History Main / BookAndSwitch

* The title character of ''{{Curtis}}'' often tries to hide his Supercaptaincoolman comics this way while in class. His teacher is never fooled.

* ''CalvinAndHobbes'' does this on quite a few Sunday editions; Calvin always hides a comic book inside his textbook.

* This happens in ''TheSimpsons'' episode where Martin and Bart are tutoring each other - Bart hides a comic in his schoolbook - Martin hides a schoolbook in his comic book.

* On ''FamilyGuy'', when Brian has to study for his exam, part of his training montage has Stewie catching him trying to read a steamy magazine while hiding it behind something else.

* One of the ''ImAMarvelAndImADC'' videos has this (2:45 in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY5jVtn6eGA here]]).

You've SeenItAMillionTimes; A is reading something, but doesn't want anyone else to know what it is. It could be rather inappropriate for clique rank, like a jock reading a girly magazine. It could be inappropriate to read anywhere outside a bedroom, like a magazine with naked women in it. Heck, maybe it's just a comic book, and for the sake of impressing people, it's prudent to pretend to read [[SmallReferencePools (insert well-known intelligent-sounding book here)]] instead.. or maybe they're supposed to be paying attention in school and just don't want to.

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 is upside down). That way, everyone will think that the character is reading something worthwhile instead of good-for-nothing smut.

Often the hidden book comes from the PornStash.

* ''TheOddCouple''- 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".

* An episode of ''DannyPhantom'' has Tucker hiding his PDA behind "A Farewell to Arms."

* One strip of ''{{Frazz}}'' has child genius Caulfield hiding Shakespeare inside his primary reader book. Which is not a good thing to do on read-aloud day.

* ''TheDailyShow'' plays with this a lot, although it tends to come off more as a spoof of the fact that TV shows frequently just slap a new dust jacket on whatever books happen to be lying around whenever they need a book for a prop than of a real attempt to conceal the nature of the book in question. "Huh. You know, you so rarely see the hardcover edition of the Bible these days. It's almost like someone has taken a random book and given it a dust jacket that says, 'The Bible.'"

* In an episode of ''ClarissaExplainsItAll'', Fergusson pretends to his parents that he's reading a book, but he's actually playing on a GameBoy.

* ''SouthPark'' has Stan Marsh, who's on a Food Network Frenzy, hide a cookbook under a Playboy magazine

* In ''[[BackToTheFuture Back To The Future Part II]]'' 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.

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

* ''TheOddCouple''- 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".

* In an episode of ''ClarissaExplainsItAll'', Fergusson pretends to his parents that he's reading a book, but he's actually playing on a GameBoy.

* Reversed in ''Series/SLiDE'' where AlphaBitch Scarlett is desperately studying by hiding the text she's reading inside a fashion magazine.

* One of the ''[[ImAMarvelAndImADC I'm A Marvel And I'm A DC]]'' videos has this (2:45 in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY5jVtn6eGA here]]).

<<|ComedyTropes|>>

You've SeenItAMillionTimes; Sometimes a character is reading something, but doesn't want anyone else to know what it is. It could be rather inappropriate for clique rank, like a jock reading a girly magazine. It could be inappropriate to read anywhere outside a bedroom, like a magazine with naked women in it. Heck, maybe it's just a comic book, and for the sake of impressing people, it's prudent to pretend to read [[SmallReferencePools (insert well-known intelligent-sounding book here)]] instead.. or maybe they're supposed to be paying attention in school and just don't want to.

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* [[SmugSnake Percy Wetmore]], of ''TheGreenMile'', reading a Tijuana Bible (a pornographic comic from the 30's and 40's, featuring icons of the day) behind a copy of the regulations for the mental hospital he wanted to transfer to. This scene is in the book, where he's explicitly reading a {{Popeye}} Tijuana Bible[[hottip:*:which is only ''slightly'' [[AnachronismStew anachronistic]], as the book mentioned Swee'Pea, who didn't debut until 1933 (and the book was set in 1932.) The reason it wasn't in the movie (where it's set in 1935) wasn't anachronism, but licensing (and good taste.)]]

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* The smart sister in ''Heart of Valor'' by L.J. Smith is reading another book inside her algebra book during math class, which her teacher knows but can't call her on because she's still 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.

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* The normal intent of this trope is inverted in ''DeathNote'', where Light uses a porn magazine to divert attention from an ArtifactOfDoom.

* In ''[[BackToTheFuture Back To The Future Part II]]'' Biff hides a girly magazine within the cover of the [[GraysSportsAlmanac 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.

* The normal intent of this trope is inverted in ''DeathNote'', where Light uses a porn magazine to hide an ArtifactOfDoom.
** Well, he was just using it as a diversion, not to hide the Death Note in.

* On ''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.

* In ''KareKano Yukino'' is seen hiding a comedy book under a serious cover. Arima scolds her for putting up a front.

* On ''FamlyGuy'', when Brian has to study for his exam, part of his training montage has Stewie catching him trying to read a steamy magazine while hiding it behind something else.

* In KareKano Yukino is seen hiding a comedy book under a serious cover. Arima scolds her for putting up a front.

* In the opening titles of ''BlackAdder The Third'' Edmund uses a textbook to hide raunchy paperback novels, each of which just happens to have that week's episode title.

* {{The Daily Show}} plays with this a lot, although it tends to come off more as a spoof of the fact that TV shows frequently just slap a new dust jacket on whatever books happen to be lying around whenever they need a book for a prop than of a real attempt to conceal the nature of the book in question. "Huh. You know, you so rarely see the hardcover edition of the Bible these days. It's almost like someone has taken a random book and given it a dust jacket that says, 'The Bible.'"

* When [[FamilyGuy Brian]] has to study for his exam part of his training montage has Stewie catching him trying to read a steamy magazine while hiding it behind something else.

* When [[AmericanDad 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.
* Southpark has Stan Marsh, who's on a Food Network Frenzy, hide a cookbook under a playboy magazine

* [[SmugSnake Percy Wetmore]], of ''TheGreenMile'', reading a Tijuana Bible (a pornographic comic from the 30's and 40's, featuring icons of the day) behind a copy of the regulations for the mental hospital he wanted to transfer to. This scene is in the book, where he's explicitly reading a {{Popeye}} Tijuana Bible.

* [[SmugSnake Percy Wetmore]], of ''TheGreenMile'', reading a copy of ''Tijuana Bibles'' (a pornographic comic from the 30's and 40's, featuring icons of the day) behind a copy of the regulations for the mental hospital he wanted to transfer to.