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Covers Of The Mind

Covers Of The Mind

Author: Jo Rushby
Date: 2023-01-27
The best book covers possess a form of hidden eroticism, connecting with some undefended part of the personality in order to say "take me, I am yours".

"Do not judge a book by its cover" We all deny it. We?ve all done it. Wandering into a bookshop, our eyes feasting on visual sensations, to land on covers carefully displayed on tables and shelves. The instant mind-pleasure vibrations tingle.

The history of book covers is a fascinating one. The introduction of dust jackets to protect them are part of booklore. In the 1920s and 30s, publishers scrambled to employ contemporary artists to design covers, whilst their readers treated them like gift wrap, ripping them off to get to the text. But covers refused their obituaries, mushrooming into cult-like status. Today, first editions in a pristine dust jacket are as valuable as a signed Madiba shirt.

In 1935, in the first year of the war, Penguin publishing company was born, and reflecting the sombre times, started to produce pared down, cheap, orange and white paperbacks, available to everyone. Like a Cornish pasty, they were initially scorned but the old UK Woolworths took them in and book lovers soon showed an insatiable appetite. Unlike expiry dates though, Penguins remain fresh. Forever.

During my teenage years, in-between mini-skirts and Doc Martens, I was first in the queue to buy newly released George Orwell Penguin editions, aspidistras bursting from the covers.

Fast forward. Penguin has come out with a range of clothbound classics. I heard about them and so wanted to see for myself. And then, as providence would have it, in November 2022, I was in a bookshop in Mumbai, a whole table of cloth lay resplendently in front of me. Colours and geometric designs mesmerised, as titles titillated. I hungered after them as one would a masala dosa.

Victor Hugo, Virginia Woolf, Homer's Odyssey, too many to choose from. My bags were already bursting. In the end, perhaps out of nostalgia, I chose Orwell for Orwellian times, 1984. If only that mini-skirt from 1984 would fit, life would be perfect. That is the problem with India. After the paneer, sweetmeats and masala chai, you need a whole new wardrobe. Thankfully, kurtas provide a perfect cover!