Boring cover art

[Epictetus]

I’d like to lodge a complaint. In my opinion, many publishers are stuck in a very deep rut when it comes to book covers. It seems that the vast majority of cover art on history books fall into one of two categories: 1) pictures of material remains or 2) artist impressions.

Take a look at Amazon’s list of bestsellers in Roman history. Practically every single book either has an artist’s impression or a picture of some archeological artifact on the cover. Some even use the same picture. Look at Adrian Goldsworthy’s Roman Warfare and Penguin’s Gallic War.





Of course, cost is always a concern, but why can’t history publishers show a bit of ingenuity and diversification? It doesn’t have to be fancy. Take a look at Nabokov’s last unfinished book. I thought this cover was brilliant and understated, showing that the novel was unfinished and the genius author fading away.





What do you think? What are your favourite history book covers?

[Nathan Ross]

I second your complaint. But it's not a problem unique to Roman history - publishers are increasingly short of both cash and time, and many of them prefer to use tried and tested cover formats - in practise this often means using clip art or similar image bank resources, which a designer can patch into a cover in a matter of moments. This leads to a lot of covers looking pretty much the same. So we do get lots of bits of statuary, often looming from darkness, and fragments of friezes and so on. Novels are even worse in this respect - how many have you seen recently with a picture of some wrought iron gates, or the back of a woman's head? As for 'Roman' novels - black and red? some fire? maybe a helmet? Done!

There are some that show evidence of a bit more imagination. I like this one, which uses a similar text-only approach to the Nabokov mentioned above:



Simple, elegant, and looks interesting (although pedants will surely note that it should be AD428!).

Pompeian red 'wall' backgrounds are another sort-of cover cliche (see 'First Ladies of Rome', 'Unroman Britain', 'Rubicon' etc) but can still look good if done with a bit of thought. This one, for example:



It's a little thrown-together looking, perhaps, and uses a terrible font, but I nevertheless like this new cover for Cheesman's 'Auxilia' - quite striking and different:



- Nathan

[Alanus]

Hold it!
Wait a moment! :roll:
Does this look familiar?
[attachment=886]kulikowskicover001.JPG[/attachment]
I mean, he's the same barbarian guy. It's deja vous all over again!
If this guy was still living, he'd be a millionaire from portrait royalties.

You chaps are absolutely correct, but the publishing industry can't really be blamed. It's broke, hurting, and tasteless. They buy cover art at the flea market.

Here's one that never made it:
[attachment=887]coverphoto-forgingtheblade004.JPG[/attachment]
It's a quickie painting I did for Forging the Blade, a novel yet to be published. The whole idea was to pique curiosity, and even the novel's title was metaphorical. But unfortunately, neither the author nor artist is allowed to think in the present publishing atmosphere.

[Epictetus]

That's funny that same image has been used for so many books. What is it taken from? Trajan or Marcus' column?

I found another cover I really liked, one by Mary Beard. (Strangely, her book covers are normally notorious for following the before-mentioned cliche, but I like this one.)

[Alanus]

I don't know where this barbarian guy came from. Maybe he was Dacian or Gothic, and that might point to Trajan. My guess is the image is "owned" by some outfit like Bettman Archives. Of course, the original artist (aka sculptor) probaby got payment with a chunk of flat-bread and some gruel. Just another staving artist. :wink:

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

[Alanus]

Ah! Not boring and not quite almost historically accurate. :grin:

Historical accuracy is incredibly important for book covers.
Here's one I proposed for Ludvig Weisner's The Origin of Spangenhelms.
[attachment=896]spangenhelms017.JPG[/attachment]
I thought it was pointedly truthful. :roll:
But, hey, it's not boring. :wink:

[Robert Vermaat]

HJ, that's a very nice book cover! Almost acceptable, were it not for the misspelling of 'Varangians'...

Here's one I proposed for Ludvig Weisner's The Origin of Spangenhelms.

I bet they turned it down. :wink:

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Hahaha i must have misread it then !! rofl !

Changed the wording


M.VIB.M.

[john roberts]

Someone must have objected to the hedgehog.

[Alanus]

Actually, they never got the chance to turn it down.
There is no Ludwig Weisner!
He's just a guy I dreamt up. In fact the painting was just a joke, although I'm sure that sooner or later some comic book heroine will wear something like these.

[Marcus Tineius Valens]

...and another one :-D

[Jona Lendering]

Here's the design for my next book.

I like it; it is quiet and suggests that I am offering a serious argument. At the same time, I would not be surprised if people in the shops don't notice it. My proposal was something completely pink with the title in fluorescent green.

The title, De klad in de klassieken. Waarom onze kennis van de Oudheid onbetrouwbaarder wordt, waarom dat zorgwekkend is (ook voor wie niet in de Oudheid is geïnteresseerd) en hoe daar iets aan kan worden gedaan, means something like "Classics in peril. Why our knowledge of Antiquity is increasingly incorrect, why that matters (even if you're not interested in Antiquity) and what we can do against it". The long subtitle is intentional - people will smile, and pick up the book (I hope, because I am d-mn serious).

[jvrjenivs]

Great cover Jona! (and another book on my wish-list...) LOL

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Good cover though personally i would cut the sentence after "waarom onze kennis van de oudheid steeds onbetrouwbaarder wordt."

M.VIB.M.