How To Judge a Book by its Cover

Do you judge a book by its cover? Because… we absolutely do! Curl up with a coffee while we break down how we judge books by their covers.

Laura: Controversial, but so true! I want to look as cute as possible whilst sitting on the tube reading it. Just kidding, but yes I really do judge a book by its cover.

Nat: Oh absolutely! I don’t know about you, but the thing that always lures me into a bookshop are the pretty covers.

Laura: Definitely. But it's gotten to the stage where we now actively search for the nicest edition out there! Often paying more, might I add, just to get the pretty cover.

Nat: Presentation is everything to us.

Laura: So have you ever bought a book JUST for the cover?

Nat: I’m not embarrassed to say that I have. It was The Binding by Bridget Collins. Never have I made a purchase as quickly as I made that one. Firstly, it's purple, secondly it has gold leaf detailing and thirdly...

Laura: The purple sprayed edges of the Waterstones edition!! I missed out on that - gutted.

Nat: Oh it is just a beautiful book. I am proud everyday I see it sitting on my shelf.

Laura: Isn't it a shame when a book has a beautiful cover but when it's on the shelf you're just left with the spine...

Nat: I sometimes think I must display my books! Like I own an actual book shop!

Laura: So have you ever bought a book twice just to get the edition you want? You know I have. I bought Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen in The Penguin English Library collection and then decided I wanted to collect the Vintage Classics. Not ashamed. They are beautiful editions. It starts to get pretty complicated, all these different versions, and it reaches the point where you have to make a decision. I was collecting the Penguin English Library because I wanted all of them, only to realise they actually did not have all of Austen’s books. So when Nat’s collection of the Vintage Austen Classics series arrived, I knew they had to be mine!

Nat: The cover of a book really does matter - deny it all you want! But, when I’m trying to find a book, amongst a sea of books, it helps to stand out. A perfect example of this is The Murder of Hariet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes. I was aimlessly looking around a massic Waterstones and I found myself in the murder/thriller section. Now, generally, I’m not a fan of the covers that exist for that genre. It feels like all they do is slap the author’s name on their, add an ambiguously blurry image, probably at night, definitely with some ominous shadow in the background and call it a day. (The books themselves, I feel, deserve better than that.) The Murder of Harriet Monckton, however, was different. It had a botanical drawing on it, and some red foil lettering - gorgeous.

Laura: Yes, we ended up reading it for our book club and I loved it. So... Here's the thing. Not only are we picky about our covers, we also do not enjoy reading hardback books. When I say we do not enjoy, I mean we deteste. Nobody has room for a heavy, bulky hardback. We patiently (not so patiently, raging at how long it takes) wait for the paperback to come out. However, we made an exception for a very special book. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. What a gorgeous book. A beautiful read.

Nat: Still kinda wish I had the paperback...

Laura: Are there any collections that you would like to keep adding to?

Nat: Yes! I definitely want to read more Virago Modern Classics (40th anniversary Collection). They are such stunning covers and I always think there must be a reason that they have selected these books to be re-released in this way. In addition to those I want to get some more of the Vintage Classic Japanese Series (I really want the WInd Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami). FInally, I’m always looking to read more Penguin Modern Classics with their lovely blue spines.

Laura: Yes, I would love to build my collection of the blue spines. I would like to collect the Vintage Classic Bronte Series. I haven't read any of Bronte sister’s works yet so that is exciting. Wuthering Heights is at the top of my list. Oh and I love that the covers are black and white.

We feel no shame in being such snobs when it comes to books and their covers. We stand by what we have said. We would love to hear your thoughts on what book covers you love (or hate)! Leave a comment down below and thank you once again for taking the time out of your day to hear our bookish thoughts!