Judging 'books' by the 'cover.'

We've all heard the saying, "don't judge a book by its cover." But we all do it anyways, it can't be helped.

How many times have you been right, or wrong? How many times have you been surprised?

I ask because it's happened a few times to me. A great example would be Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. I saw the cover in a magizine once and read a lil blurb, hardly anything. "Man in London 'underground' meets some interesting characters." Was about all it said I think. Well it looked cool to me, just the cover. And a few years later I saw in on a library cart with other books waiting to be put back on the selves. I grabbed it, barrowed it, read it, and ever since have been a lover of Gaiman's work.

Same thing happened today with the HBO show Carnivale. Saw it in my local movie place and thought, 'huh, sweet cover. Old, rustic, a little mystic. Looks like something I might like.' Rented it, and I love it! It's a brilliant show!

How many times has this happened for you?

i thought i was the only one.

Fonts are extraordinarily important.

Embossed gold lettering is usually a deal-breaker.

The God of Small Things is one of my favorite books. I wish Arundhati Roy had done other novels. If you like her, you might also check out The Shadow Lines by Amitabh Ghosh (sometimes spelled Amitav).

Also, I sometimes judge books by their size (height/width, not thickness).

I thought weird young adult fixation was required reading....I myself will randomly scan words on the shelves of a store or library (if I am just browsing) until the right combination fires a nuerosensor in my brain. I rarely miss-perhaps it is because when you are a reader the words, fonts, and lettering have a more imbeeded meaning to your psyche over someone just looking for a summer beach read. You tend to pull out a fragment of something that is aligned with yourself in some unique way..

No problem. I noticed you're a Marylander. If it's the DC region, I believe the Wheaton library has it. (They have Ghosh's other stuff, at least.)

I buy at least 2 books a week based entirely on the cover......

I just went through this yeserday. I ended up with A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore because the cover caught my interest as I walked by. I'm not very far into it yet, but so far it's good..

That is really strange that you would mention that book in regards to this thread-because The year that book was released, I happened to pick it up on a whim based on its pocket size. I was in a hurry and wanted something pulpish and trashy to read for a trip-Whatever happened to that series? I could never quite understand the whole MTV connection--I read the second book they published (name alludes me now) and was not taken in by the story at all...but perks I raved about and bought copies as gifts that year...

It's kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where none of it seems real. Well, sometimes, I can do that, but I don't need an hour in front of a mirror. It just happens very fast, and things start to slip away. And I just open my eyes, and I see nothing. And then I start to breathe really hard trying to see something, but I can't. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it scares me.
edited to say: I think the film for Rumblefish is one of the few to truly nail the ambience and scope of a book and translate that adolescent world onto to the big screen...



[Edited on Mar 29, 2006 by coldenginelogic]

Actually I bought it because my old favorite author said it was the best book he'd read in years, but it still has quite the cover.

I'm a librarian. I buy books for a living. I'm all about the covers (well, the literary reviews too, of course). But I admit, I rarely order something with a dull cover unless it's got reviews up the wahoo.

I remeber seeing this from a distance and making out the rifle inbetween the girl and boy--I was hooked-I circled it all night long and bought it after a paragraph--
oddly enough- it too deals with young adults being thrown into a world that leaves them grasping....

YES...Yes they Do

one of my favorite movies. i didn't realize it was a book. i need to pick that up!!

I really only pay attention to typefaces. Most cover artwork is completely off, and I'd rather not see it at all, but a good typeface is really all I need. Although, for a while in the late '90s, it felt like I was never going to see a novel without a distressed typeface again.

I love the textures of different covers. My favorites are the paperbacks with a matte finish and a bit of a rough texture. They feel. . . I don't know. . . soft?

edited to add: I realize that sounds really contradictory. But someone has to know what I mean.

[Edited on Mar 29, 2006 by bibliachica]