Don't Judge a Book...

The class discussion this week reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Phineas and Ferb…

Candace: (pointing at a row of books, one by one) Boring, dull, stupid, lame, heavy-handed and derivative.
Candace's mom: Oh, thank you for those insightful reviews of books you haven't read.
Candace: Mom, that's why books have covers: to judge them! I mean, why did you choose these books from the library?
Candace's mom: They looked interesting.
Candace: So…
Candace's mom: …point taken.*

No one wants to admit it, but literally the only function of a book cover is to allow people to judge the text behind it. No one takes those grocery store novels seriously, primarily because their covers are filled with naked people fawning all over each other. Similarly, cheap beach-read romances boast the author's name in bigger letters than the title as a reminder that, "Hey! You liked the last predictable, heartwarming love story I cranked out. Good news: this one is exactly the same!" But if you look at "high-brow" literature, the covers are always artfully crafted. Once the image draws you in, you immediately think that a design so beautiful must be the gateway to something even more profound. (Side note: At least in my experience, this is often true. Then again, I tend not to pick up books with ugly covers. So I guess I only have half the story.)

The manipulations presented by a book are introduced long before the first page. I can't speak for everyone, but I had a strong feeling I would like Cat's Cradle the second I picked it up at the bookstore.  I thought the cover was intriguing, so I eagerly grabbed it and read the back. And just as my reaction to the cover predicted, I ended up loving the book. Was I primed to like it by some marketing strategist? I'd like to think that the cover can only take my opinion so far, but in actuality, I have no idea. In all honesty, though, it seems to me that cover art is a fairly accurate indicator of how much I'm going to enjoy a particular book. Regardless, until books are all bound in one uniform, colorless, author-less, title-less way, people will judge books by their covers.

*Quote provided by Phineas and Ferb Wiki.