Hello friends,
George Eliot is reportedly the first person to use the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” in her 1860 book The Mill on the Floss. I can neither confirm nor deny the truth of this claim. I’ve not read the book, but it is now on my to-read list on Goodreads, nor do I know for sure that this is the absolute first time this was put in print. Odds are that someone else said it before she did. Still, she wrote it down so she gets to own it. The literary equivalent of “I call that chair!”
Anyway, I wanted to talk a bit about that saying because, while I totally agree with the sentiment, I know that it is a falsehood. She meant that we are not supposed to judge a person by that person’s outward appearance. With that, I totally agree. Don’t. Do. That. That is what bigots do. Who wants to be a bigot? Not me. Not you!
However, in 1860 books didn’t have all the cool covers we are used to. There may have been some cool pattern or maybe the leather cover had some kind of imprint on it, but books were all pretty boring looking. The title did a lot of the work. Maybe Ms. Eliot was self-conscious about her title. The “Floss” in her title is a river and the “Mill” is, well, a mill. So…yeah…riveting stuff. “Don’t judge this book by the cover or the odd-sounding title” was a bit too long. I don’t know. I wasn’t there.
Today, in 2024, as I write this, we judge books, actual books, by their covers all the time. Should we? Likely not, but do we? Of course. If it wasn’t so important, it wouldn’t be someone’s job to make book covers, would it? When Salinger published Catcher in the Rye, it had the most amazing cover with the carousel on it. I have that copy now and it is a beauty. When he got more and more famous and sold a ton of books, he republished it with an all-red cover and the title and his name in yellow. That was it. The first copy I owned looked like that. By then, he could do whatever he wanted. The cover. The title. They didn’t matter. For him, at that point, and by Eliot in 1860, the thing that mattered were the words that came after the title. The name of the author was selling books. BEFORE Salinger was Salinger, he needed a super cool cover to sell books.
Covers matter. Yes, we don’t judge the whole book by the cover, but we make a quick decision based on it. I asked for my covers of The Austen Chronicles to not have real people on them. I don’t want any person to be turned off because the person on the cover doesn’t look like them. A silhouette does a lot of work and my cover artist, Jenn Kotick, is essentially a superstar. She understood the assignment and she made the covers look perfect. I’ve been told that even if someone didn’t want to read the book (please read it), the cover alone is worth the price. As someone who uses books as artwork all around my home, I love that sentiment and it means a lot to think that someone will display my book, cover out, on their shelves as a work of art.
For those of us who are not Eliot or Salinger, we need amazing covers because we are being judged. We need the cover to tell us what the book is, hint at something in the book, or be a commentary on the book. Covers do a TON of work. Be honest, you’ve totally been in the library or bookstore and picked up a book with an amazing cover. You then read the back and then decided. It may be that the description doesn’t work for you, but the cover made you touch it. You were compelled. Covers are the flames and we, the book nerds, are the moths.
Notes from my bookshelf
In preparation for my re-watch of Justified, I reread the late, great Elmore Leonard’s first two and a half (two novels and a short story) Raylan Givens books. I forgot a few things, but they totally stand up. Leonard’s dialogue just crackles. He does crime fiction in the most fun way. I know. Crime shouldn’t be fun, but having likable characters is important.
Gareth Brown’s The Book of Doors, which is a book about the magic of books, is, simply put, magical. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If he wants to make a series, I will be first in line for book two.
Notes from my keyboard
I finished book 3 of The Austen Chronicles! Universal Truth is with the editors. I am proud of it and I can’t wait for you to all read it in 2025. The next book, Jane, shall come to life soon. Some of the songs from the soundtrack are playing in my head. Lots of piano players. I have a few other projects to finish and I want to get those done before I start because once I do, Jane Fairfax will have my full attention.
Tonya Todd and I finished the typeset review of the Comics Lit. Vol 1 collection we edited. I am so honored by everyone who trusted us with their words. We should have a release date soon. She asked me to contribute to an upcoming short story collection. I get to visit Mansfield College and Junior again. I am having a great time. I hope you enjoy it when it comes out.
Speaking of covers...here is a sneak peek of the cover of That Other Dashwood Girl.
Keep it under your hat. This is an exclusive for subscribers to this newsletter. It is so pretty, isn’t it? Seeing this inspired me to envision the covers for the rest of the books in the series.
A local book club picked Welcome to Mansfield as their March read. They invited me for cocktails and a meal while we talked about the book. It was a glorious time. I was so honored.
On a final note, when you receive this, we will be just a few days from Spring. Don’t forget to try to balance an egg on its end. I’ve managed it twice in my life and yet, every equinox, I try again. I do so because there is something magical at play when it actually happens. If you make it happen, send me a picture. I would love to see it! Also, send me some images of your favorite book covers. Why do you love them?
Thank you for being a subscriber,
ARF
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