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kev67
02-26-2013, 11:13 AM
I popped into my local branch of Waterstones (by far the biggest chain of book shops in the UK). I noticed that they had a display of classic children's books e.g. Kim, Treasure Island in very attractive paperback covers. I think they were Penguin. Next to them I noticed another display of almost as attractive books by Virago, and next to them, some keenly priced hardbacks of classic children's classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Call of the Wild. I have noticed quite a few attractive covers to classic books recently. Is this a growing trend, or is it just something I have not been aware before? Are the paper book publishers fighting back against e-books by making their books more decorative?
LitNetIsGreat
02-26-2013, 03:22 PM
I don't know. Some of the older Penguin books are fairly functional but were always dirt cheap, a pound each etc. Now many of the classics have a short introduction, a nice cover and cost about eight times the price.
kelby_lake
02-27-2013, 04:16 AM
To be fair, the intro and footnotes are normally quite good and the covers are very nice for some of them.
LitNetIsGreat
02-27-2013, 06:36 PM
Yeah but they charge you £8 for that pretty cover??
ennison
02-27-2013, 06:46 PM
Two pints and a dram. Cheap!
kev67
02-27-2013, 07:21 PM
Pretty hardbacks do compliment e-books though. Hardbacks used to take up a lot of shelf space - no problem if most your books are e-books. Hardbacks are expensive, but if it's a classic book that takes many hours to read, and which you may re-read, it's not that expensive.
LitNetIsGreat
02-27-2013, 09:17 PM
Two pints and a dram. Cheap!

Well it is up to you lot. I've got stacks and stacks of old Penguin classics. They cost me £1 each. They fill up half a bookcase. I've had some of them fifteen years, still fine. The front cover I can take or leave - some of them are great, some OK, some less so, but I'm not losing sleep over it, I can take it either way. I don't need a fancy cover, I don't give a damn. If the whole front cover was painted blue with pink spots it wouldn't much bother me much. I would rather pay for that and spend the rest of the money on beer. The author receives nothing extra as they have been dead for about two hundred years.