A few weeks ago I spent a miserable day with a sore throat and a low-grade fever. You know the kind of thing. You feel miserable and whiny, unable to do anything beyond curling up beneath a quilt and sipping orange juice, but at the same time you're reluctant to declare that you're actually sick.
It was under these circumstances that I picked up a copy of Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Covers by Margaret C. Sullivan. My first reaction was skepticism. There's a whole book ... about book covers?
About the Author
Author Margaret C. Sullivan writes the AustenBlog which has all sorts of Janeobilia: quotes, crafts, events, movie news, reviews ... if it's something to do with Jane Austen, it's there. She's also written The Jane Austen Handbook. Clearly, she's an expert on her subject. I would place myself at almost the opposite spectrum of Janedom. I wouldn't describe myself as a Janeite (in fact, I didn't even know that was a word), but I have read and enjoyed a few of Jane Austen's books. I've even made a few Jane-inspired items like this bookmark. A fan, but not a super fan. That said, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
About the Book
This coffee table book features book covers arranged chronologically with movie tie-ins and foreign translations in their own separate chapters. The brief commentary is occasionally amusing. It's fascinating to see how designers and publishers have tried to put their own personal spin on the titles through the years. Period paintings seemed to be a perennial popular choice, but there were definitely plenty of exceptions. Some books tried to mimic the popular romance novels of the day, while others were definitely trying to capture Twilight fans with their stark, black covers. The covers were in turn adorable (the Jane Austen titles for toddlers), modern (the ones with photos of Keira Knightley or Colin Firth), and just plain awful (the 1970 cover with the rainbow and heroine in heavy mascara). You can see a bit of one of my favorite covers here, a pulp-inspired copy of Pride and Prejudice with the words "Lock up your daughters ... Darcy's in town!"
You'll Enjoy This Book If ...
Of course, Janeites are sure to love this book, but it could also appeal to writers, especially those on the path to publication. Here's a few things I learned from Jane Austen Cover to Cover:
- If you're an author who hates his or her book cover, you are not alone. Publishers sometimes messed up the period details on the Jane Austen covers or even included items such as dogs and peacocks that were not specifically mentioned in the text.
- If anyone tells you that you must have name recognition to sell books, please note: Jane Austen's name never appeared on the covers until after her death, although her authorship wasn't exactly a secret. (Her brother Henry had a big mouth.)
- If you've decided after one rejection that you're giving up writing for good, remember that in 1979, Jane Austen's father tried unsuccessfully to interest a publisher in First Impressions (later Pride and Prejudice).
- If you think that the idea of publishers behaving badly is a modern phenomena or you're moaning the low rates of advances, you'll be interested to know that Jane sold the copyright for her novel Susan (later published as Northanger Abbey) for ten pounds, but the publisher didn't follow through with publication.
A fun book for those interested in graphic design, book publishing, and oh yes, Jane Austen.