THE LOOK OF THE BOOK: Jackets, Covers and Arts at the Edge of Literature by Peter Mendelsund and David J. Alworth is an excellent chronicle of cover art. I checked it out of the library half thinking it would help with my cover-design research for Southern Discomfort. It did give me ideas, nothing substantial.
The authors argue book covers are a kind of liminal art. They’re subordinate to the text itself but still need to stand on their own. They have to convey genre and tone without looking generic. The cover above is Gervasio Gallardo; the one below is taken from Aaron Douglas’ Aspirations.
They have to change with time and taste. Sections of the book show the many faces of Ulysses, Moby Dick and Lolita.
The book discusses many elements I normally don’t think about: such as the amount of empty space, the size of the title and the size of the author’s name. Paul Bacon’s design for Portnoy’s Complaint, for example, suggests the author and the book and important. Barye Phillips cover below does not.
Like every human field covers are not free of controversy. Covers for books set in India often use the Taj Mahal even if it doesn’t appear in the story. Classics by women are sometimes made over to look like chick-lit, for example the cover below (I don’t know the artist) for Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.
The authors conclude that despite Amazon and digital books the importance of the cover image isn’t any less. I would agree with that, though it doesn’t give me any better insight into choosing mine.
#SFWApro. All rights to images remain with current holder.
