At my own suggestion, I thought that an occasional Cover Review would mix things up a bit, with a take on The Good, The Mediocre and The Unfathomable.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I have read of the value of a great cover when marketing a book. I happen to agree (to a point) with this advice, but admit to becoming heartily sick of the much repeated ye-ancient-fonte lettering on Historical Fiction books, to say nothing of the overdone bodice-ripper covers on countless Historical Romance novels. When I come to think of it, I’d rather take that dollar when each of the aforementioned is released to the world – I’ll be worth a small fortune in a very short space of time!
The main criteria for determining what makes a great book cover lies in it being appropriate to the subject matter, followed closely by its eye-catching quality as it sits on the shelf in wait for its new owner. When browsing the shelves of a library or bookshop, or when trawling Amazon for a next great read, it is the cover that first catches the eye of the prospective reader. The cover tells us so much about what lies hidden inside before we read a single word of the synopsis, doesn’t it?
I have selected Historical Fiction as my first month’s Cover Review genre, and it goes something like this…
THE GOOD
Dominion by C. J. Sansom
If I was to say “I believe I’d like to read a 1950s English spy thriller” and saw this cover, I would look no further! The beautifully designed picture screams fog, London, intrigue and perhaps a little sex at me - before I even look at the title and author. Turning the book over, the first few lines confirm that I am indeed holding “an absorbing, thoughtful, spy-politico thriller set in the fog-ridden London of 1952” [
sic]. It certainly catches the eye in its artful simplicity, and the clever use of lettering is a joy for this old calligrapher to behold. (If you want to know how to letter on velum, I’ve been trained – true!)
This book cover is just divine, and while I know nothing of the author or the subject matter, I would be tempted to buy it on its presentation alone.
9/10
THE MEDIOCRE
Merivel by Rose Tremain
I have heard a lot of good things about Rose Tremain as an author, but I would be hard pressed to linger over this particular cover. My first impression was that it was perhaps Medieval or even earlier, although the timepiece and figure hidden among bland colours and ill defined illustrations is at odds with this. The synopsis tells of the 17th century seduction of a doctor and courtier leaving the English Court for Versailles, but only when I read of the French Court did the cover make any sense at all. Had I been in a bookshop, the opportunity to make the connection would have been lost at first glance.
4/10
THE UNFATHOMABLE
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
Unless Maximilien Robespierre was a 1980’s New Yorker, I wouldn’t at first glance know what this book was about. Whosoever decided to evoke images of the works of Jacqueline Sussan or Sidney Sheldon should be horsewhipped for this, because it detracts totally from what promises to be a brilliant read about the French Revolution. Not only is the lettering totally inappropriate, but the tricolour could be one of a number of European countries if the reader was ignorant of the order of the red-white-blue configuration. No; Hilary Mantel’s great talent has been undermined by this sorry excuse for a book cover and the publisher should be ashamed!
1/10
