By Its Cover: Modern American Book Cover Design

New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005. 2nd Printing. Soft Cover. Very Good. 8x0x11. 2nd printing. Tiny scrape to cover. 2005 Soft Cover. 176 pp. We all know we're not supposed to judge books by their covers, but the truth is that we do just that nearly every time we walk into a bookstore or pull a book off a tightly packed shelf. It's really not something we should be ashamed about, for it reinforces something we sincerely believe: design matters. At its best, book cover design is an art that transcends the publisher's commercial imperativesto reflect both an author's ideas and contemporary cultural values in a vital, intelligent, and beautiful way.