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Monday, March 10, 2008

The Yiddish Policeman's Union (UK paperback)

Designer credit to come

Here's the new UK paperback version of one of last year's favorite designs (and favorite books, for that matter). Both the wife and I dig the noirish quality of this and can't help thinking that this looks as much like a movie poster as it does a book cover. (We'll have to wait until 2010 to see what the real film poster will look like.)

12 comments:

mike said...

Using the chess piece twice comes off as lazy, plus it breaks up the symmetry that the designer seems to be otherwise striving for. The US cover wins, I think.

Anonymous said...

The US cover wins hands down, but this is nice in it's own way. Sort of forced with the "the" floating in yellow over the staircase and the chess piece being used twice like that.

Too symetrical. But overall it works.

Tal said...

Joseph, having read the book, can you see a reason for showing the detective(?) twice? Is there a split personality thing or two detectives. Small point, but I was just wondering.

Joseph said...

Tal: Nope, nothing I can remember from the book that would inspire the doubling.

Anonymous said...

There is a kind of double or secret life thing going on in the book. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't say more, but I don't find the doubling to be completely random.

Joseph said...

I have to start getting more sleep. I don't remember that...

Anonymous said...

This is feelin border line mass market for me. But, frankly, Staehle's is just a brutal act to have to follow. That US cover is a freakin' juggernaut of badass design.

Anonymous said...

The US cover blows this one away.

Anonymous said...

What the hell does Frank Sinatra and his clone have to do with a alternative history of Jews in Alaska?

Anonymous said...

What the hell does Frank Sinatra and his clone have to do with a alternative history of Jews in Alaska?

Neil MacLean said...

Interesting—one of the few times I can think of the US cover of a book blowing away the UK version.

Anonymous said...

So this would be assuming that a designer has absolute say in what ultimately goes on the cover? I'll bet that Sales and Marketing had a big hand in diluting this design down.