<biblio-key: french flaps>

French flaps (like the 'Pink' title by Gus Van Sant illustrated) are the folded in extensions to the covers of paperbacks.  They are increasingly used to add weight and substance to paperback original first editions.  Not only do the flaps frame the book visually, they are tactile, playful and make great bookmarks -- navigating the book is like crossing the Equator and requires you to flip flaps.  French flaps are excellent depositories for synopsis and author biography ... and perhaps even proof that you can occasionally judge a book by its cover.