An article in Saturday's Telegraph Review section led me to Google Suzanne Dean - the book designer cited by Julian Barnes in his Man Booker Prize acceptance speech. It is an ever-fascinating topic to me, not so much at the high class, thing of beauty end (although I appreciate that) but how well books which appeal to me actully signal that fact in their cover.
Links for more about Suzanne Dean and book design are at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8929045/Suzanne-Dean-the-secret-to-a-good-book-cover.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/02/beautiful-book-covers?newsfeed=true
An experience from my childhood: a cheap edition (Dean) of a classic story in which one character calls herself 'George' - depicted in the line drawing as a blazer-clad schoolboy with cap. (And having Googled this I find it was a Famous Five, which I read very few of, my father disapproving - the book itself I threw away in disgust.)
That's interesting... because I've had a look at the Telegraph article and I would be much more likely to buy the one with the watch on it than any of the others (including the actual cover)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just weird.
Nope - the watch one I would have rejected on appearance, the two faces would had had nil effect, thereafter I would have rejected it with regret, because I do not enjoy reading Julian Barnes.
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