posted on 17 May 2016

Front Cover : Great Book Jacket and Cover Design by Alan Powers

One of the great, unacknowledged art forms of the 20th century is the book jacket. In this excellent book by Dr. Alan Powers he argues that the book jacket as we know it is actually a product of the changing social and cultural sensibility that is now often labelled as ‘Modernism’.

Prior to the emergence of specially designed jackets, book covers were little more than paper bags designed to protect the carefully designed cloth covers – some of which were extraordinarily elaborate – and produced to be thrown away once the book was home and heading for the reader’s shelf.

The introduction of the book jacket designed to be kept signalled a significant change in thinking – this was art made to not just advertise and sell the book but to enhance and supplement it. In the world of collecting these vulnerable paper additions to the actual book have become unbelievably desirable – to the point where it’s possible to argue that the jacket is often now worth more than the actual book. This sounds absurd but that is to under-estimate the artistic and design merits of the very best jackets.

As a result there is a real premium on the jackets designed by the very best – many of whom were fine artists in their own right. It’s not just the image that counts on a book jacket – the choice of font, the size of the print and the overall design and layout all count. However, for me, a really great jacket isn’t just a clever combination of design elements because I think it’s impossible to produce the right cover if you don’t understand and feel for the book and its spirit. A good example of what I mean is the iconic jacket for Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby – the deep blue background, the floating pair of eyes , the distant sense of a carnival somewhere on the horizon has nothing much to do with representing something specific within the plot of the book but it captures and enhances the book’s inner core. As a result this is possibly the most sought-after book jacket ever.

This book is a feast for anyone wanting to understand the evolution of the book jacket – the text by Powers is accessible and informative and the illustrations sumptuous. I often take this book down to just browse through it and I always find a bit of new information to add to store – nobody can know everything and books like this can really add to your experience of book hunting.

Copies aren’t expensive – about £10 for a second hand hardback and half of that for a paperback – and you’ll get loads of pleasure and value from it.

Terry Potter

May 2015