"As real as today's headlines. A novel that penetrates the sewer of human emotion..."
"It's got everything: violence, sex, pathos, sex, humour, sex, racial angles, sex, the devastating effects of war, sex, abnormal psychology and sex."
"Teen-age terror in slum and suburb..."
Paperbacks aren't this fun any more.
On the second cover, is our hero joining the dots just to get abreast of things?
ReplyDeleteYou don't hear much of Melton S. Davies these days.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the series in the back of Private Eye where they group all the modern day "me-too" book cover designs together to show an absolute dearth of originality?
No I haven't - I'll have a look next time I'm in WH Smith's.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we could write some - The Asbo Generation, She Was a Ladette, Mobile Thieves...
ReplyDeleteIt's hasn't appeared for a few weeks but it's this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteRichmonde - I can't see anyone writing the equivalent of West Side Story for the ASBO generation, but I like the idea.
ReplyDeleteRog - Thanks for the link. I'd also recommend Caustic Cover Critic - he's good at spotting library images on different covers.
I think the cover at the bottom with the odd title "Long Live The Queen" is the most shocking!
ReplyDeleteGawd bless 'er!
ReplyDelete"A novel that penetrates the sewer of human emotion"
ReplyDeleteI've tried to work out how many metaphors get mixed in that phrase, but I keep losing count.
Fantastic book covers...
ReplyDeleteHere's where I embarrass myself by admitting that the word 'voluptuary' is new to me. Synonymous with 'sensualist' says my old Roget's, but isn't it so much more fun? The sensualist might delight in perfume or the feel of an orange peel, while one gets the impression that the voluptuary finds greatest pleasure in the voluptuous.
ReplyDeleteTim - It's wonderful isn't it. I wish it was 1965 and that it was my job to come up with gems like that.
ReplyDeleteRosie - Thanks. I'm glad you like them!
Brian - To me, it sounds like an office in the Roman Catholic church - perhaps an order of nuns for 'fallen' women?
Interestingly Harrison Salisbury wrote a brilliant history of the siege of Leningrad, 900 days. I'd only known him as a historian of Russia and China. 900 days is well worth reading. The Shook-Up generation may not be as bad as the cover implies.
ReplyDeleteWow, I want that first one! Do you still have it? It's a shame it doesn't have any racial angles though.
ReplyDeleteResolute - I'm sure you're right. In the 1950s-late 70s, a lot of very earnest, serious books had covers that promised a racy, titilating read (to the huge disappointment of the 15-year-old Steerforth).
ReplyDeletePearl - Sorry, I didn't keep it,
These are superb. Thanks steer forth. Have you spotted Hard Case Crime - a modern publisher that puts out books with covers rather like these:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hardcasecrime.com/
The books are generally excellent too.