Posts Tagged ‘Shane Salerno’

Why are publishers pseudo-soiling their new book jackets?

Friday, October 4th, 2013

A couple of years ago I noticed a flurry of books, written by and about women, whose covers featured images of women in a strange pose: turning aside and away, showing not their faces but their backs to the potential reader. See examples here.

Now another strange phenomenon has appeared: book covers or jackets with a worn, “distressed” look, as if their designers wanted to pre-deliver the tatters and soiling that come from handling a cherished volume over a long period of time.

Examples include a new paperback edition of Gertrude Stein’s Paris France (with subtle age-staining applied front and back); a soon to be released novel by Daniel Alarcón (with similar pseudo-soiling of its cover, simulating the residue of sweaty palms); and that new biography of J.D.Salinger (with pretend nicks and creases fondly recalling your own well-worn copy of Catcher in the Rye).

Set these books on your coffee table, and your “I-much-prefer-used-bookstores” bona fides won’t be questioned.

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On the tables at Costco, 9-27-2013 . . .

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