In 1998, I started a year-long “experiment” in regard to book jackets. For only a year, I purchased books simply due to their covers, as I always wondered how true it was to “not judge a book by its cover.” This turned out to be a fantastic and exciting adventure, as some fantastic writers were discovered, as well as a few not-so-good writers. Of the fantastic writers discovered, some of whom I still love to read today, their book covers were phenomenal. It was evident the publisher art departments put time and thought into the layouts, the general esthetics, and a true representation of the content within these books. If you ever need to see one of these original covers, find an original copy of “Syrup” by Maxx Barry, which was part of this experiment. And definitely read the book.
Hence, it was odd and refreshing to read of the issues with book jackets being fascimilied in the collectors’ book industry. Apparently possessing the original cover of a highly covetted book is “the” thing to do. Little did I ever imagine that people have stolen particular book covers, replacing them with bad copies. Does this actually bring a high profit? And if so, what in the world would possess someone to take time to do this?
I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but I would be very upset to realize my collector’s edition of ANY book was missing its original book jacket. Especially since each of the books I own has a special story, usually based on when the book entered my life and/or the moment it was read.
As my mother usually says, “you learn something new everyday.” Today I learned to keep a better eye on my book jackets.
