Up for a dose of delight? Treat yourself to an hour of sheer joy as you read or listen via audible as Jhumpa Lahiri narrates her reflections on a subject near and dear to the hearts of all booklovers: the art of book covers.
What is a book cover for a writer? How much attention does a potential reader give the cover of a book? Should commercial interests override aesthetic ones? These are just three of the many questions Jhumpa Lahiri addresses.
“Personally, I think it deplorable to place the words and opinions of others on the book jacket. I want the first words read by the reader of my book to be written by me.” I wonder if Jhumpa was thinking of her book below when she wrote these words.
“The right cover is like a beautiful coat, elegant and warm, wrapping my words as they travel through the world, on their way to keep an appointment with my readers." The disadvantage for an author working with a large commercial publisher - loss of control in the process of creating a book cover. I myself had the good fortune some years ago to create my own book cover when I worked with a small publisher. Here it is: I did both the cover design and the montage art.
"Like a translation, a cover can be faithful to the book, or it can be misleading." I suspect we all can agree Penguin has consistently done a fabulous job in choosing art that captures the spirit of the book. I wouldn't be surprised if thousands of readers have a special place for this Jane Austen edition in their personal library.
The writer's voice is a singular one, solitary. Art is nothing other than the freedom to express oneself in any language, in whatever manner, dressed any which way.” Here's a cover for Hermann Hesse's masterpiece that instantly attracted me to the novel back when I was in my early 20s.
A book cover counts for so much. The artwork on the cover of this Penguin captures the spirit of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Devils. I vividly recall looking at this cover each and every time I read the novel.
Those publishers of science fiction back in mid-20th century came up with covers for their pulp paperbacks that were colorful, riveting eye candy. Then when the works were republished for a new generation, the colors and design became a slicker form of eye candy. I recall the exact day I walked into my local bookstore and saw an entire shelf of the new Vantage Press Philip K. Dick novels.
New York Review Books does a great job with its cover design which includes not only the title and author but also a note on the writer who has written an essay to go along with the work. Here are my two favorite NYRB book covers.
Likewise, Europa Editions takes the needed time and energy to create an attractive, informative book cover.
One of the goals for Tartarus Press is to produce high quality books that will be valued by collectors many decades from now. As part of their publishing aesthetic, their book covers are all simple, elegant and clean. I myself have a special shelf for my Tartarus Press books.
Below are three modern book covers for international classics. One of the great advantages of our current global culture: millions of readers around the word have instant access to these fine novels.
Jhumpa Lahiri has much to say regarding older books and books destined to be made part of a set of classics for the ages.
If my review prompts you to give this short book a go, I've done my job, for sure.
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