.
I really wasn\’t going to make three posts today; but I didn\’t realize it was thursday until I saw some other blog posts about Booking Through Thursday. I haven\’t been there in a while and really wanted to participate, so maybe I\’ll just take a break tomorrow since I\’ve overdone it today!
Today\’s question comes from Julie:
While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?
If I already have plans to read a certain book, designs won\’t make much of a difference to me. But the quality of cover art definitely influences my shelf browsing. I\’m much more likely to pick up a book that has attractive art or jacket designs. Great interior illustrations can sometimes be a plus, as well. Good paper quality and easily readable type makes the reading experience a real pleasure. I\’ve already discussed the issue with choosing hardbound books over paperbacks or trade sizes here.
When it comes to my personal library collection, I\’m much pickier about how the book looks or feels. If I find cover designs absent, uninteresting or distasteful, I\’ll even create my own out of scrap magazine clippings. If I own a book, I like it to have an interesting or beautiful face!