The following piece may contain spoilers for any books mentioned.
“We can go to Waterstones, your favorite bookstore!”
There were two key pillars that my parents and I almost always visited during our outings around the southwest of England like an unspoken checklist and an increasing tally no one was keeping track of: the first was TK Maxx, the second was Waterstones. I once lost Sammy, my precious labrador plushie and the only childhood pet I had, by accidentally leaving him in a Waterstones in Bath. I still cringe at the visual of my Dad calling the bookstore with you know how ridiculous this is, right? reverberating in his side glare.
Waterstones was a precious safe haven of books we treated ourselves to by purchasing at the full retail price, like the time Dad bought me a copy of Under The Dome by Stephen King which I still haven’t read to this day because the page count vastly overwhelms me.
This time, I grimaced at Dad’s implication that Waterstones was my favorite bookstore, it hasn’t been for a long time. The moment I relaxed back into a ‘resting sad face’, I suddenly questioned ‘when was the last time I went inside a Waterstones and bought something?’
Three years.
I graduated months before a global pandemic and lacked the urge to pay for books at full price that I couldn’t guarantee ever opening, let alone reading and finishing the book. Student debt and a full bookcase drained any electrifying thrill I had involving the risk of purchasing a book full price with the cloying hope that I would like it enough to keep it. After months of dragging my feet through the ink to finally complete a story, I would have long surpassed the window that would have offered me my money back with a proof of purchase.
Libraries are the glowing guardian that solves this risk for me. Don’t like the book? Just give it back to the library, hopefully the next person that waited 3 months after I ran out of chances to renew a book will appreciate the copy more than I ever did.
So what makes me want to buy a book? What is the key factor that makes me take the risk, spend my money and happily keep a new book (that I shouldn’t have bought and didn’t have space for) in the first place?
The cover.
Publishers such as Penguin Random House decide a significant amount of time working with multiple professionals involved in different stages of the manuscript-to-shelf process of publishing a book. It is the,
“window into its story, and might be the reason a reader first picks it up.
The art of conveying an entire manuscript into a single image, and making sure it's targeting the right audience, is a task taken on not just by designers, but by editors and the marketing, sales and production teams.” (Penguin)
Judging a book by its cover in the non-metaphorical sense is valid, and arguably necessary, because teams of people aim to a) communicate the story before you consider opening its pages, and b) entice the audience.
I grew up in a household that loved visual culture, from operatic performances to photography to children’s books – the way a story was told visually was a primary part of my enjoyment. I grew with a hunger to like what I see in terms of the content I consumed, including books.
This year, I recognized the extent to which I was selectively purchasing books. I intend to keep the books I enjoy for as long as possible, and for books to be rewarded with the opportunity to be on my shelf, their cover needs to be the first step in impressing me. So which books have succeeded in this challenge and why?
The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya, Volume I, Reimena Yee (2020)
Image source: Waterstones
“Reimena Yee is a strange and fancy illustrator, writer, and graphic novelist from the dusty city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.”
– Seance Tea Party, 2020
It was the year of the long March, lockdowns were fully enforced and I was finally experiencing what it was like to exist without academic stress and deadlines pressing a cavern into my sternum. Like many probably had, I coped with online shopping.
During a doom scroll on Instagram in June 2020, Hazel Hayes’s anticipated release of Out of Love introduced me to Unbound, a crowdfunding publisher and my newest lockdown obsession.
After purchasing Out of Love, the first book campaign I pledged to was Gender Euphoria: Stories of joy from trans, non-binary and intersex writers. My second pledge was The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya: Volume II; this was my second pledge after discovering volume I was an Unbound project that was already successfully published.
What was increasingly obvious in this piece is that I love illustrated books, and Yee’s book covers exhibit how illustrated books can communicate their medium with their cover. The organic shapes and detailed linework signify to potential readers that The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiniyya is illustrated fiction produced by the author and the illustrator. The decision to design the title of the book with a handwritten typeface continues to demonstrate that the illustrator of this story extends beyond the cover and the hand-drawn qualities of this cover will be found in the content as it is a graphic novel.
I particularly love the contrasting jewel tones of the vampiric vermillion red and the rich pansy purple that are tied together with the gold details and the clothing worn by our main characters on the cover. There is a level of opulence that resonates with the intricacy of carpet making. Our carpet-merchant-turned-vampire takes front stage on the cover, encased on the night sky and deep color palette similar to how he is now cursed with the vampire traits and lifestyle.
Although we are primarily carried through the story by him, the fact that the cover illustrates him holding his wife’s hand from behind. In terms of visual hierarchy, she is the first visual element our eyes are likely drawn to. She stands taller than her husband, positioned in the middle of the cover and framed by an arch with a glowing cream background that emphasizes her presence like a halo.
Arguably, it signifies that the carpet merchant may be at the forefront of the story, but his wife is just as important, she has got his back (in all senses) to support and ground him even though he can transform into a flying creature in the night. He is the protagonist, but she is his center.
For a graphic novel about a man’s struggle with his Muslim faith after he is turned into a vampire, the book cover doesn’t contain overt iconography of vampire stories. Instead, it conveys a grounded love blanketed by a night sky. And once you read the book, you realize that was the core to the story after all.
The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain, Kazo Ishiguro, Illustrated by Bianca Bagnarelli (2024)
Image Source: WHSmith
“Kazuo Ishiuro’s works of fiction have earned him many honours around the world, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Booker Prize. His books have been translated into over fifty languages and The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go – both adapted into acclaimed films – have sold well over two million copies in the English language alone.”
– The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain, 2024
Okay, fine, I admit it! I admit that I got influenced by the powers of Faber & Faber and bought three books and an enamel pin from their TikTok shop! My one and only purchase on the TikTok shop included this book of ‘Lyrics for Stacey Kent’ by Ishiguro with illustrations from Bagnarelli. It is also my first and only purchase of a book by the Japanese-born British writer but I am familiar with his simply by the covers.
One of the ‘tells’ in the book cover design that connected me to the author, despite this being an illustrated book, is the typeface used. Although placed at the top third of the book cover with the name extending to one line, instead of being placed at the bottom third in two lines as shown in this book bundle advertised by Faber & Faber, the typeface is the same.
This demonstrates the importance of cover design for authors in terms of visual associations. I have never remembered his name, but by recognizing the typeface I knew it was the same author. An important piece of design that assists with building an audience for the author in the book market.
Another significant departure from existing cover designs for Ishiguro’s works is the illustration. Rather than a palette with as little as four colors and a borderless square illustration situated in the middle third of the cover, The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain has a detailed image of a couple on a train platform with black linework and a more extensive color palette. Furthermore, the illustration occupies more than half the space on the cover, which therefore consumes the majority of our attention. The story in the image is told to us before we recognize the author’s name.
The pillar on the platform is placed in the left third of the space and creates a vanishing point for readers to then notice other details, such as the train at the edge of the front cover and the clock. Likely, we then lift our attention to the only people on the platform, a couple dancing. Additionally, it is in stark contrast to pastel blue sky, which is almost bleached in color the same way our eyes register light and shade or a camera overexposing bright areas to compensate for lightening details in darker elements.
Surrounded by this bright sky is a couple shadowed under the platform. Referring back to the way a camera attempts to balance light and shade, the couple is largely a silhouette in comparison to the details of the environment. Even their light summer clothing and linework is covered in shade and their backs are turned away from most of the natural lighting, which creates an illusion that the couple are one shade, they are so intimately close in this public space, that they appear as one unified form in the sun-bleached space.
This starts to illustrate the many ways Ishiguro writes about intimacy. Furthermore, it emphasizes to readers that this is a work of Ishiguro, but is a departure from the familial book covers and text-only fiction. It is a collection of lyrics with accompanying illustrations, which I would have not known Ishiguro for as a passive viewer in a shopping setting; this was what made it all the more intriguing for me when I bought it. How does Ishiguro write for a tune, rhyme or melody? And how does Bagnarelli draw music that has yet to be heard by potential readers?
Polaris, Meyoco (2020)
Image Source: Amazon UK
“Meyoco is an illustrator based in Southeast Asia who has gained popularity mainly on social media. Natural elements such as flowers, waves, leaves, stars, and bubbles are suddenly infused with a cute and lovely quality when Meyoco colors them in pastels.”
– Amazon UK
If Ishiguro’s The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain drew me in as a reader with its typeface, Meyoco’s Polaris brilliantly markets to their primary audience with what they are known for – their art.
I followed Meyoco’s Instagram and Twitter X account for many years due to their enamel pins, a new wearable trinket I started collecting during my sentence time at University. This meant that when I spotted their tweet announcing pre-orders for their own artbook, I immediately wanted to try and get myself a copy.
What’s remarkable about Meyoco’s book cover is that it encapsulates almost everything you could possibly know about how and what Meyoco draws. A feminine presenting person with bubblegum pink hair adorned with gems and celestial shades, they're wearing a spacesuit with plumes of clouds occupying the leftover spaces in their helmet. Surrounding them beyond the helmet is a watery sky and terrarium-style jellyfish floating in the peripherals.
In my opinion, the primary elements of Meyoco’s work can be found in this one image alone, and elements can cross over into almost any of the sections Meyoco categorized this book into: fashion, floral and botanical, crystals, ocean life, the day and night sky, clouds, celestial items and a dreamy combination or pastel pink, coral, teal, and navy.
All of these elements aren’t necessarily drawn in every piece of Meyoco’s art, but this cover manages to demonstrate each subject in a succinct, detailed, and mesmerizing illustration.
How The Stars Came To Be, Poonam Mistry (2019)
Image Source: Tate
“Poonam Mistry is a freelance illustrator living in the UK. [...] Poonam’s upbringing and childhood have heavily influenced her work, in particular being surrounded by Indian fabrics, Kalamkari textiles, Madhubani paintings and hand painted ornaments. [...] She loves folklore tales and stories of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and these have been a rich source of inspiration in a number of her illustrations.”
– Tate Shop
During a visit to see my best friend, we went on a museum date at the Tate Modern. Part of tradition, we hunted for treasures in the gift shop. Instantly, I was enamored by a gorgeous halo of celestial illustrations supported by a contrasting navy background catching the corners of my attention.
Although I did not have the budget to purchase it on the day, I later bought a signed copy on the Tate website. It fits snugly on my shelf and fully encapsulates one of my favorite styles of drawing and subject matter: gilded sun, moon and stars on a navy background.
My earliest memories of this vintage imagery would smell like,
“sparkling fruits embraced by sensual oriental accords. At heart is the warmth of sun-loving heliotrope, and the voluptuous character of night-blooming jasmine, orange blossom and narcisse”.
At least, that’s what Wikiparfum would describe the scent of my mother – more notably, the discontinued Sun Moon Stars Eau de toilette by Karl Lagerfeld. Throned in a square cardboard box would be a nautical navy bottle embossed with celestial imagery in the glass, crowned with a topical kiss of brush textured gold on the lid. Aside from the (also discontinued) Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden, this was the scent of elegance, grace, and the most gilded soul to raise me.
Historically, the earliest astrological depiction found so far in the West is the Nebra Sky Disk. According to the State Museum of Prehistory in Germany, the bronze disk has been on show in their permanent exhibition since May 2008 and,
“shows the world’s oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena that we know.
Elements of the day and night sky mingle in front of an abstract network of stars. [...] It is here for the first time recorded as a central mythical symbol in Europe. The Sky Disc gives us an insight into the knowledge of our ancestors about the course of the world and its religious interpretation 3,600 years ago.”
Both a highly treasured thousands-year-old bronze disk and my Mom’s eau de toilette demonstrate our fascination with the night sky, and the urge to immortalize it for all times of day. Which leads me to Mistry’s cover.
The love of nature and Indian culture is written like a devoted lover’s endless letter on a scroll with the way that Mistry covers the front of the book with so much care, attention, detail, and adoration for the subject matter.
Arguably, the composition of the middle third is constructed of three spheres; the first is the glorious dazzling and elaborate sun, the second is the title which is the only area of the cover largely untouched by stars to allow readers to focus onto the title, the third is the feminine presenting character grounded by Mistry’s name at the bottom of the cover. This trio column of spheres demonstrates a hierarchy of elements most important for the audience to pay attention to, and coincidentally reflects a similar composition to that of the box that my Mum’s Sun Moon Stars perfume would sit in.
As rich as the gorgeous illustrations on the cover, this is a folktale about a Fisherman’s daughter that loves to dance who brings light to the nighttime for her Father to travel home safely with assistance of the celestial. Similarly to my favorite childhood book, Mary Hoffman’s Sun, Moon and Stars (it’s a wonder I love this imagery so much!), How the Stars Came to Be is a way to introduce alternative stories about how the earth and universe was created, informed by culture and oral tradition that was eventually written down. Especially with Mistry’s background, this book can offer children a new perspective of their world through the lens of Indian storytelling and artistry, as well as providing older audiences an invigorated feeling of nostalgia and familiarity with the influences Mistry draws from.
And I think that’s a central pillar as to why this book was so captivating to me on cover alone; I was able to unite the nostalgia of gold and navy celestial imagery from small everyday items in my upbringing with a contemporary children’s book that, to an extent, is likely inspired to do the same for multiple audiences with Indian culture and illustration. I didn’t just see a feminine presenting character on this dazzling cover, I saw myself amongst my favorite things. Something that many children and adult South Asians could experience too. That’s why diversity is valuable in our books, writers and illustrators – the implicit desire to see ourselves in stories. Which brings me to my concluding remarks.
Conclusion: Stories on a Shelf
Based on all these books that have been written and illustrated by incredibly insightful and creative Asians, what story do they tell about me? When someone sees these displayed on my bookshelf, what does my story look like? What do I cohesively like about these books that make me want to buy them simply for their covers?
I admit it! I love book covers and they are important to me almost as much, if not more, than the content of the book. Demonstrated by my case studies of four books, I prioritize illustration. Based on my personal interests, what invigorates me to spend my money are books dedicated to visual storytelling as much as textual.
What’s even more valuable to me is that my chosen case studies are created by incredibly skilled Asian writers and Illustrators, who without I wouldn’t have books from the perspective of a Muslim vampire, or illustrated lyrics from a well-loved author, or an anthology of works created over the years by an illustration star of social media, or a book that reflects back what I, amongst many others, are so historically fascinated by – the sun, moon and stars.
It can be argued that the selection I have analyzed (and highly recommend) are compartmentalized illustrations that signify the varied love I have specifically for illustrated books – whether it be bright pastels with soft edges, geometric shapes with strong gold/navy contrast, or the feeling of intimacy personified between two people.
That being said, I would also add that it reflects what I want to see on the shelf, and I believe analyzing my love for How the Stars Came to Be managed to formulate this conclusion into words.
Even if it’s not wholly myself nor how I look, I love knowing that the people behind these stories are achieving a goal to produce work that is for Asians by Asians. It can vary from illustration style, color palette, composition, and genre, which provides more reason to celebrate the increasing variety in illustrated works by BIPOC writers and artists.
Judge a book by its cover – it may help you learn more about your story as well as the story you’ve yet to read.
Editors: Blenda Y., Luna Y.
Image: Unsplash
Bibliography
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