3 Answers

Use an alcohol swab or some rubbing alcohol on a towel and it will remove it as you rub it away.

I found this on line. It was listed as the best answer. It lists lighter fluid as one solution but I personally would not recommend it for a book.

You have to be careful what you chose so as not to ruin the cover.

Not all cleaners will do the job without damaging the book, as it depends on the inks used and the finish on the cover.

Alcohol, orange-based cleaners, lighter fluid, acetone (major part of fingernail polish remover), and goo gone will all probably remove the adhesive; but what will they do to the book?

So, first, I would try rubbing off the adhesive, if you can. Wash your hands well (otherwise dirt and oil on your hands could transfer to the adhesive making it worse), then just rub repeatedly in one direction. Even if this doesn't quite work, it should remove some of the adhesive before you bring in solvents. This is important because the longer you leave a cleaner on the cover of the book, the more chance it will damage or stain the book.

If rubbing is ineffective, try the alcohol first. Dampen a cotton swab (e.g. Q-Tip) and test a spot on the back of the book. If it has a bar code printed on the back, experiment on that as I assume the appearance of that matters the least to you. If the ink comes off, try an orange cleaner next and so on until you find one that does not seem to damage the book. It would also be good to call the store you purchased it from to see what they use or recommend to remove their price sticker adhesive.

Once you find a cleaner that won't damage the cover, use it to dampen a cotton pad or ball or paper towel and dab the area that has the adhesive, then wipe it off. Make sure you get as much cleaner residue off as possible, because even if it doesn't do any damage to the cover immediately, if you leave it on for an extended period of time it could still cause a problem.

I would say with a name like Colleen you are Irish. or your parents are Irish. or your grandmother. am I close. oh sorry the book. I would use nail varnish remover. or you have a company over there called Kleeneasy. they do a product called sticky stuff off. it works very well.