We’ve always been told, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” And we believe that. We know that there’s a rich and exciting world to discover in the pages of a book, even if it only has plain-colored covers. But when we walk into a bookshop and browse in an online store, what do we do? Well, we judge a book by its cover.
We pick up the ones that catch our eye. We turn to the back cover to read the brief synopsis and the laundry list of reviews. If it gets a positive comment from major publications such as the New York Times and Kirkus Reviews, we’re intrigued.
The truth is that the design of the book covers matters. It matters to the marketing and sales of the book. And it matters with the story of the book and the relationship with you as the reader. These are the many reasons why some classic books gave cover designs that are as iconic as the stories themselves.
The Importance of Book Cover Designs
As said before, the book cover is what catches the attention of readers first. It makes the first impression. Thus, it could make or break the interest of the reader.
The book cover is also important to the book’s story. It gives you a hint of what you should expect from the story. If it has a couple on the cover, with heart illustrations, then you’ll know immediately that the book is about romance. If it has dark tones on the cover and evokes a sense of mystery, then you’ll know that it’s action and thriller. Knowing right away what the book is about saves time for you, as a customer, because you can’t be expected to browse each book in the bookshop.
And, admit it, but you love buying books that have beautiful cover designs. This is especially common to some classic books with special editions to celebrate milestones such as fiftieth anniversaries since their release.
Iconic book covers may not be as essential as the stories of the books. But they do make a mark in the readers and the literary industry. Here are some classic books whose cover designs prevailed through the years
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
As the “Great American Novel,” you’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird when you were in high school. It’s a required read in most (if not all) American high schools. This is why it has sold millions of copies of countless editions. But there’s one book cover that prevailed. And it’s the first edition, with the now-iconic image of a dying tree. Shirley Smith designed it.
The dying tree image is significant because it’s how Boo Radley, one of the main characters, first interacted with the Finch children.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Most of Salinger’s books are minimalist. They only have the text of the title and author against a plain-colored backdrop, which is often white. He wasn’t in favor of putting brief synopses on the back and some blurbs of reviews.
But with The Catcher in the Rye, he went all out with the image. He enlisted his friend, E. Michael Mitchell, to illustrate an image of a horse. Rightfully so, because the horse as a metaphor was used prominently throughout the book. And it’s in the last scene where everything in the story was tied together.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is a story of the decadence of the Jazz Age in the 1920s. So it’s great that the cover of The Great Gatsby’s first edition embodied that. It is a painting of a woman’s disembodied face, and it’s set against the twinkling lights of a city. Francis Cugat painted it.
The woman’s face on the cover pertains to Daisy, the leading female character. Her beauty is often highlighted in the book. But she’s also a symbol for an array of things for the leading male character, Jay Gatsby. To him, she represented love, passion, and happiness. So she should be featured prominently on the cover.
The story within the pages is indeed the most important part of a book. But the design of the cover is also important. It helps with the marketing and sales of the book. It makes the first impression on customers. And it shows what the story may be about. Yes, don’t judge a book by its cover. But never think that it doesn’t matter.