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Behind-The-Books Blog

Wednesday Cover Story: Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

We are very impressed with the innovative design for these obscure H G Wells titles recently republished by Orion in hardback. (Georgina spotted them at The British Library on the weekend).

The title and author name features as a newspaper headline and the usual details on the back cover (bar code, price, publisher etc) are cleverly incorporated into the text and layout of the newspaper ‘articles’. The newspaper copy (which wraps around the front and back) is actually the beginning of the novel itself, and you can not help but start reading parts of it – all before having to open the book! It is a cover that quite literally yells at the customer: ‘Read all about it! ‘ (Marvellous!)

It also reminds me of my school days when it was quite a trend to wrap magazine pages or newspapers around the covers of our books to protect them or liven up boring textbook covers. Perhaps this too was part of the designer’s thought-process?

Whatever lies behind the inspiration, we think the result is ingenious and wonderfully different.    But what do you think?

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager

Want to flag up a cover you love or hate for our Wednesday Cover Story? Write to chiara@allisonandbusby.com with your thoughts

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