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5 Truly Awful Book Covers.

By February 10, 2017Literature

Never judge a book by its cover

How many times do we hear this piece of advice, or even offer it up when recommending a piece of literature that we have adored but that may be let down or perhaps be unfairly represented by the cover within which the tale is encased? Film tie in covers are abhorrent things that should be banned immediately in my opinion, their gaudy photographic covers depicting the worst representations of the literary characters that live on the pages of the book inside may not change the story inside but it definitely affects the way that I picture the characters’ physical traits.

The Guardian agrees with me and recently they shared five books which they say have the worst covers possible but what do you think? Do you have any challengers for this list of five classics with truly awful book covers.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Oh dear. No Charlie, no Wonka, no Chocolate Factory, just a photograph of a rather scary looking child. In heavy make up and with her hair coiffed and bouffant this little girl’s image which was emblazoned on the front cover of Penguin’s 50th Anniversary Edition (only published in Britain) was enough to have readers across the world up in arms at its unsuitability for the novel.

Wuthering Heights

A truly beautiful classic Wuthering Heights brings to mind windswept vistas, angry passion and characters who you love to hate to love; not a tatty rose on a black background. Perhaps the publishers were hoping to grab a few unsuspecting myopic Twilight fans with their ode to the glittery vampires, or perhaps it was half past five on a Friday night and they just stuck a pin in the free image library and went with it.

The Bell Jar

Anyone who has read Sylvia Plath’s shockingly realistic novel about a woman’s descent into insanity cannot fail to be bemused by Faber and Faber’s decision to use this image for their 50th Anniversary edition of the critically acclaimed book. After a flurry of complaints about this and Sylvia’s other novel being given such inane covers the publishers released a statement explaining their decision:  “Our intention for this cover was that the image of the expressionless woman ‘putting on her mask’ and the discordant colour palette would suggest ambivalence and unease,” they said, before thankfully explaining to we ignorant folk that: “The copy on the back of this edition makes reference to the narrator’s depression and suicide attempt.”



1984

I’m sorry but if I picked this up I would expect it to contain the address, opening hours and cocktail price list for the latest Fetish Club. Published in 1956 by Signet can you picture the poor souls who upon seeing the scantily clad lady with the come hither look in her eye and a badge with the word SEX written on it (they’d not have taken time to read the rest, who reads small print?) bought this novel to read under their candy striped flannelette sheets hoping to be titillated into a bit of fort building – only to be greeted by Orwell’s Dystopia?

I shouldn’t laugh.

The Princess Bride

I’ve saved the best (worst) for last. When you read this  book did you picture your Princess Buttercup semi nude with snakes writhing around her nether regions? What’s going on with all the skulls and the poor dead lass on the right hand side who is nothing but bones, apart from her miraculously undamaged boobies of course.  Ted CoConis is the illustrator who read the novel and pictured Buttercup as this wanton woman with attitude,not sure it did much good for the book sales but it might have improved the film somewhat had they taken this version of the Princess to the big screen.

It was great fun writing this article and I am sure there are dozens of awful book covers that you could add to our list. Why not send them to us at [email protected]?



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