Judging Books By Their Covers :: Essays Papers

Judging Books By Their Covers In every bookstore across America, people are faced with the tough question of what book should be bought. There are millions of books resting on shelves everywhere but what makes a reader pick up a novel to buy and read? Looking at book covers people can get ideas about what type of book is in their hands. Most books grab their audience by the way that they look on the outside. Many different authors and publishers choose famous works of art or use book reviewer’s comments to grab a specific audience for their book. When children are looking for books, they choose a book because of what is on the cover. Parents can view the cover as appropriate for their child. It is the cover that initially grabs the attention. Even as children grow up and begin reading books with few to no pictures, it is still the cover that says what kind of book it is. When I was in the library, I found a book about the history of book jackets. Although most of the information in the small book was unnecessary, I did learn some of the history behind book jackets. Although the people of today look at book covers to get some idea of the contents of the book, back in the eighteen hundreds books had jackets so that the pages would not get dusty or dirty. Some books had covers made of leather but usually these were books, like the Bible, that needed protection. The bookseller put the jacket on before it was placed on the shelf. These dust jackets had no title or writing on them until the middle of the eighteen hundreds. It was not until almost nineteen hundred that authors or publishers designed book covers with illustrations or with the title. This is different from today because most authors give their book’s cover as their trade marks so they can be easily recognized. Usually the artist draws the cover to the author’s liking. The artis t takes the words and changes them to an image suitable for the book. Catcher In The Rye, is a classic example of a book that has its cover as its trademark. The cover of the book is unique with its red background and yellow writing. Both the front and the back of the book are the same with no other writing but the title and the author’s name.