The adage of not judging a book by its cover may hold true for older books, especially those designed and printed before the art of book design became fine, but contemporary books ask to be judged.
Present book design illustrates aspects of a book (or attempt to at least) appealing to readers’ interests in much the same way as a review or blurb by bringing to the reader an individual opinion upon which to base their own. While it may not be compulsory for designers to read more than the synopsis of the book or brief given by the managing editor of the publishing house, it is, as Alexander Charchar says in an excellent post entitled “Reimagining Nineteen Eighty-four”, ‘always a delight when the designer includes a subtle reference or link’ to the story, this becomes “an inside joke between you and the block of paper in front of you.”
Nineteen Eighty-four’s numerous covers, particularly the modern, feature various aspects of the book, while at the same time, face the impossible task of highlighting one of the many themes in the book above all the others.
The designs focusing on the "Big Brother is watching you" principal are typical of Nineteen Eighty-four, but fail to convey the significance of being watched, namely absolute control – even the restriction from free-thinking is ignored in these designs. The eyes, especially those focused on the reader, do provide an impression of being kept under surveillance but cannot access the magnitude of it.
The full-colour illustrated covers of the 60s reprints more accurately captures the importance of being watched and adds a sense of importance to the very human, albeit contrived, relationship between Winston and Julia. The idea that an intimate relationship renders them terrorists and thus fugitives is more accurately conveyed in these covers. The illustrations, however, are too obvious to be an inside joke between the reader and the book and create, perhaps wrongly, expectations of "forbidden love" (see below).
This (supposedly Heinemann but most likely unpublished) cover featuring a barcode-like design beautifully captures the book's objectification themes. The reduction of a person to the status of "an unperson" is expressed in the label of a barcode and intensified by the greying of Orwell's name, which not only undermines identity but also lessens the severity of changing the meaning of words on the back page. The drawline on the front-cover however ruins the effect (as does the logo and colour) – 'Forbidden Love....Fear....Betrayal' is a generic expression for a unique novel.
The covers focusing on the propaganda and the changing of words' meanings is one of my favourite themes in the book and underscores the control of language over thinking. The striking white on black with insignificant title and author name of the first cover emphasises the sinister nature of language. The red and beige cover is genius too. The anarchy inherent in the hand written language of the back cover – an inversion of the colours on the front cover – captures Winston's protest of BB through his language. The repetition of the phrase "Down with Big Brother" ironically makes use of the same rhetoric devices to gain control as Big Brother, namely repetition of ideas. The order inherent in the structure of the piping on the front cover breaks down with the language on the back.
The Jasper Higgs cover is perhaps my favourite. The calculated logic of the inverted numbers and words is confusing in the same way that the books propaganda ("War is Peace") is convoluted at first glance but also logical. The inverted letters 'o' and 'g' in the centre of the confusion also indicates the sinister nature of language. While we can read ''Eighty' and 'four' to understand the words' face-value meaning, the spelling shows that the face-value has been altered, like the meaning of "Freedom" in the notion "Freedom is slavery".
While the audio book's cover almost completely misses the plot by portraying BB as a man and not the undefeatable idea, it has a rat on the cover which is awesome.
by Jason Esch
Apple joins the eBook debate
Apple eBooks will be made available from the iBookstore. It still looks like a bookshelf though.
Tech pundits are predicting the death of print within the next decade as a plethora of eBook readers – now including Apple – make print unnecessary. But does redundant mean it’s unwanted?
The eagerly-awaited Apple tablet, iPad, was dropped yesterday at an exclusive invite only press conference hosted by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. While most tech-junkies were disappointed that the device did not sport a camera, USB port, Flash capabilities or multitasking, they did welcome Apple’s entry into the eBook reader market. While the book reading app is beautiful, as most apps are, it will be limited, as most apps are. Doubts as to whether the iPad will kill Kindle have not been settled despite the reader sporting the Kindle app. Yet unlike the Kindle the iPad reserves the whole screen for text, leaves a progress bar at the bottom allowing you to see how far into the book you are and also bears a page curling animation to turn the page – almost exactly like a real book.
The device has re-inspired the “eBook will be the death of print” debate. While the nifty reader is prettier than the kindle, in full colour and sports an application that makes your eBooks look like they’re housed in a real bookcase, it’s still an onscreen simulation trying to be the real thing. Like all eBook readers, the iPad competes with print by copying its actions.
Print has been saying its long goodbye since the first radio broadcast in 1906/7, when media gurus began crying the redundancy of print now that news broadcast could be sent directly to your living room instead of to your door. Now 104 years later and it seems only Dan Brown is more popular in eBook form than in print – which (could be for any number of reasons) is more likely a result of the huge online Twitter semiotics game as a lead up to the The Lost Symbol.
For sure digital offers more to readers: “ubiquity, speed, permanence, searchability, the ability to update, the ability to remix, targeting, interaction, marketing via links, data feedback” (Business Week) but I quite enjoy the fact that my books don’t come with popup ads. I can’t remember the last time I needed to search a novel or required that it be updated and I certainly enjoy the difference between onscreen reading and reading a book as a nice defining line between work and relaxation. The benefits of onscreen reading are all utilitarian but very rarely aesthetic – an appeal of the book that enables countless secondhand bookstores to remain in existence.
While the draw for publishers to make books available in eBook form is certainly cheaper to produce and easier to distribute, it will have an effect on the way content is written. Any author, journalist and perhaps even blogger will tell you how different onscreen material must be written to be appealing to an audience, and no matter how many inches the screen has it’s still a screen. A generation of lazy writers who can correct their mistakes or update it later is perhaps not what the publishing industry needs. It certainly doesn’t need more blogger crossovers or poorly thought out prose.
Despite Stephen Fry’s opinion that the iPad is beautiful, it pales in comparison to an 1891 original copy of Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles or even a 2009 embellished hardcover copy of Paradise Lost. Like all things technology, new doesn’t always mean old is obsolete: as Business Week mentions “nothing ever goes away completely” as Java proves.
While the book reading toys are a great accessory and much lighter than transporting a varsity sack full of encyclopaedias, it won’t put print to death – if only for the sake of having books decorate your home.
By Jason Esch