Cover Art: Mere Christianity

I was looking at an article that was about the cover art of "your" favorite books. Except the books listed either weren't my favorites or else I wasn't interested in them or hadn't even heard of them. So Iooked up the different covers from some of my favorite books and I was surprise at how many different covers some of them have had. It was hard to pick a favorite with so much art to choose from.

 Today will be a few covers for Mere Christianity. Again, I'm surprised by how many there are for a non fiction book. I don't actually have the individual book. It's part of a collection of Lewis apologetics that are bound in one volume. The cover looks more like this first picture only it has a picture of Lewis himself in the gray area. There's a picture of the most common cover inside and it's the stairs shown both in gray scale and sepia tone. These are the best covers in my opinion as well as that very nice looking (leather?) bound one. That's a beautiful book cover. 

 But there are other options which are fascinating to look at. The birds look similar to the artwork found in Narnia. The simple blue pattern has a classic feel. The Birth of Christ scene isn't the best looking I've seen. But I always like a cover with the author on it as well. Lewis is my favorite, so there'll be more of his covers to come.

Cover Art: Journey To The Center of the Earth

I was looking at an article that was about the cover art of "your" favorite books. Except the books listed either weren't my favorites or else I wasn't interested in them or hadn't even heard of them. So Iooked up the different covers from some of my favorite books and I was surprise at how many different covers some of them have had. It was hard to pick a favorite with so much art to choose from.

 Today Journey To The Center of the Earth is my choice. I wasn't terribly happy with the choice of covers. There were more than these ten, but most of them were very unattractive. My copy is the first pic, of course. It's actually not my only copy, but I couldn't find the picture of my other copy on Google... or there were so many I overlooked it.

 Of course, there were plenty of busy covers that tried to feature the entirety of the landscapes and creatures seen by the characters. I'm not too much into the busy covers. They try too hard. Most of them I didn't save. Then there were covers depicting specific scenes or places. And I really like the two water beasts clashing in the subterranean lake. Very imaginative. 

  But the last four are my favorites. The simplest covers work the best for me... or I'm just very boring. The decorative hardbound and that last picture of a barren landscape are the best with the other red inner light and descent as close seconds. There's a seriousness to them that I like. This isn't a book that is taken seriously, obviously, because it's concept is beyond disproven for a long time and it's now more of a kids' adventure book. But I think it deserves a more mature treatment because the whole thing plays out straight faced with the characters earnestly experiencing the journey.

Cover Art: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I was looking at an article that was about the cover art of "your" favorite books. Except the books listed either weren't my favorites or else I wasn't interested in them or hadn't even heard of them. So Iooked up the different covers from some of my favorite books and I was surprise at how many different covers some of them have had. It was hard to pick a favorite with so much art to choose from.

 Today I've got covers of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. There aren't many of them since the Potter novels aren't old enough to be reprinted dozens of times like the classics. The first one, as always, is the art on the copy I own and I personally don't think there could be a worse picture ever conceived. I've always hated this artwork and it's one of the reasons I shelved the book for so many months after I got it. I was intrigued to see that other covers had been made for the HP.

 It looks like they tried to redo the picture of Harry and Hermione riding the hippogriff but that one doesn't really work for me either. Then there are a pair depicting the end where Harry successfully produces his patronus. I think my favorite of these covers is the second patronus picture with the large stag and that Knight Bus picture is a very close second. Followed by the fortress prison of Azkaban... Much like Monte Cristo, I love the look of old castles.
My HP books are getting worn out too, so I'll need to replace them one day, but unlike my LOTR set, I'm actually torn - I'd like to have more appealing covers but my originalist leanings make me want to replace it with the original covers... the ones that I hate. Lol...

Cover Art, The Fellowship of the Ring

I was looking at an article that was about the cover art of "your" favorite books. Except the books listed either weren't my favorites or else I wasn't interested in them or hadn't even heard of them. So Iooked up the different covers from some of my favorite books and I was surprise at how many different covers some of them have had. It was hard to pick a favorite with so much art to choose from.
Today I'll display The Fellowship of the Ring cover art. Like yesterday, this isn't even half of what I found, but these were the best ones.

 The first picture is of the copy I have. Movie art. But I don't mind movie art if the movies were good and the Peter Jackson trilogy was a decent adaptation. I'd never seen the cover with Gandalf.. I like it better than Frodo. And I think that third one may also depict the movie but I'm not sure. All three are neat looking. 

 Then you have the utilitarian style. Three rings to represent the three races and Sauron's eye in the center of the One Ring. I think the contrasting colors and different positionings of the rings are cool looking. But I like that black cover with one ring in the center the best I think. Yes, I'll call that one my favorite... I like things simple. 

. Then there are the more creative covers depicting different scenes or landscapes from the book. Something tells me that little green copy would be a gem to have in good condition. My second favorite is definitely the last one with Gandalf and the Barlog. Very nicely done even though it's from the movie as well. 

Does anyone have a different copy than these? My set is getting worn out.. so one day I may look into a set with some different artwork on the covers...

Cover Art Count of Monte Cristo

I was looking at an article that was about the cover art of "your" favorite books. Except the books listed either weren't my favorites or else I wasn't interested in them or hadn't even heard of them. So Iooked up the different covers from some of my favorite books and I was surprise at how many different covers some of them have had. It was hard to pick a favorite with so much art to choose from. So, in no particular order, I'll start with The Count of Monte Cristo

This first picture of this set is closest to the cover of the copy I have. It's a gray cover with that face of Edmond Dantes centralized under the title.

 I like the covers that feature the prison the best and the final picture which shows Dantes in the clouds above the prison is my favorite, not because of the portrait of Dantes, but because it's the best looking fortress. The second of these prison pictures is also pretty cool.

The other covers that contain different scenes are very creative. I quite enjoy that portrait of the inside of the prison and of the ship that Edmond has joined himself to to find the old monk's treasure. The artwork of him walking down the street isn't that interesting, but it's appealing to the eye. The sinister picture of Dantes dangling his three enemies on a string is a close second favorite. And even though the hardcover pictured doesn't depict anything that evokes emotion, it's beautifully made. And these aren't all of what I saw, just the ones I found the most attractive. 

I'll feature other covers of my top ten favorite books in the following days.

Discovering Picard

Nice video... at a minute and half in he comes out and reminisces about TNG and it's about the 7 minute mark where he begins his announcement of the new series featuring Picard.

When I first heard about the character of Picard making a return I first thought that they were bringing him into the show Star Trek Discovery. I've never watched it because I don't like streaming services or watch streaming only shows. I looked into the show itself thinking that bringing Picard in would be a bad idea and then realized that I had to be wrong since Discovery takes place pre-TOS in the prime timeline. Even though I've never seen it, I don't think I'd really like to since it appears to have gone in the direction of everything else nowadays - all action, no substance and what substance there is being a balls out, liberal, SJW, fantasy land. They redesigned Klingons for no good reason that I can see... simply a vanity move of the new producers to "make the show their own." This show seems to have passed what the character of Picard represented behind. But even after I realized that Picard would have his own show I found that I still don't think it would be a good idea and for the same reasons above.

The franchise has clearly moved on to another generations' interpretation and I think it would be harmful to the character of Picard to bring him into a world that he's not a part of anymore. After all... this character should be developing Irumodic Syndrome by now so that'll take some of the cheer out of it. And I know people don't think it's appropriate to judge the aesthetics, but I don't really want to see a Captain Picard gone completely to seed. I won't have to though because it'll be a streaming show as well. I know that having an opinion of shows that I don't watch and don't intend to watch seems arrogant or even moot, but my opinion is more on the evolution of these fandoms I've grown up with.

I've seen other detractors of Stewart's return to Picard accuse him of just being in it for the money but I don't think it's absolutely true in his case. I've been in the entertainment business (indi-professional wrestling) long enough to surmise that the actors just want work and usually aren't personally invested in the characters as the fans are. Sometimes it's just that they want the paycheck but the writers and directors pull the strings of the characters and sometimes I think the actors just like their visions and storytelling enough to go along with it. After all, they're the kids creating the play and we're just watching so they tend to go with what pleases themselves first. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the greatest works have classically happened when the creators and participants are just trying to amuse and entertain themselves. However, in recent years when the only way the creators can please themselves is to do fan fiction rebooting or one-upping each other with how drastically they can change a concept, the works are becoming increasingly vapid, tiresome, and lazy. I'm just afraid that the new Picard show will go in that same direction. There'll always be a group of people that will love anything certain actors or franchises do, but it's just not me.

I'll finish with a Mojo list of Stewart's best roles. I would still put Picard over Doctor Charles Xavier, but this list illustrates the point that Stewart not only has more range, but that he survived being pigeonholed into Picard. The fact that he's returning to him now seems like a step backwards.