Thread: Book Covers
View Single Post
Old 07-31-2019, 09:33 AM   #27
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer View Post
Looking for pleasing visual images just seems like an odd way to find books one might like to read to me. Did people that do use that book discovery method also browse album covers (back when you could browse music by album cover) to find new music to listen to? Did you pick cereal you wanted to eat by the picture on the box? Can you eat cereal from a box that has a lousy (or no) picture on it?

I can appreciate good artwork (on book covers or elsewhere) when someone asks my opinion of it (or when I see it in an art book, or hanging in a frame on a wall), but I guess I just tune that stuff out when it comes to activities that, to me, have zero connection to the appreciation of visual art. Like, you know ... reading.
I don't look for pleasing images to pick a book. I look at the books on the shelf in the bookshop, or listed in the on-line store. If a cover catches my eye, I look at it. Sometimes its a serious look because I like whatever idea the cover expresses. Sometimes it is because I can't work out the cover. Sometimes it is just because I like the picture. I don't think I have ever bought a book just because of the cover. But, I have definitely bought books because the cover attracted my attention and when I looked at the book, I decided I wanted to read it.

That's how I discovered Roger Zelazny. I was in a bookshop, saw a cover with a unicorn playing chess, was amused and intrigued. I looked at the description of the short stories it contained, and some of the other books by him the shop had. I decided to try it and then binged on his books for a while. This was pre-internet, so it wasn't as easy to find information about books. Nowadays, I'd be looking for reviews or other descriptions before choosing, but, the cover can be what started the process of picking a book.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote