Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Hardcover vs. Paperback 18

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler


Hardcover

Paperback Version 1

Paperback Version 2


In California’s central valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen’s novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her eye for the frailties of human behavior and her ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.

Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.

I'm going to have to pick the paperbacks this round. I like the little illustration. The hardcover is interesting though, almost a still-life of some sort.

What do you think of books being released in the same format with multiple covers at the same time like this. Two other examples are John Green's Paper Towns (two cover images) and Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You. (different color covers)

Hardcover or Paperback?

20 comments:

  1. I don't really think I like any of the covers, haha.

    The movie was pretty awesome though :) Hugh Dancy plays the sci-fi guy who reads Jane Austen, which was SO funny

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  2. I don't particularly like any of them either. Though if I had to buy one, I think I'd go with the blue paperback.

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  3. I really did not like this book but I think the blue cover works the best of the three. The movie was fun!

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  4. I like the simple cover in blue, if I had to choose..

    And I like when publishers release multiple covers.. I wonder why.. Hmm. :)

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  5. Yeah, don't really like either. Although I have the hardcover version, so I guess.... well... have you seen the movie tie-version cover? It has, uh, people sitting and looking at you in the front. Yeah, not very exciting either, haha.

    I think the multiple covers thing is just a marketing strategy being used by the publishers. Perhaps it's a way of getting people to pay more attention to the covers. Or perhaps it's for those crazy, well-funded people who want to collect all the versions, hehe. Who knows?

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  6. I don't like either, too simple for me.

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  7. lol i was just going to make a comment that there's a movie tie version too

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  8. The hardcover doesn't seem to have anything to do with the book...or at least what I know of it. So my vote is for the red paperback (you can actually see the little chairs better on it).

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  9. I like the red paperback because you can see the chairs better. The hardback is a pretty cover, but doesn't go with the book. I love having a choice of covers!

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  10. hmmmm...I don't think I like any of them. The hardcover is pretty, but doesn't seem to "match" the story in any way...

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  11. The hardcover is weird...

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  12. the hardcover IS weird.

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  13. Paperback version 1 -- but only because I like blue. The strawberries look good, but what does that have to do with the book? The other two are dull.

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  14. I like the blue most....probably cuz it's one of my fav colors and that's the color I alwasy imagine Jane wearing!
    I luv her, and the evidence is in the fact that my DAD knows the difference between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley! If he was on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', he wouldn't have to phone a friend for that question!......You're welcome Dad!! :)

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  15. Anonymous4:07 PM

    I have the red one.

    This was a book I had to force myself to finish. Oi vey. I watched the movie because it was $1to rent from the box outside of McDonalds and was the only one I hadn't seen yet.

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  16. I'm not a big fan of any of them, to be honest. If I were forced to choose a cover, I guess I'd go with the last one, but I really don't like the hardcover. Even though the strawberries look yummy, it just looks odd for a book club book.

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  17. Yeah I like the paperbacks too. The hardcover is pretty but not very eye-catching.

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  18. I don't like any of these covers!

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  19. Anonymous8:30 PM

    weird covers! don't like them!

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  20. Oh man, I loved the movie. LOVED IT! I still need to read the book, I believe I have the red paperback.

    Thanks for commenting everyone! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

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