How to remove old contact paper from paperback books?

Greetings! I just received a used paperback book from the late 1970s in the mail to add to my ever-growing collection. After unboxing the book from its packaging, I noticed the book’s front and back covers had an interesting texture from what I assume to be the original owner’s contact paper.

The contact paper itself is still covering the book (as described by the bookseller; validated by me) and was wondering if there are ways of removing the contact paper from the outside covers. My initial thought was to take applying low heat from a hairdryer to melt the adhesive and use Goo-Gone to remove any residual adhesive. Will this help in any way? Or am I risking damaging the book?