History Main / BookAndSwitch

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

* 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 ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' comic inside a book on chess.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12023037/7/Hitting-the-tomes Hitting the Tomes]]'' Harry uses the fifth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook to hide a copy of ''Literature/AnimalFarm''.

* [[SmugSnake Percy Wetmore]], of ''Film/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.

* In the miniseries "Midsummer's Nightmare" that led up to Creator/GrantMorrison's ''[[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' run, Wally West, having lost his memory of being the Flash, was teaching high school and catches one of his students doing this.

Somebody 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.

* Princess Arissa from TheElenium hides a book of erotic poetry inside the cover of a religious textbook. No one is surprised.

[-[[caption-width-right:Image by [[http://www.dylanmeconis.com/ Dylan Meconis]].]]-]

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

* This happens in ''WesternAnimation/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.
** Another episode has Moe Szyzlak hiding his poetry magazine behind a copy of ''{{Playboy}}''. In church.

* One sketch of ''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.

* Inverted in ''{{Series/Chuck}}''. Since he knows his bedroom's under video surveillance, Chuck studies the Intersect plans he got from Orion behind a ''YTheLastMan'' collection.
* An episode of ''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.

* The earliest opening credits for ''HomeAndAway'' had Stephen pulling a fake cover from a book Frank was reading.

* On a ''YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' sketch, Adam hides a Spiderman comic book in his hymnal. In another sketch, two girls hide a tiny TV in a book to fool their mother.

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

At least, they ''would'' think this except they [[GenreSavvy 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 a geek or an idiot. Usually the former for sympathetic ones, the latter for non-sympathetic ones.

* In ''UruseiYatsura'' Ataru is shown hiding a girly mag inside one of his books.
* 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.

* On a ''You Can't Do That On Television'' sketch, Adam hides a Spiderman comic book in his hymnal. In another sketch, two girls hide a tiny TV in a book to fool their mother.

* In the miniseries "Midsummer's Nightmare" that led up to GrantMorrison's ''[[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' run, Wally West, having lost his memory of being the Flash, was teaching high school and catches one of his students doing this.

* Inverted in ''{{Chuck}}''. Since he knows his bedroom's under video surveillance, Chuck studies the Intersect plans he got from Orion behind a ''YTheLastMan'' collection.

* In ''[[Film/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.
* [[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.

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

You've SeenItAMillionTimes; somebody 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.

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

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