Weekly Geeks – Judge a book by it’s cover!

This is one of the oldest paperback covers I could find. It looks very dated to me, and I don’t think I would ever pick this up on impulse in a book shop. It makes it look like it’s for children, and not the mystery book it is.

I haven’t read the whole book, but this seems like an inappropriate cover. This looks like the cover for a romance novel. The Moonstone is billed as the first detective novel, and I think it needs a darker, more atmospheric cover. I would pick this book up, if I was in the mood for a romantic piece of historical fiction, but think I would have been surprised by the book’s contents.

This cover makes the book look like historical fiction, again with a romantic theme. I don’t particularly like the picture, and wouldn’t pick it up on impulse, although it does have a Victorian feeling about it.

This book looks dark and atmospheric, but for some reason the purple makes me think that this book is aimed at teenagers – I have no idea why I think that! Maybe it’s the typeface of the title too? Does anyone else think that? I haven’t finished the book, but I thought that The Moonstone was  based upon the theft of a stone. This cover implies that it is more of a murder mystery. I don’t think I’d pick this copy up either. The cover makes it look like a basic book, without enough depth for me.  

Again, this book looks like a teenage fiction book. I prefer the moonstone being on the front, but in the first chapter the stone is described as tear-drop shaped, so unless it gets cut down later in the book, then I think this is a poorly designed cover.

 This is the only cover that I think I would pick up, on impulse, in a book shop. Dark, atmospheric and full of mystery, this book looks like my sort of thing. It also seems to most accurately reflect the book’s content.

This has been a really interesting exercise for me. I know that I am strongly influenced by a book’s cover. I have bought several books just because their striking cover has drawn me to them – black page edges are a particular weak spot for me! The majority of books that I buy are bought on other people’s recommendations, so I often do not see the cover before it arrives through my letter box. This means that their design does not matter as much as it would have done a few years ago, when the majority of my purchases were made on impulse in a shop. I rarely receive a book with a cover that does not appeal to me, so book designers are obviously very good at knowing their audience.

The massive variety of covers for the same book has opened my eyes to the fact that in future I should be less influenced by the picture on the cover.

Finally, this is the cover I’m reading, so I thought I should include it! It is very boring, and gives you no idea as to the content of the book – perhaps all books should have plain covers, so we’re not influenced by the designs on the cover?

Which of these covers do you like best? If you’ve read The Moonstone, which one do you think most accurately reflects the plot?