Boring Crops, Layout

Hmmm...these could both be so much better. They're both very static.

Two Books on Polio

I love it when two books on essentially the same subject are reviewed at the same time, as it's so instructive to see two different design approaches / solutions to the same problem.

Towelhead

Betcha this is gorgeous in person. Please please please let it be matte.

Paradise

Cool. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cover that has an image like this. Thank God someone did something other than just laying text over the glass.

Europe Central

This just isn't working for me. A pretty cool idea, I think, that winds up being boring.

The Confederate Battle Flag

I really don't like the line spacing here.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

This is from the brilliant gray318 . Wow do I love this cover (and many other things he / she / they've done). The interior is supposed to be as good; unfortunately, I didn't open it when I saw it in the bookshop.

One thing that really let me down, however: the super super glossy cover. It just seemed so inappropriate for the art, which has such a beautiful hand-drawn expressiveness to it. I wanted to feel this cover as much as look at it.

The New New Journalism

A few months back, the cover for an anthology provoked some good discussion over at Foreword. At issue was the treatment of the names of those anthologized -- over 30! This cover has a mere 19, but takes a similar approach, and since both are from Viking, perhaps this isn't a surprise. Anyone know if this is John Gall's work (as is the other)?

Husband of a Fanatic

A very powerful picture. But any thoughts about the treatment of the subtitle?

Enchantments

Question: Why is the title repeated? What does it say about the colored treatment of the title? Is it not readable alone, and therefore does it need the support of the title displayed again, more readably? (This isn't meant to be rhetorical...can anyone point to other examples of this?

Hedwig & Berti

Enough with the feet already! As I've claimed earlier, there are way too many feet and shoes on book jackets.

Stop That Girl

One of those goofy photos that works.

Milk

When does the horizontal split work? When doesn't it? And is it overused?

The Cigar Roller

Tobacco-related post #1. I love this.

Lighting Up

Tobacco-related post #2. Oh, this could be SO much better.

Every Man A Speculator

I would have expected something different -- green, that iconic bull statue -- so this is a nice surprise.