid paper, then add a strip of patterned paper around the middle.

Finish with ribbon and a tag

Because a book is flat, narrow ribbon looks best: about 1/4 to 3/8 in (6 to 10 mm) for a small paperback, and up to 5/8 in (16 mm) for a large hardcover. A cross tie with a small bow, or a single band around the width, keeps the parcel flat enough to stack.

Write the names on the tag before attaching it. Tie it into the knot or slip it under the ribbon; how to attach a gift tag shows a simple loop knot that holds well on twine.

Keep ribbon and twine away from babies and pets, and give adult help to a child using scissors.