Sam Potts directed me to the new Book Cover Review feature on the blog Mastication Is Normal. As a book designer myself, Chesh’s scrutiny is simultaneously gratifying and horrifying—he’s part Ideal Viewer, part Worst Nightmare. But one thing’s for sure: I love to watch a book fetishist in action. Go see for yourself.
Credit where credit is due: I found the link on the most excellent coudal.com.
On Jul.18.2003 at 04:02 PMWe all do judge books by their covers, regardless of whether you're supposed to or not.
On Jul.19.2003 at 11:14 AMExcellent reviews, and an excellent exampe of very straightforward, concise, smart design writing.
We've had a lot of good book jacket design from the major publishers in the last 15 or years, thanks to the likes of Chip Kidd, Carol Devine Carson, Barbara De Wilde, Michael Ian Kaye, Evan Gaffney et al, but the great majority is still mostly crap. Why oh why? It seems like more publishers would get it. Then again, as Harry Potter proves, covers don't sell books.
On Jul.20.2003 at 01:29 PMI'm not a reader of the series (after the first one), but I don't see anything wrong with the covers; in fact, I rather like the embossing and the paper choice. It seems to me very appropriate for its intended audience(s).
What makes you dislike them? Or are you simply saying that Harry books would sell the way the do with sandpaper for a cover?
On Jul.21.2003 at 10:39 AMI agree with Paul. I think the Harry Potter covers are appropriate for the genre and audience. The text design is nice too.
Also I love the coating on the paperback covers. What is that shit???
On Jul.21.2003 at 11:56 AMSpeaking of the Harry Potter covers. My point, which I neglected to actually write down, was that the HP covers are not all that unique. Yes, they're appropriate to genre and market, but they just don't seem all that special. Not to the extent that the sales would indicate. (Oh, and they're also crap, but that's just my own personal taste.)
But who is this Felix Salmon?
On Aug.11.2003 at 12:53 PM>But who is this Felix Salmon?
He is the Feluxe of the bizarro world. Or probably just an English writer living and working in New York.
On Aug.11.2003 at 06:19 PM
But aren't you never supposed to judge a book by its cover?
On Jul.18.2003 at 03:03 PM