Book Column, Book Covers, News

Book Designer Paul Bacon Has Died

2 Comments

Paul Bacon is a name that is at the top of all book designer lists. He pioneered many of the looks and styles we see on shelves today. His eye and sense of composition in every 6″x9″ space was amazing.

You can read the full obituary on Paul Bacon, who was 91, here at the NY Times. From what I’ve read, though he is well known for his thought-provoking minimalistic covers he seems like the kind of book jacket designer that was always a designer first and an artist second.  Book designers seem to fall in two categories: the artist – they’ll fight you on your opinion and get angry when you want to “mess up their art” and the designer – a professional that understands there is a mission to accomplish and will employ all the artistic tools to see it happen.

Paul Bacon was one of the greats. No doubt. Here are a few of his now classic book jackets that I bet you’ve seen in bookstores and in libraries.

Catch22 Compulsion_Meyer_Levin_cover OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest RagtimeDoctrorowHardcover Slaughterhousefive

 

I’m thankful the NY Times ran that obituary. I had no idea that Paul Bacon was a jazz musician. I knew he’d done a Thelonious Monk album cover, but I didn’t realize he played.

Book Column, Book Talk, Publishers

Big Books Do Not Mean Better Books

Leave a comment

I ran across this conversation-provoking New York Times Book Review opinion piece a few weeks ago, where the author wondered “Does the Size of a Book Suggest Significance?”. It’s a fast read. Go read it. Then, please, come back here and share your thoughts.

Do authors and publishers every inflate a book’s size? Most definitely. Big books stand out on the shelf better than thinner tomes and they get picked up by customers more often. A bigger spine seems to communicate a sense of value to a paying customer. It’s a “more bang for your buck” kind of thing. But thankfully, due to new formats and more knowledgeable customers, things are poised for a shift.

Without a doubt many of the recently published books I have read could use a good pass by a skilled editor with red pen and machete in hand.

It should all boil down to being of value to the reader. But it’s tough. Books have always had a hard time with communicating value. One was to communicate value is by size. An 800-page book is often seen worth the $30 price-tage, whereas today some 288-page books are ring up at $26. One benefit of ebooks happening is the focus on content, value of the work and the words on the page. Not just the girth of the container.

While I do not think  “efficiency” in the NYT Book Review article is the best way to describe what is needed, I 100% agree with what he is calling for.

A good author/editor team will distill, purify and clarify.

Big books need to be pruned. So many times authors hide behind “backstory”, “character color” and “world building” to tack on details and increase page count. I agree that they should do away with all the distracting, confusing fluff and just focus on what pushes the characters forward and drives the plot. That is how you serve the reader.

Of course, some books will be big and should be big. There is no denying that. But publishers should work hard to build a house that focuses on tight wonderful stories that capture every author’s purest prose and plot while capturing every reader’s mind and heart.

What do you think? Do you ever find yourself rolling your eyes while reading big books? Ever wish you could sit down with a book’s editor and talk things out?

Birmingham, Book Column, Hoover, library

Literary Map of Alabama

Leave a comment

I ran across this very cool map in the Hoover Library recently, tucked away, back in the non-fiction section. This map roughly plots out many of the significant literary works, people and places around the state of Alabama.

Many you’ll recognize like Zelda Fitzgerald and Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flag. But there are a ton of listings on there that I had never heard of.

This links to a very large image of the map.

The map states that the first book printed in Alabama, was near Thomasville, AL in 1822, and was titled Alabama Justice of Peace by Henry Hitchcock. It also shows that the first history of Alabama written by an African-American writer was History of Alabama for Use in Schools and for General Reading by John W. Beverly, back in 1901.

Some other interesting points:

  • First literary magazine published in Alabama was The Bachelor’s Button by William Russell Smith in 1837.
  • S.H. Goetzel & Co. is listed as the first publishing house in Alabama  and was established back in 1852, down on the gulf.
  • Up around Guntersville, in 1823, Western Arminian was first published which it lists as the first religious newspaper.

If you’re into history, it may be worth going by the Hoover Library to  take a look at the map. I asked and the print is not available for circulation. I did copy down some info off of the margin about the cartographer and the group that printed it, hoping to find a copy for my own wall.

If this map piques your interest then be sure to track down a copy of Philip Beidler’s First Books. It’s a bit academic in tone (which isn’t a bad thing) but packed full of interesting tid-bits about Alabama’s bookish beginnings.

LiteraryMapAlabama04 LiteraryMapAlabama03 LiteraryMapAlabama02LiteraryMapAlabama01

Have you seen this map before?

Authors, Book Column, Events, Movies

The Martian Movie Trailer

1 Comment

Andy Weir‘s (@andyweirauthor on Twitter) book was so much stinking fun to read. I can’t say that enough. I walked around for weeks after I read The Martian, just trying to get others to read it. the-martianThe story was great. They nailed the bookcover with the shiny paper. The whole package. I don’t care if you don’t like sci-fi books. This was such a good read that you just want Mark Watney to survive.

And now the movie is coming out November 25th! I have yet to see a movie that I enjoyed as much as the book, but after watching The Martian trailer which came out today, this could be really close. I think Matt Damon may have the ability to deliver the snarky brainy lines just as I heard them in my head.

I had no idea it had so many well-known Hollywood names in it either. You can watch the trailer below:

Fingers crossed. And if you haven’t read Andy Weir’s The Martian, you should really give it a try before the movie comes out.

Books, Publishing and Birmingham