If a rose is only as good as its petals, is a classic novel only as good as its flaps? Over the years, the covers of many of our favorite books have been reinterpreted by different artists (and publishers and sales reps, most likely) to varying degrees of success. We could all do with a new set of drapes now and again, it’s true, but some changes are better than others. While some of these covers have clearly been redesigned with an eye towards picking up a new kind of consumer, others are just “modernized” or simply “ruined.” Peep 14 before and after cover designs for yourself after the jump, and let us know whether you prefer the classic or the nouveau.
1984 by George Orwell
The earlier version is significantly sexier than the later. But we must admit we love the raw psychotic scrawl — in this and all things.
1955, Signet Edition
2009, Penguin UK
Comments (8)
[...] Es de suponer que con el auge del libro electrónico, el diseño de portadas de libros siga un proceso similar al de portadas de discos, como ya conté hace unos años: una reducción de elementos que permitan el escalado, y en el caso de los libros, paso a la escala de grises que parece un estándar en los dispositivos lectores de libros electrónicos. Flavorwire ha seleccionado algunas de las más interesantes interpretaciones de ediciones de clásicos de la literatura universal, tanto en edicion…. [...]
Not all the later versions are that bad. Lolita’s ’77 cover, Jane Eyre, Time Machine and In Cold Blood all outsex the earlier ones.
[...] Here’s an easy one to bring us back from hiatus into semi-hiatus. I came across this slide-show comparing the original cover designs of classic books and more recent repackaging on a website called Flavorwire (that I came across via the NYTimes Book [...]
[...] a small collection of comparisons of book covers, old and new (see the original Flavorwire article here). While looking through the covers posted there and others, I found that each of these titles has [...]
“Way too sexy for kerouac”?? That _is_ a photo of Kerouac on the second cover.
[...] love books, and I love book covers. Take a look at how some classics have changed over the [...]
[...] lifestyle and culture magazines in American culture? We’ve already taken a look at redesigned book covers, but magazines are a more immediate reflection of our selves – like advertisements, [...]
[...] Now & Then: Redesigned Book Covers [...]
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