By its Cover: Bicycle: The History by David Herlihy
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Bicycle: The History by David herlihy
Oh. Would you look at all that negative space? (For those of you squinting and wondering, I mean the black bits of the color, the expanse of "negative" color, the space empty of photo.) And the bicycle there, making up the "L" in the word "BICYCLE," though not especially surprising or innovative, is certainly well placed, and makes the title almost unnecessary. I wish that more books could be published without a title on the jacket. or maybe just on the spine. Why do we need a title on the jacket if the photograph says everything you want the jacket to say?
Of course, we don't know, really, if this photograph says everything the designer/author/publisher wants--or needs--the jacket to say. This one almost does--except, of course, that on first glance I'm thinking that the book is going to be a photography book. And it isn't a photography book. When I open it, and flip through the pages, I discover that, though the book is illustrated--and many of the illustrations are perfect-lovely-wonderful--the jacket makes me think that the book is something it isn't. So, well, damn. I still want it. The subject is interesting enough, the jacket is gorgeous enough and my need to click "add to cart" strong enough that I'm in full desire mode. Gimme gimme gimme.
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By its Cover: Under the Sign of Saturn by Susan Sontag
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Under the Sign of Saturn by Susan Sontag
Perhaps it is a poor memorial of Susan Sontag to be examining the covers over her books too closely. Perhaps I should spend more time reading her work instead. I've only managed to finish reading--of all her books--On Photography, so I would expect me to at least have something to say about that book. But in truth I don't. I was perhaps too young, when I read it, to make much of it. I've read essays of hers since, and found much more to move me. And therefore my minor memorial is reminder of her essay collections, especially Under the Signs of Saturn. The Picador covers are not especially innovative or provacative (or even interesting), but they are elegant, and don't hinder being opened. With the name Susan Sontag comes a kind of automatic key... no need to put her name in neon. Her name will continue to be looked up. Her books will continue to be found. Those words will always be read.
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By its Cover: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
One thing I admire in a cover almost more than anything else is a little bit of daring. Although I admit that the photo here is a bit trite (how many times have I seen disassociated legs on the cover of a book? Many many times. Even yesterday's choice had 'em), I admire the open (and so ugly it's beautiful) field of chartreuse, with the trite photo stamped in the upper right corner. The typographic selection is so very plain that it appears almost hazardously so--as if the designer simply didn't know better. But I'd like to give the designer the benefit of the doubt.
I'd like to. But turn the book over (or don't, please), and I wonder. I know it's often difficult to plan for blurbs and synopsis and other assorted folderol, but one does have to plan for it, and what works for the front does not work for the back. The setting of the text does not look so "hip" or "contemporary" as it does simply wrong, as if the font outlines weren't sent along with the Quark files, so the printer inserted whatever they wanted. (It isn't pretty, and it doesn't manage the same beautiful ugliness of the front. At all.)
So, okay, the face works, the boot does not. How is this book likely to be shelved? Perhaps I should be spending more time talking about the spines.
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By its Cover: The Other End of the Leash
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The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell
I have no good reason for wanting to post this other than the dog on the cover looks very much (very very much) like my dog, Sadie, who is a Border Collie mix, and not a little bit crazy. This also happens to be a very good dog book, of which there are many. But a dog looking like Sadie on the cover of a book makes me look twice. And sometimes buy twice. So far I've only purchased this book once. But you never know.
The cover itself? It serves its purpose, though I don't know how well it speaks to the book. It gets your attention, because the dog appears to be leaping from a standstill, and the human legs (with trenchcoat) are mysterious enough.
That dog. She looks so relaxed up there in the air. I'm infatuated with that dog. Much as I'm infatuated with Sadie. So the photo is good enough reason, yes? Yes, I believe so. A good gift (along with You Are a Dog) for the third day of Christmas.
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By its Cover: The Night Before Christmas Pop-up
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The Night Before Christmas Pop-up by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Robert Sabuda
Since I've already posted here about Robert Sabuda, you're likely familiar with my adoration of his books. It seems fitting that in the last few days before Christmas, I should post a few "By its Covers" with Christmas themes, and though it isn't the night before Christmas, I want to start with the Christmas classic as illustrated and "cut out" by Robert Sabuda, because, again, the book is so remarkable that I simply can't help myself.
I do have to admit here, though, that the covers of the Sabuda books leave something to be desired. Not because they aren't beautiful and simple and on any other book perfectly serviceable, but because they're so very... flat. They speak to none of what you'll find inside. Sabuda books (and Night Before Christmas is no exception) spring to life like no other books I've ever seen. They are verticle as much as they are horizontal. And this one is also striking in the simplicity of color and line and space. But color and line and space all disappear when the book is opened. Because it's all movement and dimension and wonder.
I'm going to go look at my copy of Night Before Christmas now because I need reminding. Wonder. I need reminding of wonder.
Maybe you do too.
Blessings of the season to you all.
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By its Cover: Pie by Ken Haedrich
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Pie by Ken Haedrich
I wouldn't care if this book were a humor book, a novel, a comic book, a blank book, or a coffee table book, I'd love it.
Look at that gigantic type in the middle of the pie crust. It announces all you need to know: "Pie". Here's what you need to put in the crust, folks. And somehow it manages to be appetizing even without the filling.
Which makes me wonder what a word pie would taste like. I have a feeling some words I simply would have trouble swallowing.
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By its Cover: Resistance by Barry Lopez
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Resistance by Barry Lopez
I'm a moderate fan of Barry Lopez books. I've read some of his fiction that I found missing something (I couldn't quite figure out what it was that was missing, but I knew it was something), yet have found some of his essays to be so remarkable that they deserve to be read by all humans, whether they can read the language or not.
I worry a little that Resistance will be of the first genre--the fiction that's missing something (it is a collection of short fiction, after all). But nevermind. What I'm writing here is concerning the cover only. And I'm sitting in the coffee shop of a bookstore and staring at a poster of this book, as I have many times before now. I'm almost willing to buy the book for this cover alone (as a book designer is wont to do). It's a cover that I envy. That I wish I would have designed. The only way I can see this cover could more effectively make me want to open up this book would be if it were actually wrapped with rubber bands, as is implied by the image on its cover. Now that would be something, and would imply a kind of publishing prowess that few would dare attempt.
The image implies a kind of resistance that might not be expected of the contents. That is, you will and should not be allowed to read this book. Which of course makes me want to read it. Which is exactly the point.
Come to think of it, I know exactly where to find Resistance on the shelf. And I may just leave you here and go look for it. Whether I buy it or not is another story. The designer has done their job by provoking me to open the book. It will be Mr. Lopez's responsibility to convince me that yes, indeed, I should.
No promises.
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By its Cover: America the Beautiful by Robert Sabuda
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America the Beautiful by Robert Sabuda
Have you evern experienced a Robert Sabuda book? You can't just look at the cover. You can't just read it. You experience it. Because these aren't just pop-up books. They're extraordinary pop-up books that perform gravity and reality defying feats of genius. But I was talking about the cover, wasn't I? Sure. Whatever. The cover is simple and pure and represents its contents as well as it can without springing to life.
If you see this book in the bookstore, pick it up, open it up, pop it up. You won't be sorry.
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By its Cover: The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes
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The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Even Amazon.com (from whom I've swiped the image) seems to recognize that the most attratcive features of this duo of books is that it is to be found in two volumes, encased, and that the spine carries the Sherlock Holmes silhouette that is completed with the two spines side by side. A lovely casebound edition that I'm currently drooling over, so I though you might want to be drooling over it too.
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By its Cover: Day of the Dachshund
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Day of the Dachshund by Jim Dratfield
Okay. I recognize that this book is in "competition" with my book, but I also believe that it simply doesn't matter. Encouraging people to buy good books helps everyone. It makes the world a better place. (Whereas encouraging people to buy bad books does, I suppose, the opposite. I will let you be the judge of which are the good and which are the bad. For now.) Meanwhile, I'm choosing Day of the Dachshund because, primarily, its sepia cover is so darn breed appropriate. How could you avoid it? There it is, staring you in the face. And when you look at tihs book in real life, if you have a dachshund or have ever known a dachshund or have ever been near or hunted by a dachshund, this cover speaks to you in a way that you didn't know it was possible for a cover to speak to you. The cover says, "Pick Up This Book and Open it You Will Not Be Sorry."
We recently purchased Day of the Dachshund for a friend. Our friend is owned by dachshunds. So this book was perfect for her. And though the book is a little silly (okay, more than a little silly), it made and perfect gift for her, in part because she can set this book out somewhere and it looks at home. It looks like a book with a life in it. Because of that dog on the cover. Yes, just becuase of that dog.
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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I just performed a quick rundown of the top 100 books at amazon.com, but the only one I could find (so far) that seemed to have a cover that was enviable (at least a little) was the new Marilynne Robinson book, Gilead. This cover works in two ways, When you see it from a distance, you are likely to believe it to be one thing (a cross, which it is), but when you look closer, you will find that it is symbolic rather than symbol. The item itself appears to be a severely cropped portion of an old, painted, wooden door. The paint is cracking and flaking, and the design, as cropped, makes it appear to be a cross. Nicely done, and the text placed there is large enough to see, but unobtrusive and elegant.
Still, upon reflection, I have to wonder how much my taste is in sync with the population if this is the only one in the top 100 that I find interesting. Of course, my sampling is severely limited, and I'm only looking at "bestsellers." How much influence does a book cover truly have? I think it has a great deal of influence. I doubt there are many who would not buy a book because of its cover (unless there was something truly offensive on that cover), but I also believe that a good cover can get a book noticed. The cover on my book, for instance, tends to stop people who are walking past. They want to see what that book is. What the title is. Especially dog lovers. Perhaps the value of such a cover isn't quantifiable, but it is certainly real.
Would my book be a failure with a different cover? Perhaps not. But it likely wouldn't enjoy the success it's currently having with a boring cover.
Does it make a difference? It does. Can we put a price tag on that difference? Probably not.
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