All that glitters is not gold.
William Shakespeare
I just read a piece written by a friend’s son for the New York Times, The Best Book Covers of 2022, Dec.9, 2022. I love everything about this article. In fact, for that reason, I subscribed to the paper. To begin with, it made me laugh because another friend and I have a long standing joke about buying books when we like the covers.
I am a visual person. Book covers are important to me. I admit to buying a book because I was taken in by the alluring cover only to find out as I began to read it, the cover was the best part. As Frida Kahlo said, “Appearances can be deceiving”.
How often does something or someone turn out to be more flash than substance? Sometimes, people can very charming in a social setting when the reality can be lethal if consumed in large quantities. Being discerning can be difficult. We are taken in by the cover.
On the flip side, maybe someone who doesn’t dazzle at first glance is worth looking at further. Not everyone seeks the stage . The subdued cover could be hiding something more interesting and worth a second look.
Aging with Grace 
5 responses to “You Can’t Tell a Book by it’s Cover”
So true.Taking the time to find out what is inside is so important.
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Not to say I don’t respect your opinion on other topics, also. 🤔
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I respect your opinion on this topic Adrienne. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
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Book covers nowadays are all about marketing and along with technology they can make it look exactly as they wish. It’s a little frightening to have that much freedom over the cover, because you are right my darling…it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
When I purchase a book it’s always hardback in good, used condition. The dust jacket can look pretty beat up, so I take the jacket off to enjoy the actual look and feel of the book. They are beautiful with no cover and sometimes the author leaves a surprise!
If you remove the cover of The Sound of Paper, by Julia Cameron you’ll see a sentence engraved in gold on the book itself that reads, “Think of this book as a summer’s hike…”😍
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I love the idea of finding a surprise beneath the book’s dust jacket and you are right it does make for a better reading experience. I still like pretty pictures, though. 🤍
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