seven

i popped into the oxfam bookshop today with L, but didn't find anything to buy. we spent a while gazing nostalgically at books we had loved as small young things, and i got far too excited by all the colourful book covers. i often get drawn towards the children's section in a bookshop, mostly because of said book covers: you can always count on bright boldness (sometimes a bit too much... i guess they are targeting children though, so i can't really complain) or fantasic illustration. my future neices and nephews are going to have so many books. books that will be kept safe at my house, for when they come and visit. obviously.

not that the adult section doesn't offer some absolute marvels; publishers have to catch the attention (and monies) of a bookshop browser, meaning they produce covers that i would frame and hang on the wall, if that didn't mean ripping up the book. it pains me to admit that i am totally and utterly sucked in by marketing ploys but the things are so stunning and jibbermaking and quickquickbuybooksRIGHTNOW!

damn you, clever marketing people.

having some time on my hands (that is a downright lie, i am procrastinating) i thought i would use google to explore the world of book design. four hundred hours later, here are a few that caught my eye.

oh yes. yes, please.


of course, part of the appeal is how well matched cover is to content. for instance, i love the Darkmans cover because it perfectly captures the elusiveness and ugliness of the trickster who plagues the characters, and the boldness of the writing (it reminds me of those other tricksters, Bulgakov's devilish band from the Master and Margarita, portrayed in a similar style on this edition). the whale tail on Leviathan mirrors the long- and basically impossible- search of both Hoare and Captain Ahab for their whale. in conclusion, a round of applause to book designers, and if anyone wants to send me one of the above, do feel free. Thanks.