Do You Judge Books By Their Covers?

cmi0616

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I went to the bookstore today to buy Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. I'd heard a lot about it, it sounded interesting, and so I decided to check it out. The cover is a close-up photograph of a pair of female lips.

As a man, and maybe this is just me being insecure in my masculinity, I hesitated to buy it upon seeing the cover (though I did go through with buying it, in case anyone is wondering). Wouldn't it seem strange if somebody I knew saw me reading a book with such a strange/suggestive cover? And I realized that this is not the first time a cover has caused me to hesitate when buying a book.

Just curious if I'm alone here.
 

Friendly Frog

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It's seldom just the cover that makes me doubt a book enough to put it back on the shelf. The cover is often a main reason why I pick a book up to look over, though, but I ultimately decide on the synopsis.

The only book I ever put back just because of the cover was because I recognised the artwork as a scene from the Lord of the Rings which gave me the impression the story would very similar too and I wasn't looking for Tolkien-copies.

I did get quite a few strange looks when reading SFX magasine in college, or on the bus. The magasine-staff delighted in having something on the cover hiding the base of the F, and so more than once people thought I was reading a magasin named SEX. I learned to put the magasine flat on table when reading rather quickly.
 

leahzero

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...I'm kind of baffled and amused that the COVER of Lolita is what disturbed you, not the actual contents.

You do know what the story's about?

(IMO, Lolita is one of those books where it doesn't matter what the cover is. Just the title alone, and all the cultural baggage it carries, is provocative enough.)
 

Cella

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I think to an extent everyone judges a book by its cover, which is why so much goes into getting it just right.

Also, for more prolific books, aren't there several different covers, sometimes?

:)
 

RedRam

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Having worked at Barnes & Noble, I've found that book covers are often an excellent indicator for contents. Not always, and not for all genres. I often pick up books based on covers, and in fact still have a few books on my very long reading list that I added only because of the covers.

NB: This only applies to new books. I'll read a classic wrapped in brown paper.
 

cmi0616

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...I'm kind of baffled and amused that the COVER of Lolita is what disturbed you, not the actual contents.

You do know what the story's about?

(IMO, Lolita is one of those books where it doesn't matter what the cover is. Just the title alone, and all the cultural baggage it carries, is provocative enough.)

Yes, I'm aware of what the story is about, but the acclaim it's received from critics and also from people I know make me feel okay with it I guess... I don't know.
 

smellycat6464

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Yes, unashamedly, frequently, fervently.

A cover should represent the contents of the book. if the representation is poor, most likely the content is poor, otherwise the artist would have done a better job. Of course, a crappy artist could have been hired, which sends out other statements...

However, there are exceptions. ASOIAF is the most notable...A cartoon crown over orange? A helmet over green? YAWN--but the content says otherwise. However, if your name is GRRM, I don't think a cover will make or break you.

Another (semi) example is good ol` JK. IMHO, her HP series has fantastic art. I even studied it for one of my art classes. It's really deep, evocative pastel work, soft geometry, very exquisite. Then, there's the casual vacancy. YAWN (even the inside contents, imho, too).

I nabbed some of my favorite books on cover alone. I recently saw "The Starters" in Barnes and Noble. Simple enough cover, but bright and eye-catching. Finished it in a weekend. The cover is what made me pick it up.
 

smellycat6464

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The whole, "never judge a book..." line is a load of BS , to me(as is "sticks and stones...").

I like to use my mother's take on appearances--"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck"

I find that this translates to humans, as well, but that's another topic haha.
 

katci13

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Yes! All the time. Some of my favorite books of all time I bought because I loved the cover so much. It's not enough to make me buy the book, I also have to like the blurb and some random page in the book to actually buy it. But I confess, a few times too many I bought a book without reading anything. One time it failed me. That book was soo incredibly boring. After that I went back to reading blurbs and random pages.

Almost read Twilight because I liked the cover. Read the blurb and was bored so I put it back. Picked it up again because I just really liked the cover, read a random page, rolled by eyes and put it back and never thought about it again. Two years later there was a movie about it. Guess I missed out. (Lol!)
 

Tigerlilly79

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The cover draws me to the book, but the blurb on the back seals the deal. If the cover isn't attractive I probably wouldn't pick it up unless I've heard of the book before.
 

LJD

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And I realized that this is not the first time a cover has caused me to hesitate when buying a book.

This is the great thing about having an e-reader--I don't need to worry about this.
 

Brightdreamer

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It's seldom just the cover that makes me doubt a book enough to put it back on the shelf. The cover is often a main reason why I pick a book up to look over, though, but I ultimately decide on the synopsis.

/\ This. /\ (Though I suppose one could argue that the synopsis is printed on the cover, and thus part of the cover package...)

The cover is like the movie poster - it's the first thing that makes me take notice, and it sets the mood. Unless I'm looking for a specific title (say, on a recommendation) or author (from previous positive reading experience), it's the cover that makes me linger over a particular book. I'll even admit a weakness for sparkly/holographic effects... usually not enough to overcome a poor synopsis or otherwise offputting "vibe." (Yes, I shop by "vibe." I never claimed to be an intelligent reader. Or writer.)

(Also, am I the only one who feels a little hacked off by a misleading cover - art has absolutely nothing to do with the book, or so little to do with the book that it hardly matters, or simply sets entirely the wrong mood? I understand that it's often out of an author's hands, what ends up on their book, but still...)
 

juniper

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Originally Posted by cmi0616
And I realized that this is not the first time a cover has caused me to hesitate when buying a book.

This is the great thing about having an e-reader--I don't need to worry about this.

And e-readers are why riding the train or bus isn't as interesting as it used to be.
 

kuwisdelu

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No.

But then I read literary fiction.

I don't know if that makes a difference or not....

It does annoy me when a movie comes out and the cover becomes a movie poster, though...
 

Bookewyrme

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I definitely do, all the time. The cover will either repel or attract me. If it attracts me, then I read the blurb on the back, and if that interests me, I try the first page, and then I will decide whether I want to read it.
The exception to this is books by authors I'm already familiar with. I may not like the cover of the new book, but I'll probably pick it up anyway because I know I already like that author's work.

Also, interestingly, I can get attached to specific covers for books. So, I have lots of books that I love the covers of, but I'm often weirded out and repelled by alternate covers from other editions of the same book (especially when talking about an older edition of SF/F). I don't know why. It's the same book, but I want to read MY copy, not the other copy. :p
 

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You could always cut up a brown paper bag and make a book cover for those lips.

I loved Lolita but it's been too long since I read it for much other recall. I mean, I remember the subject matter and the storyline vaguely and I remember being really drawn in by the writing. But not why.

And, yeah, covers are often the reason I will pick up a book in the first place, but that's only one component of the judging of the book. So, I guess the answer is really, no.

:)
 

ArachnePhobia

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Yes and no.

I'll admit I've picked up books to read the synopsis because the cover caught my eye. I'll admit I've passed up books because the covers are too unprofessional. But honestly, as much as current cover trends clash with my tastes, if I restricted myself to books with covers I really like, I wouldn't be able to read anything but Conan and Apex (and I read those anyway).
 

Alpha Echo

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The cover can be the initial attraction, but I don't read the book just because the cover is pretty. And I don't overlook ugly covers.
 

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I certainly do, although these days it has less influence on which books I choose - I'm almost always reading a book because it has been recommended to me, and I have an e-reader anyway.

However a really seriously awful cover can put me off. I'm a big Fritz Leiber fan, but even I was reluctant to go out in public with this one. Who are these people? What are they doing? Why is it all so hideous?
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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No.

But then I read literary fiction.

I don't know if that makes a difference or not....

It does annoy me when a movie comes out and the cover becomes a movie poster, though...

Ugh--seconded. I hate this.

I do judge some books by their covers, and echo what everyone else has said about covers being the reason I'll pick up a book in the first place. If nothing else, it gives you an idea of genre and atmosphere. If you pick up a steampunk book, for example, you can pretty well expect to see goggles and/or zeppelins on there somewhere. Not always, but it gives you a basic idea of what world the book takes place in.
 

lilyWhite

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I usually don't judge by the front cover alone, but more of the back cover (and the blurb). While a good cover will catch my eye, I'm most interested in the blurb.

The only times where a front cover will turn me off of a book is if the cover gives that "YA 'dark' paranormal/fantasy/romance" vibe, akin to books like Twilight and House of Night.
 

quicklime

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I went to the bookstore today to buy Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. I'd heard a lot about it, it sounded interesting, and so I decided to check it out. The cover is a close-up photograph of a pair of female lips.

As a man, and maybe this is just me being insecure in my masculinity, I hesitated to buy it upon seeing the cover (though I did go through with buying it, in case anyone is wondering). Wouldn't it seem strange if somebody I knew saw me reading a book with such a strange/suggestive cover? And I realized that this is not the first time a cover has caused me to hesitate when buying a book.

Just curious if I'm alone here.


I can't say if you're alone, but I'm certainly not "there with you".

A cover that looks like shit drawn by a third-grader drinking Monster, coupled with an unknown author, would make me drop it, but Lolita is kinda, you know, established by now. Plus, it's been through god knows how many print runs and editions.

btw, I have that edition....sitting on my shelf in the hall in fact.
 

quicklime

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...I'm kind of baffled and amused that the COVER of Lolita is what disturbed you, not the actual contents.

You do know what the story's about?

(IMO, Lolita is one of those books where it doesn't matter what the cover is. Just the title alone, and all the cultural baggage it carries, is provocative enough.)



I assume you've read it, all things considered Humbert may well be disgusting, but I didn't find the book terribly provocative in this day and age. I actually thought his portrayal of Humbert was pretty brilliant.
 

BigWords

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(IMO, Lolita is one of those books where it doesn't matter what the cover is. Just the title alone, and all the cultural baggage it carries, is provocative enough.)

Yes, I'm aware of what the story is about, but the acclaim it's received from critics and also from people I know make me feel okay with it I guess... I don't know.

I read the novel back in the 90s - at the time, there was a truly exploitative cover on the book, tying it in with the film which was out at the time. I opted to buy a second-hand copy from which had a very plain cover in order to read it without feeling squicked out - didn't work. Still can't stand the story, the MC, the writing... (I have been told off for dismissing the novel so thoroughly, but it really doesn't work for me)

One of the reasons I am so drawn to novels from the forties and fifties is the painted covers. Really, the style alone - the little patterned boxes around the blurb on the back, the old-fashioned prices, the interesting publisher logos - make me feel like I am reading something which has a degree of history to it. So much of the books I see coming out now really don't live up to the contents. The use of photographs for cover art is something I am never going to love.
 

cmi0616

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So much of the books I see coming out now really don't live up to the contents. The use of photographs for cover art is something I am never going to love.

I agree with you there, some of the covers on the newer books are not my favorite, to say the least. Penguin Classics uses details of old paintings on their covers, which I tend to like. Whenever I'm in the market for a classic, I always check to see if there's a Penguin version of it.