Comparison

The Friday Face-Off: Groovy Baby

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off where this week we’re featuring covers that are retro.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) has had many, many covers; of which a great many (many) can be called ‘retro’ – choosing between them, therefore, was more than a little hard work! That is why this Friday we’re comparing the very first cover, published by Secker & Warburg in 1949, with the 2009 anniversary edition, published by Penguin UK – a genuinely retro cover vs. a cover which is retro in style! Scroll down to see which cover wins your vote!

Secker & Warburg | First British Edition, 1949 – Cover #1

Penguin UK | Anniversary Edition, 2009 – Cover #2

Cover Art by Jon Gray

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

The simplicity of the 1949 edition – the shades of green, the stylised handwriting of the title, the lack of imagery – actually really appeals to me. Simple and modern, this cover wouldn’t look out of place on my shelf today, even if it is lacking some of the artistry which is a frequent feature on more recent covers.

The 2009 edition however, is, to me, almost perfection. I love the blocky type, almost like a bloodied stamp – the white on red and the red on white. I love the illustrative pipes –  breaking and spearing the letters as the eye moves over the page. I love that it hearkens to the Soviet Russian posters of the 20th Century. I love the bloody scrawl on its reverse and the fact that the title can only be found on the spine. I love the boldness and the simplicity. Jon Gray’s 2009 edition is most definitely my winner.

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Next week’s theme is:

There are too many steps in this castle, and it seems to me they add a few every night, just to vex me

A cover featuring a staircase

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

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The Friday Face-Off: My, What Big Teeth You Have

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe

The Infernal Battalion by Django Wexler

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off where this week we’ll be comparing covers which feature a cloaked figure! With ever an abundance of mysterious cloak wearing, cape donning, and shroud covered characters inhabiting fantasyland, this Friday I’ve been spoiled for choice in the cover department.

With two starkly different covers, Django Wexler’s The Infernal Battalion has won out this cloak-off – even if one of the covers has nary a cloak nor a cape to be had. Published by Head of Zeus in the UK (no-cloak) and Ace Books in the US (cloak!), check out this week’s featured covers and decide which one is your favourite.

Head of Zeus | UK – Cover #1

Ace Books | US – Cover #2

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

The UK cover, with its cold hues and stark imagery, depicts a battlefield of smoke, dirt and rain, where a besieged city towers in the distance and burns with bright orange flames. The soldiers illustrated in the foreground have a certain dynamism to their character as they struggle through the mud of the battlefield with a cannon. The typography is bold and simplistic, neither dominating nor distracting from the imagery.

The US cover, by comparison, transports us to the city walls themselves. Here the colours are hot and dangerous, and the image of a cloaked figure dominates the foreground as fire and smoke swirls behind. As effective as the tone and setting are, the figure doesn’t appear to be engaging with their surroundings, looking a little nonplussed as the city burns.

Perhaps this was the purpose of the design and refers to a particular moment in the book, but I much prefer the dynamism of the UK cover – making it this week’s winner!

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Next week’s theme is:

Groovy Baby

A cover that is retro

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Lynn @ Books and Travelling with Lynn

S.J. Higbee @ Brainfluff

Drew @ The Tattooed Book Geek

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

Steve @Books and Beyond Reviews

Wendell @ Bookwraiths

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The Friday Face-Off: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.

The Knight of the Swords by Michael Moorcock

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off where this week we’re comparing psychedelic covers – and OH are there some choices to be had!

The Knight of the Swords by Michael Moorcock brings us our two weird, wonderful and trip inducing covers. With a Berkley Medallion edition designed by David McCall Johnston going head to head with a Mayflower edition designed by Moorcock’s chief psychedelic wizard, Bob Haberfield, take a look at the covers featured this week to see which is your favourite.

Berkley Medallion – Cover #1

Cover Art by David McCall Johnston

Mayflower – Cover #2

Cover Art by Bob Haberfield

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

Both these covers are bright, garish, incredibly busy and should probably come with a health warning – but wow! They really are eye-catching. Conjuring imagery that can be described as nothing other than fantastic, both Johnston and Haberfield have created two works of art which are brimming with imagination and are an absolute product of their time.

Johnston’s cover is a beautiful illustration which shows the transition from inked line to vibrant colour. I love the detail which has been etched with every line, the fluid motion of the horse’s mane and the rider’s cloak, and the washed out Hundertwasser-esque sky.

Haberfield’s cover is bright, intense and grotesque. The monstrous figure in the background draws the focus, and the subtle foreground imagery leads unobtrusively to it.  The colours are hypnotic, the illustration is eye-catching and the more I look at it, the more I like it.

So left in a firm state of indecision and with a possible cover induced hangover… this week I declare it a draw! 

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Next week’s theme is:

My, What Big Teeth You Have

A cover featuring a cloaked figure

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

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The Friday Face-Off: All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.

Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off! This week we’re comparing covers which feature gold!

And when it comes to fantasy you’re never far from a beautiful gilded or embossed cover. This week the UK and the US are going head to head with Assassin’s Fool by Robin Hobb. With two gorgeous covers from Harper Voyager and Del Rey, take a look and see which one is your favourite!

UK Harper Voyager – Cover #1

Cover Art by Jackie Morris + Stephen Raw

US Del Rey – Cover #2

Cover Art by Alejandro Colucci

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

The composition of this series of covers never fails to hit my cover sweet spot. The Harper Voyager cover is awash with gold, with a beautiful calligraphic typeface and that gorgeous flying flag. Simple, elegant and eye-catching and, like with all good treasure troves, as soon as I saw it I coveted it!

By comparison the Del Rey cover portrays an artistic view of a lone figure striding through the snow. Beautifully imagined with faded antlers and a misty white snow storm, I just wish this cover captured my attention as the Harper Voyager cover does.

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Next week’s theme is:

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea, in a beautiful pea green boat…

A cover which features a boat

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Sarah @ Brainfluff

Lynn @ Lynn’s Books

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

Wendell @ Bookwraiths

Steve @ Books and Beyond Reviews

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The Friday Face-Off: An Update

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.

| An Update |

The list of weekly topics for the Friday Face-Off has now been updated for the months ahead. Check out the list of upcoming themes below – and remember to check back for future themes!

| The List |

07th July 2017

All that is gold does not glitter

A cover which features gold

14th July 2017

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea, in a beautiful pea green boat…

A cover which features boats

21st July 2017

Any planet is ‘Earth’ to those who live on it

A cover which features a planet

28th July 2017

The kindest use a knife, because the dead so soon grow cold

A cover which features a knife

04th August 2017

From the ashes a fire shall be woken

A cover which features fire

11th August 2017

No soldier outlives a thousand chances

A cover which features a soldier

18th August 2017

The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork

A cover which features food

25th August 2017

If I be waspish, best beware my sting

A cover which features an insect

1st September 2017

Being born in a stable does not make one a horse

A cover which features a horse

8th September 2017

That great condenser of moral chaos, The City

A cover which features a city

For those of you who are interested but haven’t seen a Face-Off post before, here’s how it goes:

Each week I select a book and make a comparison between the UK and the US covers, displaying the artwork (in all its awesome glory) before selecting one of the two or more covers as the ultimate winner of my Face-Off.

Simple! The following is a rough guide to how this meme will work:

  • Each week will follow a theme
  • The Friday Face-Off feature page will be kept up to date for the theme of the week and those several weeks following it
  • For the purposes of comparing a good variety of cover art only one of the two or more book covers chosen for comparison need relate to the theme (although if you can find two then great!)
  • The books most certainly don’t have to be the UK or US editions – they’re just the covers I’m usually most familiar with and consequently post more often – so post whichever covers catch your eye!
  • Still unsure? – Take a look at some past posts!
  • To sign up just add your link to the bottom of that Friday’s post and link back!

As always, topic suggestions are welcome!

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The Friday Face-Off: If They Are Wearing An Ugly Hat

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off! This week we’re comparing covers which feature hats!

And never mind ugly hats – this week I’ve trawled through an assortment of weird – but always wonderful – hattish creations which seem to proliferate across fantasy fiction to come up with the goods. And two of the most stunning I found in Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves, both designed by the outstanding Benjamin Carré. With the UK and US edition published by Gollancz and Del Rey respectively, and the French edition published by Bragelonne, take a look at this week’s offerings to see which is your favourite.

Gollancz – Cover #1

Cover Art by Benjamin Carré

Bragelonne (French) – Cover #2

Cover Art by Benjamin Carré

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

With the former emphasising the splendour and pageantry of costume and the latter making the backdrop of a city its theme, these two beautiful covers are incredibly difficult to choose between. The UK/US edition is dark and dangerous – the grey watercolour backdrop, the knife dripping in blood and the expressionless menace of the masque – all point to the darker aspects of this novel. The French edition however removes this menace and replaces it with one of the most prominent characters of The Gentleman Bastard Sequence – The City. The touch of golden light on the rooftops, the subtly reflected figures and the detailed backdrop pay homage to the eloquence of Lynch’s darkly humorous novels which makes the Bragelonne cover equally worthy of winning.

So doff your caps ladies and gentlemen, this week I officially declare it a draw! 

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

LyNext week’s theme is:

All that is gold does not glitLter

A cover which features gold

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Sarah @ Brainfluff

Lynn @ Lynn’s Books

Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum

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The Friday Face-Off: It Shuffles Through The Dry, Dusty Darkness

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Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join me every Friday as I pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe.

Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Welcome to the Friday Face-Off! This week we’re comparing covers which feature mummification!

Lucky for us speculative fiction lovers there are numerous books in the fantasy world which have been inspired by Egyptology but those pesky mummies seem to be few and far between. Mr. Pratchett of course can never disappoint and threw Pyramids into my lap to aid in this week’s cover exploration. With mummies tearing their way out of the original cover and lying soundly in the sarcophagus for the Russians, these two covers go head to head in this Friday’s Face-Off!

Original – Cover #1

Cover Art by Josh Kirby

Russian – Cover #2

| The Friday Face-Off: Winner |

From chaos, colour and action to sombre, creepy and mysterious, these two covers for Terry Pratchett’s Pyramids could not be more different. As with all the original Discworld covers I love the vibrancy and detail, the riot of figures and the wonderful humour reminiscent of the novels. This is a cover which demands attention and further exploration; a cover you can get lost in as much as the book.

By comparison the Russian cover for Pyramids is startlingly simple. The typeface is elegant and uncomplicated and the single, mysterious image on a dark background allows the plume of dust and wispy wrappings to bring a hint of mystery and darkness to the fore. However, the beauty of Kirby’s art is that it captures Pratchett’s humorous writing incredibly well – you see it and you know it’s Pratchett; something that sadly the Russian cover barely even hints at.

Which cover wins your vote this week? Have a cover of your own? – Post the link below!

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Post LinksNext week’s theme is:

You Couldn’t Not Like Someone Who Liked The Guitar

A cover which features a guitar

Remember to check The Friday Face-Off Feature Page for upcoming themes

| Links |

Lynn @ Lynn’s Books

Sarah @ Brainfluff

Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy

Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Productions

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