Judging a Book by its Cover

You probably have hundreds of books on your shelves—books that you have read and collected. But how much thought have you given to how those books look? Not just the design of the covers but the typeface and layout of the text, or the use of dingbats (my favorite word in typography—it means an ornament). Sitting here with my very first author’s copy of my upcoming novel The Bookman’s Tale, I’m intensely aware of the effort that goes into making the appearance of a book reflective of its content, and I want to thank both the book designer Carla Bolte and jacket designer Gregg Kulick for doing such a great job. Their names are on the book, but you have to look closely to see them—and that’s usually the case with designers. Until fairly recently in publishing history, they often got no credit at all. Months ago we had long discussions about the front cover design for The Bookman’s Tale, culminating in a collaborative conference call among my editor, my agent, and me. The result is a cover that looks mysterious, hints at the worlds of rare books and historic London, and is downright beautiful. And the best part is—the cover is honest: it truly reflects in a single image the spirit of the book inside. The interior design is just as good. The choice of typeface, the use of a dingbat in the chapter heads that echoes those on the cover: it all feels very bookish. If you are a book collector, and even if you are not, you should not throw away the stunning dust jacket, but do look underneath, especially after you have read the book. There is a wonderful detail of design on the front cover that’s taken right out of the text (p. 114). I was really touched when I saw the designer’s attention to detail on this scale. Needless to say, I hope you will read The Bookman’s Tale and I hope you will enjoy it. But while I am not the best person to serve as a judge of the text, I am uniquely suited to understand what went in to the design, and if my work as author lives up to the work of Carla and Gregg as designers then you are in for a treat. And the next time you find yourself holding a beautiful book, look for the names of the designers. I don’t know if people will be collecting Charlie Lovett in 100 years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are collecting books designed by Carla Bolte or jackets designed by Gregg Kulick.