Prized Books

I'd love to see the content of this book!They say you should never judge a book by its cover. Well, I am here to tell you that – speaking as one – graphic designers would undoubtedly commit this so-called crime all the time. How could you not? It would not necessarily influence me not to buy a book by an author I love if its cover was not to my taste, but by the same token I probably would not buy an ugly book if I was unfamiliar with the author.

I have very often however bought vintage books solely for the delightful art on their dust jackets, or the beautiful cloth binding on antique books (often embossed or featuring metallic ink) that was once common to most books but is sadly virtually a lost art today, except as a rare fine art form. 

Last week I received a newsletter from Abebooks on that very subject: vintage dustjackets, and I enjoyed perusing their large selection, some of which included inscriptions by the author. Many were extremely expensive – a lovely Agatha Christie novel The Mystery of the Blue Train published in 1928 is priced at US$2,500!

Scroll down for a few that I liked; or you can have a look at over 1,300 on Abebooks.