The Different Covers of Richard Dawkins’ Book

How come the British get sunshine and rainbows and the US people get what looks like a scene from the beginning and/or end of a post apocolyptic movie?

lol this kind of thing is so subjective. You had me up until your final sentence!

British cover looks like children’s coloring book. American cover has better typography and more coherent design.

Subjective!

I think they’re both ugly, but the British one is abysmal. The typography couldn’t be any worse, and the graphics just look poorly done.

Neither one is great, but IMO the American one is better – more adult, for lack of a better description.

Bryan

It never ceases to amaze me how taste and interpretation can vary so much.

The British book cover struck me as amateurish and incoherent — what, a rainbow struck the book and science came out of it? And the red title lettering is kitschy to boot.

The American cover, I inferred, used an image of the Southwest or the Badlands to represent the majesty and awesome natural beauty of our world — literally, the magic of reality.

But others see that landscape as post-apocalyptic. I would never have taken it that way.

Joel Wheeler has it right: the matter is subjective.

A few years ago, Paul Krugman wrote a book that was published (in America) with a nice, staid, text-on-neutral-background cover. The UK version had various “cartoonish” images, including Dick Cheney with an oil moustache (ala “Got milk?”) that led people to say, “Now that’s shrill!” (I wish I could find a link…)

Isn’t this a book aimed towards children and/or explaining complex subjects simply? If so, British cover wins.

Theirs looks like a Harry Potter cover and ours looks like a Left Behind book.

I’m in stitches because I thought the exact same thing!

Didn’t realize it was a kids book. Guess I have to reverse my preferance; to interest kids, the UK cover is the better one. Still not great though,

The US edition is at least easy to parse at a glance. And I think a kid who would appreciate the book would also like not being condescended to by the cover.

A more juvenile approach would be fine too, but the British cover doesn’t make any visual sense, and the title font is ghastly. What is supposed to be going on in that illustration? It looks like a book is getting blasted into Photoshop salad by a rainbow photon torpedo.

The image on the American edition looks like it was pulled from one of those crappy motivational posters. Or worse – one of those “feel good” Christian books!

I’ll give the British cover some credit for at least making an attempt at reaching out to the intended audience – but why hire the talents of the great Dave McKean for the interior illustrations and then not give him a shot at the cover?

I’ll buy it to help ensure I won’t look like an idiot in front of my ever inquisitive five year old daughter, but that dust jacket is heading straight to the recycle bin.

So how do I go about getting a British version in the US? I much prefer that one, and I think my son is more apt to pick that one up off the bookshelf than the US version.

I was hoping they’d Think of the Children and put Best-selling author of THE GOD DELUSION on the cover…

Why didn’t they get McKean to also illustrate the cover?

Exactly what I was thinking when I saw the original, horrific British cover, and even more so when I saw the *meh* American version. It’s quite a disconnect with the illustrations on the inside.

I like the American one better. The British one looks like it’s written in blood.

The atoms and rainbows are cheeeezy. Especially the stretched atoms. Crappy photoshopping.

But moreover, the message is wrong.

Look at what the two images are saying.

“How we know what’s really true…”

British: What’s really true comes out of a book!

American: We find out what’s really true by examining the natural world. We go to the Olduvai Gorge and look.

The British one is exactly the wrong message. It’s the old argument from authority. Hell, it’s the argument that God’s word… the WORD. The BOOK tells us what’s true.

I couldn’t add much to what has been already noted. I don’t really have a preference as I dislike both.

My point is that since buying a kindle a couple of years ago and currently reading my books on my phone, kindle and ipad depending on where I am and what device fits my reading situation better (phone if I am stuck at the doc waiting room, ipad at night in bed, kindle for daylight, quite reading on the couch or in the bathroom) book covers have ceased for me to be as meaningful as they used to be. I actually have to go out of my way to see the cover of any book and when I choose what books to read I am more likely to pick a book from a review than in an actual bookstore.

I disagree; I think the UK cover looks childish and the USA one more mature. The UK one would be more tolerable if the title font wasn’t so sloppy blood slashy. I agree with the person who said it was like a Harry Potter cover. Who is the target audience for this book? Perhaps youth appeal is what he was aiming for? In which case, they should swap.

Amy,

You can get just about any British book through Amazon.co.uk. I Use it all the time to get the nifty Brit TV that won’t come over here for ages or won’t come over without particularly annoying edits. (The Second Coming comes to mind.)

I know the British cover isn’t perfect, but that American one is terrible. This is supposed to be a book geared towards children. The magic of reality is a topic that is really a bright and happy one. So why a cover that seems so bleak?

Sadly, many people do judge a book by its cover and that US version is a poor one.

The UK cover is definitely better for a kid’s book but the typography is still grim. The two typefaces clash horribly and they should have gone with one or the other. Still makes me wish I was a kid and able to read this as part of its target audience 🙂

The British cover looks like the poster of Tromeo & Juliette:
http://classic-horror.com/files/images/tromeo_and_juliet.review.jpg

I’d buy it even if they put an angel on the cover.

@keddaw That’s what I was thinking. Different targets, different covers.

I like the Brit cover. To me it conveys that science is active; understanding is increasing. It makes every day things more interesting by building on knowledge (yes found in books). I wouldn’t mind having it on my bookshelf with the other kid lit but will likely get an e-version.

The person who says their son will more likely to pick the UK version up than American… it’s the same book. lol
Teach the kid to not judge a book by its cover.
And what refined grown up actually says “kicks ass?” Oh wait… refined is the key word here. Such trash coming from a woman. Sad. Hopefully your son picks up the book and not the language. 😉

I haven’t seen Amy’s “cover” so I’m not judging her by that. It was stated that her kid wouldn’t pick up the book with the AMerican cover but would pick up the book with the British cover. That’s lame. He probably wouldn’t pick it up at all if that is the case.

And the whole potty mouth issue, well, I’m not a fan. I truly hope her kid picks up the book and not her potty mouth. Seriously, if those are the only words one can choose to express themselves well, it’s sad. Especially sad when her kid starts talking like that at school. We should teach our children better vocabs, of course, that would be difficult if the parent doesn’t have one to begin with. 😉

And refined people don’t use the phrase “kicks ass.” That’s a simple fact. Perhaps you should look up what refined means.

Again, I hope her kid will pick up the book because it’s probably going to be a great read.

@Amy Jones

I haven’t seen Amy’s “cover” so I’m not judging her by that.

On a blog, as a commentator, your words are your ‘cover’, which you judged her on. Glad to help educate you 🙂

It was stated that her kid wouldn’t pick up the book with the AMerican cover but would pick up the book with the British cover. That’s lame.

On the subject of education, perhaps you are unaware that sighted people, especially children, can be initially attracted or repelled by aesthetics?

Especially sad when her kid starts talking like that at school. We should teach our children better vocabs, of course, that would be difficult if the parent doesn’t have one to begin with.

Given your poor usage of grammar and punctuation, compounded by the best phrase you could find to express your displeasure being ‘It’s lame.’, perhaps that is something you should work on yourself first?

Perhaps you should look up what refined means.

I am well aware of what refined means, but I have as yet failed to find a definition that reads thus;

Refined – a delicate flower who does not realise that language usage may also be differentiated by situational context (p.s. welcome to the internet) and who is content to rely on hypocrisy, judgementalism and misogyny to attempt to make a vague point. May also suffer from a proliferation of smiley faces to excuse the fact that they’re being incredibly disingenuous and don’t want to be pulled up on it.
🙂

@Amy Jones

I love attempting to be condescending athiests.

There, fixed that for you.

If you don’t understand that it matters not a wit to me.

In fact, it matters so little that you devoted an entire paragraph whining about it!

As a teacher (Oh please, not English?) I understand very well what may or may not appeal to children.

Why hello appeal to authority; may I counter with the fact that my mother has been teaching for 40 years and disagrees with you?

Put two and two together. Mom has potty mouth. Mom is concerned that her child will not read book due to cover. That says something about that family. Well, at least mom and child.

Eek, you can’t handle math either? I’m shocked 🙂

Mum is concerned that that particular book cover will be less aesthetically attractive to child and child will thus eschew it in favour of something that appears more interesting. Mum wants to encourage said child into reading book so opts for the cover more likely to titillate
child’s interest. Sounds like a responsible mother who wants to encourage child’s interest in education, and knows their child’s preferences. You, a supposed teacher, have a problem with that?

That says something about that family. Well, at least mom and child.

The problem is with those who are judging the book by its cover.

Well gosh, I guess irony can be added to the already growing list of things you appear to have little clue about.

@ ash

Is Amy unable to speak for herself or do you think are a supposed expert who should whine on behalf of others?

Oh, and your mother should get out of her 40 year lesson plans and learn some things about kids.

A responsible mother isn’t a potty mouth.

Ash, darling, get a life and stop speaking for others. Arrogant much?

@Amy Jones, bless you sweetie, I’m glad you took the opportunity of a couple of days to calm down. Perhaps next time you could take the opportunity to form a coherent argument.

I’m also loving the fact that you appear to see yourself as ‘refined’, yet have still to bother addressing the fact that you stoop to personal insult and fallacious reasoning at any given opportunity. You’re so precious 🙂

Is Amy unable to speak for herself or do you think are a supposed expert who should whine on behalf of others?

I have no idea; perhaps she’s too refined to relegate herself down into the gutter with you. I am happy to flay you by your own (admittedly poor) standards though, as you insist. It’s lovely that you think I’m an expert, but it really only takes a moderate education to portray your many flaws. I’m guessing you resent the fact that you are unable to provide even this to your charges 🙁

Oh, and your mother should get out of her 40 year lesson plans and learn some things about kids.

Mummy insults? Oh cupcake, please. Here’s a clue; it doesn’t matter how big and shiny the whistle they give you, what you take as ‘playground duty’ is them shushing you out to play with the other children. You’ll probably get over it in a decade or so 🙂

A responsible mother isn’t a potty mouth.

A grown up is able to say those nasty words without such quaint euphemisms, I’m sure you’ll try being an adult someday. Or, if you insist, how about trying to be creative? My personal favourite so far is ‘oral defecation’.

Ash, darling, get a life and stop speaking for others. Arrogant much?

I’m honestly starting to like you, but arrogance towards you is kind of akin to feeling superior to my pet rabbit. I’m fairly sure you won’t understand that, but please feel free to get one of your students to explain it to you.

P.s. as well as starting to like you, I kind of wish that I knew you in person. It would be interesting to see your reaction to my comment. Will it be the exorcist style 360° head turn, or just the embittered self implosion? Please get back to me if you’re able.