While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?
Which one would you want to read? If you were going to Narnia for the first time that is...
Various covers I've "discovered" via google mostly. As you can see, they range in quality. Some quite appealing. Others not so much. Some are very dated. Others timeless. Some choose to focus on one aspect of the novel. Some go for a general mood. Some depict certain scenes. Others don't. Starting at the top, what I like about Wiesner's is that it shows the girls' (Susan and Lucy) devotion to Aslan. I believe that this is the 'resurrection' scene. They have just discovered that he isn't dead--he's alive. And so they are weeping with joy. The next one shows that Aslan is not a TAME lion at all. Very fierce. The third, it is really hard. I'm assuming that that it is the witch in the background. It looks like she is holding a knife in one hand. So that cover is focusing on the sacrifice scene. The fourth is focusing on the witch and her wolves. The fifth which is my favorite, quite honestly, is focusing on Mr. Tumnus and the wintry scene in which he and Lucy meet. Notice the packages. I love that scene in the movie by the way. The next focuses on the evil witch. The harshness of the environment. The cruelty of the battle between good and evil. The next is an "abridged" version. I've never seen it, but the cover doesn't thrill me. It's just a tame, easy-going, nonviolent, nonthreatening cover. What it does have going for it is that it shows all the main characters: Aslan, witch, Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter. The next is a cover of a play. This is another post-resurrection cover. This is when the two girls are riding on Aslan to join the others in battle. The next is a UK version, I believe. This one shows the three children (Peter, Susan, Lucy) with Aslan. Edmund is missing as he is with the queen. The children are showing off their presents from Father Christmas. The next is a movie tie-in version for the BBC production. The next is another adaptation. I really don't have much to say about that lion's appearance. The next is the version I remember from childhood. We bought our copies used. Ugly it may be, but it does show the children--all four children--entering in the wardrobe drawers--though I doubt they'd be that yellow--and finding a strange winter forest. The next is the 'original' cover by Baynes. This would be another post-resurrection scene. Lucy and Susan are dancing round Aslan and it's spring. I don't love it or hate it in particular. I just don't think it's that captivating. The last one is one I hadn't seen before. It depicts three children. So it would be before Edmund's redemption. Aslan is looking pretty fierce despite the geekiness of the children. Notice how everyone's hair looks bad.
13 comments:
You gave too many choices! I like the first one the best and I have never seen it before. It is so loving.
Wow, what a wide range of variety! I love looking at all the different covers of books I like. Here, my favorite would be the first one. It's beautiful, and touching. But I also like the one that shows the frozen statues in front of the witch's castle, as that's a scene you don't usually see. (I think Aslan's face should be more prominent there, tho)
Most of the covers are fine but I like the most the fifth and the sixth. The seventh is also nice. But some of them give very different expectations to the reader - the fierce Aslan and the one with the girls dancing with Aslan. Would the reader of the latter book expect the book to be less violent?
I like five and six best but the last one is the one I remember from childhood. I prefer not to see my characters on the covers I like to imagine them for myself.
The BBC one brings back memories!
I like the 6th one the best with the castle an the characters around it. I wonder which one is the best seller! I am surprised there are so many!!
What a lovely collection! I'm amazed at how many of these I remember from growing up in Australia. I own the sixth (it looks lovely in a set with all the other books) and also remember the 3rd, 4th, 9th (I think I liked it as it had raised gold lettering) and the last two. I like the second last one for it's retro feel but admit that as a child I probably would have liked one of the other covers better.
I enjoyed this post so much I had to come back, open another window, put your blog in both windows, and read your descriptions alongside looking at each image. Does that make sense? I was struck with the last image this time. Even Aslan's hair looks awful! And is he rolling his eyes? That's what it looks like to me.
What a terrific post, thank you! I had the same box set you did, so I'm partial to that cover (my favorite was the cover to Dawn Treader, though; I love that image); otherwise, I like the first cover and the one with Tumnus in the snow. Thanks again!
Oh, this is so cool to see all these covers! My favorites are the top one, and then the bluish one with the castle in the middle. Very cool. Thanks!
I had so much fun looking at this post!
I can't decide between two:
The cover with Mr. Tumnus in the snow is great because it's so stark and doesn't feature the typical 4 kids & Aslan theme. It's also the one I taught from so it holds nostalgia.
The cover with the coated kids going through the sci-fi looking doorway toward a long road is the cover of my own youth. This is the first cover I read the story from and that also holds strong nostalgia for me ;-)
Oh my! I have been searching for 'my' cover of LWATW everywhere, and I have just found it here....It is the last illustration and I absolutely adored it - I had the whole series by the same artist and all the covers are magical...one thing - who IS the artist! Can anyone tell me, as I would love to track down the other illustrations...
Charlotte, I've been trying to puzzle that one out. I found the image through google's image search. And the link itself to the picture says its an Amazon one. Here is the Amazon book page that goes with the picture. The Fantastic Fiction page says (if you trust them) that this was the 1969 paperback edition of the book. Published by Penguin in the UK, I believe. I did find this page about the illustrators of other editions.
Hey Becky, I have just had success! I am actually from the UK so it makes sense that it was a UK edition. Thanks to your link to amazon, and the fact that I knew the logo was not Penguin I found that it was actually published by Fontana Lion in the 1980's so is listed incorrectly by amazon. I found this amazing site that lists all the series of covers by artist Steven Lavis http://inklingsfocus.com/en_GB/brit_1980.html. It has been a wonderful trip down memory lane....thankyou!
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