Comments on: Judging Books by their Covers http://blog.ellywilliams.co.uk/2004/09/21/judging-books-by-their-covers/ Caught Between Industries Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:39:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jay http://blog.ellywilliams.co.uk/2004/09/21/judging-books-by-their-covers/comment-page-1/#comment-120 Jay Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ellythompson.co.uk/blog/?p=76#comment-120 The covers for all US prints of all Terry Pratchett books are as dull and lifeless as this one. They have never had the Josh Kirby illustrations that we all know and love. All the American Pratchett fans I know (my wife included) think it is a national scandal that US readers get this while we get the cool covers. Unfortunately Josh Kirby passed away in 2001, so books published since have new illustrations; for example, Night Watch is illustrated by Paul Kidby with a parody of Rembrandt's painting of the same name. That in itself is also an excellent piece of cover art, and not in the same cartoon style as Kirby, yet it was still replaced in the US. The covers for all US prints of all Terry Pratchett books are as dull and lifeless as this one. They have never had the Josh Kirby illustrations that we all know and love.

All the American Pratchett fans I know (my wife included) think it is a national scandal that US readers get this while we get the cool covers. Unfortunately Josh Kirby passed away in 2001, so books published since have new illustrations; for example, Night Watch is illustrated by Paul Kidby with a parody of Rembrandt’s painting of the same name. That in itself is also an excellent piece of cover art, and not in the same cartoon style as Kirby, yet it was still replaced in the US.

]]> By: Elly http://blog.ellywilliams.co.uk/2004/09/21/judging-books-by-their-covers/comment-page-1/#comment-121 Elly Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ellythompson.co.uk/blog/?p=76#comment-121 From a quick look amazon.com it looks like the cover artist for a lot of the american versions has been given the single paragraph breakdown of the plot and not actually bothered (or been given the opportunity) to read anything else....I wouldn't say they were dull and lifeless, but they do appear to be very unsophisticated and rather insulting to the content. On the subject of Josh Kirby, I was a little worried the other day when looking round a second hand book shop to be able to recognise a Josh Kirby illustration from the thumbnail on the cover... should be an entry on a "you know you're a geek when..." style questionnairey thing. When I first discovered there was going to be a Discworld book titled "Nightwatch" I'd just spent a week in Amsterdam and actually seen the original Rembrandt painting of that name (or nickname if we're being pedantic.) Guessing that the cover illustration might be a parody I spent a good 15minutes trying to find out if I was right.... again a good candidate for "you know you're a geek when..." From a quick look amazon.com it looks like the cover artist for a lot of the american versions has been given the single paragraph breakdown of the plot and not actually bothered (or been given the opportunity) to read anything else….I wouldn’t say they were dull and lifeless, but they do appear to be very unsophisticated and rather insulting to the content.

On the subject of Josh Kirby, I was a little worried the other day when looking round a second hand book shop to be able to recognise a Josh Kirby illustration from the thumbnail on the cover… should be an entry on a “you know you’re a geek when…” style questionnairey thing.

When I first discovered there was going to be a Discworld book titled “Nightwatch” I’d just spent a week in Amsterdam and actually seen the original Rembrandt painting of that name (or nickname if we’re being pedantic.) Guessing that the cover illustration might be a parody I spent a good 15minutes trying to find out if I was right…. again a good candidate for “you know you’re a geek when…”

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