I was thinking about this after I posted. This is another area that as a native speaker I have never considered before.
You CAN (may) use it with all items, but you can also say "The table leg is scratched" or "The book cover is torn." When you want to differentiate between THIS table versus THAT table, you would use the possessive 's. When you want to draw attention to the fact that it was that particular object you are describing.
"I liked the table they had on the sales floor, but that table's leg was scratched, so I bought this other one instead."
"The book's cover was torn off, so I knew the author wouldn't get any royalties if I bought it." "The book's cover showed an almost-naked lady. No wonder it sold so well!"
Does that help at all?