History Main / BookAndSwitch

Compare NewspaperThinDisguise. When publishers foresee the desire to hide a book this way, they may release an edition with a ClandestineCover.

Compare BookSafe, which is when a dummy cover is used to conceal something that isn't a book. See also UsefulBook for other tropes where books have a non-reading purpose.

See also BookSafe, which is when a dummy cover is used to conceal something that isn't a book.

* In ''Film/VarsityBlues'' the replacement quarterback Mox is reading ''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'' by Kurt Vonnegut hidden inside the team play-book on the sidelines.

* In ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'', Cathy finds a book in her mother's bedside table with a dust jacket that says ''How to Create Your Own Needlework Designs'', but upon opening it is shocked to find that's it's actually a book of pornographic photos.
* In ''Literature/TheGreenMile'', Percy pretends to read a texbook, but hides a porn comic in it.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has Stan Marsh, who's on a Food Network frenzy, hide a cookbook under a Playboy magazine.
* ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'': In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Larry", Larry is shown in a book club with Archibald, Jimmy, and Mr. Lunt, currently reading ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn''. When Bob asks what they thought of the book, Mr. Lunt gives a generic description, only for a tiny pamphlet to slip out from his book. Said pamphlet is a simplified "Norm's Notes" summary for the vegetable on the go. When Bob asks if the other members allow it, a Norm's Notes pamphlet fall out of each book.

* Inverted on a Magazine/{{MAD}} cover. Alfred E. Neuman appears to be reading ''Mad'' but behind it, you can see he's really enjoying Shakespeare.

In any of these cases, the solution is obvious. The desired book is put on the inside cover of the undesired book. (Bonus points if the cover of the outside book [[RushedInvertedReading is upside down]]). That way, everyone will think that the character is reading something worthwhile instead of good-for-nothing smut.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "Binky Goes Nuts", after Binky finds out he has a peanut allergy, Sue Ellen (who has a milk allergy) shows him a book to help him with a new lifestyle. Unfortunately, he doesn't take it seriously and uses the book to cover up a ''Bionic Bunny'' comic.

* In a meta sense, some older games for the PC and Apple Macintosh computers had a "Hide, the boss is coming!" button that would quickly put a fake spreadsheet over the game or minimise it and change the title and icon to something unassuming (like "Program Manager Help").

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At least, they ''would'' think this except they aren't idiots. Inevitably the switch is discovered and the character executing it is embarrassed. And we all learn a valuable lesson - this character wants people to think he's smart, but he's really either [[ClosetGeek a geek]] or an idiot. Usually the former for sympathetic ones, the latter for non-sympathetic ones.

[[folder:{{Advertising}}]]

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* In ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' Ataru is shown hiding a girly mag inside one of his books.
* In ''Manga/HisAndHerCircumstances'' Yukino is seen hiding a comedy book under a serious cover. Arima scolds her for putting up a front.
* In ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'' Kayano uses a library book to hide the "Puddings of the World" book she's actually reading.
** In one chapter of the ''Manga/KoroSenseiQuest'' spinoff, Koro-sensei reads a porn magazine and hides it behind a thick grimoire.

* In "Chutes and Ladders," one space at the start of a chute shows a comic book inside his textbook. On the other end of the slide, he's shown sitting with a DunceCap, indicating that he did poorly in school due to not taking his studies seriously.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]
* In the miniseries "Midsummer's Nightmare" that led up to Creator/GrantMorrison's ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' run, Wally West, having lost his memory of being the Flash, was teaching high school and caught one of his students doing this.
* Inverted on a Magazine/{{MAD}} cover. Alfred E. Neuman appears to be reading ''Mad'' but behind it, you can see he's really enjoying Shakespeare.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12023037/7/Hitting-the-tomes Hitting the Tomes]]'' Harry hides ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' behind the fifth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11996609/6/Wear-Me-Like-A-Locket-Around-Your-Throat Wear Me Like a Locket Around Your Throat]]'' Cassius hides a ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comic behind a book on chess.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12977731/18/Whispers-in-the-Lake Whispers in the Lake]]'' many Hogwarts students hide the ''Quibbler'' issue where Harry reveals Voldemort's return behind their DADA textbooks.
* In ''[[http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=3584&textsize=0&chapter=4 Phoenix Burning]]'' Ron hides a Quidditch magazine behind one of his textbooks.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7832676/8/Petunia-s-Boys Petunia's Boys]]'' Ron hides a Quidditch magazine behind a book on Charms.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13884311/8/Finding-Heather Finding Heather]]'' Harry hides several issues of ''Witch Weekly'' behind his Potions textbook.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' Biff hides a girly magazine within the cover of the [[TimelineAlteringMacGuffin sports almanac]]. Marty is, naturally, exasperated by this fact after he goes to a great deal of effort to retrieve it. Extra idiot points for Biff by hiding a girly magazine with the cover of a sports almanac that won't even exist for sixty years.

* [[SmugSnake Percy Wetmore]], of ''Film/TheGreenMile'', reads a Tijuana Bible (a pornographic comic from the 30's and 40's featuring icons of the day, essentially the pre-internet version of RuleThirtyFour) behind a copy of the regulations for the mental hospital he wants to transfer to. This scene is in the book, where he's explicitly reading a Franchise/{{Popeye}} Tijuana Bible.

* In ''Film/LeanOnMe'' a guy hides an adult magazine in his test booklet which is promptly confiscated by his teacher. The guy immediately pulls out another one.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
* The smart sister in ''Heart of Valor'' by L.J. Smith is reading another book inside her algebra book during math class, her teacher knows but can't call her on it because she's getting all the questions right. She reflects that he'd probably be less annoyed if he knew the book she was hiding was a ''trigonometry'' textbook.

* In ''Literature/FlowersInTheAttic'' Cathy finds a book in her mother's bedside table with a dust jacket that says ''How to Create Your Own Needlework Designs'', but upon opening it is shocked to find that's it's actually a book of pornographic photos.
* One ''Literature/ReuhurinteenAlaAste'' story has Iso-Nestori read a book about karate during class by hiding it behind his religion textbook.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* ''Series/TheOddCouple1970''- during a rehearsal for "Scrooge", one of the characters (Speed) is hiding porn underneath his script and is sort of not paying attention to the rehearsal. He is suddenly asked to read for the part of Scrooge. But he thinks they want him to read the porn. He balks, saying he would be embarrassed. He's coaxed into reading and begins reciting a passage from the porn, to which a very surprised Felix says, "Charles Dickens never wrote that".
* One sketch of ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' had the inverse of the usual: a man bought a Daily Mail and "Hot Chicks XXX", then hid that he was reading the Mail by hiding it in the porn.
* In the opening titles of ''Series/{{Blackadder}} The Third'' Edmund uses a textbook to hide raunchy paperback novels, each of which just happens to have that week's episode title.
* Inverted in ''{{Series/Chuck}}''. Since he knows his bedroom's under video surveillance, Chuck studies the Intersect plans he got from Orion behind a ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' collection.
* An episode of ''Series/MyWifeAndKids'' had Junior locking himself in the bathroom with magazines for hours at a time. Although his parents seem to think he is actually pleasuring himself with cookbooks and ''Field & Stream'', it's implied he is hiding porn magazines in them.

* ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' has an inversion at the end of one episode: The teen genius whose invention of a revolutionary new fuel/explosive had caused much trouble throughout the episode is finally seen reading a novel ; turns out it's a novel cover hiding a book on cryogenics.

* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' episode ''Shoeless Al'' has Bud hiding a Big-Uns in a large textbook, it's pointed out by a lawyer who is staying with the family in order to catch Al lying in his frivolous lawsuit.
--> Bundy, I can spot a liar a mile away and I'll prove it. For instance, take your son there. Looks like he's reading, but if you'll notice, his eyes aren't moving. That usually denotes that he's looking at a picture. From the little beads of sweat on his forehead, I think it folds out. He should be heading upstairs any time now.
* ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'': In the ''Schemer Presents'' episode, "How to (Seem to) Be Smart", Schemer reveals himself to be reading a book called ''How to Make Money By Brushing Your Teeth'' by [[PunnyName Meg A. Bucks]] underneath a book called ''The Oxford Anthology of Intelligent Writing'' to make himself seem smart.
* A rare instance of this trope PlayedForDrama happens on ''Series/GilmoreGirls,'' when Jess uses a magazine about punk rock to hide the self-help book he's reading, entitled "You Deserve Love."

[[folder:NewspaperComics]]
* The title character of ''ComicStrip/{{Curtis}}'' often tries to hide his Supercaptaincoolman comics this way while in class. His teacher is never fooled.
* One strip of ''ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}'' has child genius Caulfield hiding Shakespeare inside his primary reader book. Which is not a good thing to do on read-aloud day.
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' does this in quite a few Sunday editions; Calvin always hides a comic book inside his textbook.
* In ''ComicStrip/{{Foxtrot}}'' Paige puts fake ''Magazine/{{Cosmopolitan}}'' covers on her textbook to try and hide the fact that she's studying.
[[/folder]]

* While Miles Edgeworth from ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' does genuinely read difficult legal books for fun, he uses one on a long plane ride in ''Investigations'' to hide the fact that he's actually reading a [[ClosetGeek Steel Samurai book]].
* In a meta sense, some older games for the PC and Apple Macintosh computers had a "Hide, the boss is coming!" button that would quickly put a fake spreadsheet over the game or minimise it and change the title and icon to something unassuming (like "Program Manager Help").

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** This happens in the episode where Martin and Bart are tutoring each other - Bart hides a comic in his schoolbook - Martin hides a schoolbook in his comic book.
** Another episode has Moe Szyzlak hiding his poetry magazine behind a copy of ''Magazine/{{Playboy}}''. In church.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' has Tucker hiding his PDA behind "A Farewell to Arms."
* On ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', when Stan Smith finds out that his son is a geek, he has a [[HeroicBSOD massive breakdown.]] But at one point, he finds a copy of [[BrandX Playhouse]] under Steve's bed, and he breathes a huge sigh of relief. Then he opens it up, and there's a textbook inside. The breakdown resumes.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has Stan Marsh, who's on a Food Network frenzy, hide a cookbook under a Playboy magazine.
* ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'': Ickis once tried to hide an issue of Ultra-Monster inside his Monster Manual so he could read it during class. That didn't end well.

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': In the climax of the season 1 episode "Shen Yi Bu", Raimundo is supposedly studying from the Ancient Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu again (having done so earlier in the episode). Omi sneaks in to find out what Raimundo's learning from it this time and tries to bug him into telling him after he gets caught... and it's only after he leaves that Raimundo, who refused to tell Omi anything, is shown to have been hiding a hand-held video game behind the scroll.

** The normal intent of this trope is inverted when Light uses a porn magazine to divert attention from an ArtifactOfDoom.