Judging Books By Their Covers is a good posting that examines litlove’s reactions to the new cover of Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus….”I find it a little uninspiring and plain”:

This cover is from the 2006 UK Vintage Classic edition. Actually, we don’t dislike it. But, as litlove’s says, “The baroque decoration that is Carter’s prose deserves something more vibrant and enticing.” When we checked Amazon US we found a cover from the other extreme:

Certainly vibrant and enticing but seemed totally out-of-place, even trashy, until we realized that this cover is for a theatrical adaptation of the novel by Tom Morris and Emma Rice. Ok, in that context, change trashy to artsy.

It seems that the image on the cover is a photo still of Natalia Tena performing in the main role of the play. The Guardian provides a review of the play and some insight into Angela Carter from her literary executor.

Something is quite odd with Amazon’s Search Inside the book feature with this title. When you click on the above image for the cover from the adaptation, then you get this illustrated cover from the original 1986 Penguin edition.

Buyers do notice the covers

In the second half of her posting litlove describes the impact that cover art can have on her choice selection:

There have been occasions when I’ve not bought a book because I’ve disliked its cover, and I’ve certainly chosen one book over another on the feeble grounds of aesthetic attractiveness. I’ve been drawn to try new authors because I’ve thought the book appealing.

The final paragraph of her posting talks about her own experience as an author and the cover art for academic books. Interesting stuff, be sure to read it (and be sure to check out the link in the first comment to that post, which will take you to a fascinating site).