paying-attention

Over on the Abe Books newsletter, Beth Carswell writes about the 30 Novels Worth Buying for the Cover Alone. She notes:
Let's hear it for the book designers. For every Milan Kundera, Jeffrey Eugenides and Aldous Huxley, there is a Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, a Leah Carlson-Stanisic and a Gregg Kulick – all designers of memorable cover art. They give a visual perspective to somebody else's written art, find balance in color and shape, simplicity and uniqueness. A book must stand out on the bookstore bookshelf yet cover designers rarely receive the recognition that authors do. In appreciation of these unsung artists, here are 30 of my favorite fiction covers – all worth buying for the cover alone.

What a great concept! Here are some of the examples: Arkansas, by John Brandon, cover design by Keith Shore; Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk, cover design by Michael Collica; The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera, cover design by Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich; Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, cover design by Gregg Kulick; My Mistress' Sparrow is Dead, by Jeffrey Eugenides, cover design by Leah Carlson-Stanisic; and 25 others.

All available new or used, I am sure, from Abe Books.

Labels: book covers, fiction, graphic design