[locke]

Not that the forum noticed but the cover art is up on amazon as well. Release date thread is locked.

[mrganondorf]

Not that the forum noticed but the cover art is up on amazon as well. Release date thread is locked.

thanks for the info, i just cannot get excited about that look

[H]

Not that the forum noticed but the cover art is up on amazon as well. Release date thread is locked.

thanks for the info, i just cannot get excited about that look

Yeah, my TJE and WLW sit on my shelf with no dust jackets.  I lost/threw them away.  While I didn't do it purposely, it's really wasn't an accident either...

[Wilshire]

Worst English version cover so far imo

[Aural]

Worst English version cover so far imo

Yeah... no.

[Madness]

Lol - yeah. There's a whole unfortunate series of face covers...

[Somnambulist]

Before I weigh in on covers, can anyone elaborate on exactly why they feel the 'face' covers are so crap?

[Madness]

Well, I know very little about the study of art and only a little bit more about why the brain seems to find certain principles in art more aesthetically attractive than other particular visual cues...

But I "feel" like the Rankine series (TWP, for instance) is on the other spectrum of quality covers than the face series.

EDIT: Also, let it be officially declared by myself that I'd love to see Somnambulist do the next cover and/or illustrated editions of PON, TGO, TUC, whatever.

[Aural]

Speaking of faces, someone mentioned on the other board that this face is a blind man with a serpent. Wonder what people here think about that.

[Somnambulist]

Lol, come on, buddy!  I appreciate the 'United Nations' answer, cuz Kellhus knows I've given a shit-ton of them in my own life.

Are the Rankine covers the originals from Canada?  Like, the ones you're used to?  Taking nothing away from them at all, because they're elaborately beautiful (imo), but I wonder if it's a mental connection to the text.  The copy of TDTCB I found/bought all those years ago was the face cover.  TBH, it's one of the reasons I bought the book.  It was dark, mysterious, serious looking, and along with the title, just blew away every other book in the 'fantasy' genre that was out at the time (that I remember, anyway).  So, I wonder if that's my mental connection.  Like, that's the way it's supposed to look or something, so I'm partial to those covers now.

I just found it interesting how a few of you seem to despise those face covers.  Maybe if the one I'd bought had been a Rankine version, I'd feel the same way.  Just thought it was curious.

Now you can blast me for liking the face ones.  Ooh, I can feel the damnation welling up...

[Madness]

Lol - yeah, the Rankine series are the original PON covers in Canada. Though, I've also seen a fair number of these (TWP) circulating, which I find satisfying on the spectrum somewhere between the Rankine pieces and the face.

Aside factoid, the face is apparently some editor or agent's nephew or something, as I recall - I'll try and find the comment from Bakker at some point (I want to say it's on TPB somewhere).

Absolutely, first impressions bias us. So does knowledge. Wilshire knows more of the exactitudes than anyone but the Rankine cover script is actually something Rankine/Bakker devised - as far as I recall, it's a transcribed quote from the books that Bakker chose and a set of King Crimson lyrics that Rankine chose. Knowing that has undoubtedly coloured my arbitrary perception/projection of "quality."

Someone else asked a similar question on Westeros and no one answered them, though I did a little research in an attempt. This was the most enlightening piece of opinion I could find and, to be honest, in giving it thought here, the face covers aren't necessarily "breaking" any of those "rules."

That's just my stream of consciousness thoughts on the subject.

[Somnambulist]

Thanks for that link about cover design.  Bookmarked.  Takes me back to all that design theory stuff in school.

[locke]

Lol - yeah, the Rankine series are the original PON covers in Canada. Though, I've also seen a fair number of these (TWP) circulating, which I find satisfying on the spectrum somewhere between the Rankine pieces and the face.

Aside factoid, the face is apparently some editor or agent's nephew or something, as I recall - I'll try and find the comment from Bakker at some point (I want to say it's on TPB somewhere).

Absolutely, first impressions bias us. So does knowledge. Wilshire knows more of the exactitudes than anyone but the Rankine cover script is actually something Rankine/Bakker devised - as far as I recall, it's a transcribed quote from the books that Bakker chose and a set of King Crimson lyrics that Rankine chose. Knowing that has undoubtedly coloured my arbitrary perception/projection of "quality."

Someone else asked a similar question on Westeros and no one answered them, though I did a little research in an attempt. This was the most enlightening piece of opinion I could find and, to be honest, in giving it thought here, the face covers aren't necessarily "breaking" any of those "rules."

That's just my stream of consciousness thoughts on the subject.

I like both the face and rankine covers but I strongly dislike the cover linked here. The face covers are probably better at selling the book than either of the others.

Does the face cover on the first series indicate it's in a third printing run?

[Wilshire]

I just know that the faces have nothing to do with the series. I asked bakker about them, he doesn't even know who the guy is or why they picked it.

On the other hand, the rankine covers bakker worked with rankine on the design and its a beautiful artistic rendition of some psedu-earwe text. So not only is it unique and beautiful, it's significant to the text. The face... is just some random guys face.

[themerchant]

I have the face covers. The only one i did not have was the WLW one which was the weird looking dude on the circumfix, I ordered that directly from Canada as it was the quickest way to read the book. All my face books are still intact while the Canadian one broke into bits ages ago, even though it is significantly younger and less thumbed.