Matchbook

Key takeaways

Matchbook belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Matchbook to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Matchbook from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A matchbook is a small paperboard folder comprising a matchcover, a quantity of matches, and a coarse striking surface on the exterior. The cover is opened to access the matches, which are attached in a comb-like arrangement and must be torn away before use. In contrast, a matchbox contains matches loosely packed in the interior tray. The exterior of the matchcover is usually imprinted with a producer's logo, often with artistic decorations, or serves as an advertising/promotional medium for the undertaking by which it is sold or given away. The ease of making matchcovers of different shapes also made them quite a popular cheap promotional item or anniversary souvenir. Manufacturing of matchbooks peaked during the 1940s and 1950s, then steadily declined because of the availability of disposable lighters and various anti-smoking health campaigns. In the late 2000s, matchbooks began to regain some of their popularity as a "retro" advertising item, particularly in high-end restaurants. Although paper matches were patented in the 1880s, an early paper match "folder" was patented in September 1892 by Philadelphia patent attorney Joshua Pusey. However, the matchbook as we know it, with the striking surface on the outside, was patented a few weeks later by Charles Bowman of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Pusey challenged Bowman's patent, but Bowman's patent was upheld. Pusey sold his patent to the Diamond Match Trust in 1896 and then served as the company's patent attorney. Bowman's company, the American Safety Head Match Company of Lebanon, PA did not last long, and Diamond Match Co. adapted his design into their product, becoming the first mass-producer of paper matchbooks. Collecting of matchboxes, matchbooks, match labels and other match-related items is called phillumeny.

Matchcover

A "matchcover", or "matchbook cover", is a thin cardboard covering that folds over match sticks in a "book" or "pack" of matches. Covers have been used as a form of advertising since 1894, two years after they were patented, and since then, have attracted people who enjoy the hobby of collecting. Many historians point to the Mendelson Opera as the first to use matchbooks for advertising purposes; they hand wrote their promotional information on blank matchbook covers made by the Binghamton Match Company between 1893/94. Inspired by the Opera's innovation, Diamond Match salesman Henry Traute began approaching manufacturers to advertise their products on his company's matches, promoting them as something that would be viewed by their users many times a day. Among the first companies to order advertising matchbooks were Pabst beer, American Tobacco Company and Wrigley's Chewing Gum. He also encouraged his customers to give away matchbooks as a promotional item. Collectors are known as phillumenists, or "lovers of light", and include people who have a shoe box or fish bowl filled with packs from local stores and restaurants, to serious collectors with covers organized in hundreds of different topics. In 2005, there were over 1800 active collectors in The Rathkamp Matchcover Society (The Voice of the Hobby Since 1941), spread over 20 countries worldwide. The most expensive matchbook cost $6,000 US dollars and was purchased by Kevin Saucier (USA) in Santa Ana, California, USA, on 3 July 2015. The matchbook was created for a rare Charles Lindbergh dinner celebration dated 14 June 1927. The matchbook is missing four matches but is otherwise in mint condition as the cover is generally considered the collectible grade. It is believed that "The Lindbergh Matchbooks" as they are known in the hobby were discarded as they were printed with the rank of Captain; with the world-famous achievement Lindbergh was promptly promoted to Colonel. It is estimated 200 of these books were handed out at a dinner in his honor at the Astor Hotel in New York City. At last count there were about 13 known to exist.

Patents US patent 483,166 Flexible Match patent, 27 September 1892 - set of two match combs shown enclosed folding paper match cover.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matchbook

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matchbook claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Matchbook before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Matchbook ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Matchbook

In research: Matchbook appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Matchbook in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Matchbook is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Collecting, Home appliances, Matches, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matchbook outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Matchbook in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matchbook means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Matchbook out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matchbook in simple terms?

A matchbook is a small paperboard folder comprising a matchcover, a quantity of matches, and a coarse striking surface on the exterior. The cover is opened to access the matches, which are attached in a comb-like arrangement and must be torn away before use.

Why does Matchbook matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Matchbook?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Matchbook.