I’d like to say that book covers aren’t something I get worked up about, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. I avoid movie tie-in covers as much as possible, like all normal people, and I am picky about the author’s name appearing five times larger than the book title.
Generally speaking, though, I do not begrudge publishers who slap a new cover on an old classic to draw in more, or different, readers. I just picked up this edition of Brave New World as a cool, conceptual alternative to the weird, naked baby cover. I can sympathize—even empathize—with the Roald Dahl fans who were upset by Penguin’s new cover of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, favoring social criticism over whimsy… but I loved the cover of their Deluxe Edition, which offers just as much contrast with the original, much beloved Quentin Blake illustrations.
On the other hand, I was totally freaked out by the Penguin Deluxe Edition of The Scarlet Letter. I have to imagine the marketing meeting went something like this:
Marketing Executive: Let’s do something cool and sexy—give a false sense of entertainment potential to the high school seniors forced to read this book.
Marketing Underling: OK, well, I thought that weird, naked baby cover of Brave New World was pretty cool. How about I cartoon-ize Hester and her illegitimate child?
Marketing Executive: Only if you use lots of red scarlet as symbolism.
Marketing Underling [sketching]: How’s this?
Marketing Executive: More eyeliner.
Marketing Underling: [sketching]: OK…
Marketing Executive: No, not on Hester, on the baby!
Book covers are probably the thing I miss most when I’m reading an e-book. (Well, that, and pretty much everything else about the look and feel of a paper book.) In any case, for my own bookshelf, I am admittedly choosy—in my own way—about book covers, and I’m guessing most readers would say the same. What’s on the inside counts, yes—but so does the packaging.
This is such an inspiration post. I totally see how this title of the blog post can be metaphorical of any situation we experience in life. I am often too quick to judge.
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