Matt Ruff is a pretty excellent writer, one of those “writers’ writers” that every author you love gushes over in the cover blurbage. If you haven’t read Set This House In Order, well, thank me later. But he’s not a bestseller, so I’d love to hear how a cover this elaborate didn’t get axed by the bean-counters.
The Amazon photo isn’t exactly right… the cover is vinyl-coated(?) with round edges. The details on the back are suggestive of secret-agenty pamphlets and psychiatric evaluations.
Matt Ruff inspires some interesting book covers… more tomorrow.
I don’t know if I would marry that shade of yellow, but I enjoy the general layout of this one. I like that font; anyone know a name for it? I’d likely pick this one up… I think primarily because it makes me recall 12 Monkeys, what with the stamped graphic that appeared on the movie posters and in the film itself. I see a similarity here.
The back looks very nice. I’m a sucker for compartments.
I am no fan of that binding, or whatever you call it. The only other books I’ve seen with rounded edges and curved under like that are Bibles and Book of Mormons. Growing up in an LDS household I saw too many of them.
I am also a fan of the font (dont’ know the name). I would have liked to seen something different though for this book. It is described as scary, thriller, fast, etc. Maybe something along the lines of a stamp as well, smudged as if someone quickly pounded it on the cover? I don’t know. Or maybe the leading needs to be less benign. Overall, I like the cover. Especially the yellow (I am assuming it is a little more vibrant in person with the vinyl). The round edges also seem unnecessary to me…again, round edges doesn’t really scream scary thriller. It does scream Bible though, which can be scary to some!
I immediately saw darth vader when I saw this book. Then the monkey. Over all there is something sterile about all of this. But it’s probably appropriate. The format and binding do more for me than the actual design of the piece… I’d like to see the interior pages and how it all reads.
I would definitely pick this book up based on the yellow and the Rorschach Mandrill. I love the DMV/Passport application compartments on the back. I’m a subway reader so I appreciate the binding. Bible wasn’t the first thing I thought of. Manual or handbook came to mind as well as the binding for The Minority Report a few years back (just weird SF treatment). I haven’t read Matt Ruff but the amazon description makes Bad Monkeys sound like 12 Monkeys with a little The Eyre Affair mixed in. I’m hoping to thank you soon, Eric, for recommending Set This House in Order.
Clean and good. It has only what it takes. Amazing how folks frequently seems to think the world is going to bust tomorrow, so letīs use all the images we had stocked in only one cover…
Matt Ruff is a pretty excellent writer, one of those “writers’ writers” that every author you love gushes over in the cover blurbage. If you haven’t read Set This House In Order, well, thank me later. But he’s not a bestseller, so I’d love to hear how a cover this elaborate didn’t get axed by the bean-counters.
The Amazon photo isn’t exactly right… the cover is vinyl-coated(?) with round edges. The details on the back are suggestive of secret-agenty pamphlets and psychiatric evaluations.
Matt Ruff inspires some interesting book covers… more tomorrow.
— Eric Jacobsen, 2008-04-15 10:45:00
I don’t know if I would marry that shade of yellow, but I enjoy the general layout of this one. I like that font; anyone know a name for it? I’d likely pick this one up… I think primarily because it makes me recall 12 Monkeys, what with the stamped graphic that appeared on the movie posters and in the film itself. I see a similarity here.
The back looks very nice. I’m a sucker for compartments.
I am no fan of that binding, or whatever you call it. The only other books I’ve seen with rounded edges and curved under like that are Bibles and Book of Mormons. Growing up in an LDS household I saw too many of them.
— C-Dog, 2008-04-16 04:07:00
I am also a fan of the font (dont’ know the name). I would have liked to seen something different though for this book. It is described as scary, thriller, fast, etc. Maybe something along the lines of a stamp as well, smudged as if someone quickly pounded it on the cover? I don’t know. Or maybe the leading needs to be less benign. Overall, I like the cover. Especially the yellow (I am assuming it is a little more vibrant in person with the vinyl). The round edges also seem unnecessary to me…again, round edges doesn’t really scream scary thriller. It does scream Bible though, which can be scary to some!
— Jamon Exsted, 2008-04-16 06:21:00
I wish Iīd come with that mandril myself
— Liquid Sky, 2008-04-16 07:26:00
Interesting dimensions. Is the actual book thhat narrow?
— dave, 2008-04-16 08:23:00
sorry, “that” narrow…
— dave, 2008-04-16 08:23:00
I immediately saw darth vader when I saw this book. Then the monkey. Over all there is something sterile about all of this. But it’s probably appropriate. The format and binding do more for me than the actual design of the piece… I’d like to see the interior pages and how it all reads.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-04-16 08:32:00
I would definitely pick this book up based on the yellow and the Rorschach Mandrill. I love the DMV/Passport application compartments on the back. I’m a subway reader so I appreciate the binding. Bible wasn’t the first thing I thought of. Manual or handbook came to mind as well as the binding for The Minority Report a few years back (just weird SF treatment). I haven’t read Matt Ruff but the amazon description makes Bad Monkeys sound like 12 Monkeys with a little The Eyre Affair mixed in. I’m hoping to thank you soon, Eric, for recommending Set This House in Order.
— angela, 2008-04-16 08:40:00
Trivia note: for a time in the 60s, Avon Books put out paperbacks with rounded corners.
— terry bigham, 2008-04-16 09:19:00
I bought this book purely for the cover design, which rarely happens with me. Thank god the book itself is equally compelling.
— Corey Redekop, 2008-04-16 10:43:00
Darth Vader – The Autobiography
— Ian, 2008-04-18 03:59:00
Clean and good. It has only what it takes. Amazing how folks frequently seems to think the world is going to bust tomorrow, so letīs use all the images we had stocked in only one cover…
— Heitor, 2008-04-18 12:42:00
I saw Darth Vader too, at first. :)
— Jelmar, 2008-04-21 07:18:00