Airport novels are always paperback books of a small but thick format. These books are seldom made to last, printed on inexpensive newsprint, and they often begin to fall apart after one or two readings. Their titles are often printed in a gilded, silvery or vividly scarlet finish, which more often than not starts very quickly to dissolve and stick to the reader’s fingertips. This is not a problem for their intended purpose; they are made to be bought on impulse, and their readers often discard them when finished.
(via WikiPedia)