Apparently bad covers are a problem that is as old as paperback publishing. I ran across an article that, um, beautifully illustrates that point. And it’s about the first US paperback covers for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit of all things.
Barbara Remington’s first cover is truly an exercise in interpreting the idea of The Hobbit, rather than its content, since she was not given a chance to read the book when she received the commission.
The Bizarre Book Covers for the First U.S. Paperback Editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Books, Made By an Artist Who Had Never Read Them
The cover in question:
Um, o-kay.
Well, there are hobbit houses in there.
Kind of.
To be perfectly honest, if you look in the article at the entire piece that makes up her cover panels for the Lord of the Ring trilogy, the full story arc is there. Weirdly, true. But it is there.
Of special interest to me, too, was the link to another article talking about Tolkien’s own ideas for the Lord of the Ring trilogy covers. Yeah, minimalist is right. But interesting where his mind went.
I love vintage paperback covers. They can be so weirdly wonderful.