The purpose of this thesis is to show the importance of the book jacket in the sale of books produced specifically for the foreign tourist market in Ireland. In order to establish the importance of the book jacket it was first necessary to look at the history of the book to understand how it developed and how the book jacket came to be. Following this it was necessary to look at the book jacket itself, including format, layout, design, the role of the jacket as a marketing tool and the importance of the jacket to the tourist book. This is followed by a review of the industry which produces and sells books to tourists in Ireland. It was also necessary to examine the role of marketing in bookselling and publishing and the importance of the jacket to this process. The consumer of tourist books plays an important role. This led to an analysis of the Irish tourist market. An understanding of the profile of the consumer and their perceptions of Ireland make the task of designing a book jacket for a tourist market much easier. The primary research concentrated on surveys of the key players in the book business - editors, designers, sales people and booksellers. Between them they provide a clear picture of the importance of the book jacket to the sale of tourist books. The combined results of the secondary and primary research demonstrate that the book jacket plays a critical role in the marketing and sale of tourist books. It is the book jacket which attracts the tourist’s interest and plays a fundamental role in the decision to purchase a book.