Jane Austen Cover to Cover

Jane Austen 
Cover to Cover:
200 Years of Classic Book Covers 
by Margaret C. Sullivan 
★★★★★ 

I have a feeling that most people already know if they are going to like this book or not. You aren’t going to have very many people who hate Jane Austen debating on whether or not to pick up a copy. But for those of us who love her work, this collection is an absolute delight!   

I knew the book would have dozens of different covers of her work from over the years, but I wasn’t expecting the intricate background information it included. From Austen’s personal history to the path of publication of her novels, Sullivan provides some wonderful details. She walks us through all the different editions that were released, the peaks and valleys of Austen’s population over the past two centuries and more.

 

The photos of the covers themselves are obviously the main attraction. There have been so many different versions of the books and this tome doesn’t even include all of them. I loved seeing how different design trends affected the versions that were released in each decade. 

One of my favorite aspects is the author's snarky comments about some of the more melodramatic covers. I’ll admit that if I’d seen some of those cover before reading the books, I might have developed a distaste for Austen without ever trying her work!  Sullivan also includes pulled quotes from the novels and Jane Austen's letters, which was lovely. In one of her letters Austen refers to the books as her “children.”     

BOTTOM LINE: Just gorgeous, the book is beautifully done and is a must for any true Janeites' bookshelves.

*I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Top Ten Books That Whose Titles or Covers Made Me Buy It

I’m not big on judging a book solely by its cover or title, but occasionally one is just too good to irresistible. Here's my top ten for this week's Broke and the Bookish list, I went with just my covers, not titles.

1) The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski

2) The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

3) Bossypants by Tina Fey

4) Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

5) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

6) Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach


7) The Arrival by Shaun Tan

8) Blindness by Jose Saramago

9) The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie by Alan Bradley

10) Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

The Making of a Book Cover

Here's a link to a fascinating video about a book cover being designed. We always say don't judge a book by its cover, but how quickly we make snap judgments when we see one that's really bad or really good. I know it's mostly a matter of opinion, but still it was pretty awesome to see a quick behind the scenes look at how one was made.

(RED) Penguin Covers

Penguin has introduced a new line of covers for some classics to raise money to fight AIDS. I love them! Each one has a snippet of text from the book worked into the cover design. Wouldn't you just love to be reading one of these on the subway?

You can read more about the project and see more covers here.