LRK covers

[jtb1951]

Here are pics of my 1st edition (1st printing) hardcovers; I think I only have 3 more to collect! Enjoy! (Sorry for the uneven quality; I didn't bother to take the plastic covers off the books that have them.)

John.

[Millie]

Thanks, John. I love your With Child - it's so atmospheric. Most of my covers are completely different.

[Strawberry Curls]

John, great shots of great book covers. I love MOOR -- I have a paperback with a small oval of the carriage but without all the lovely fog. Your collection is wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

[Pat Floyd]

Thank you for the great cover shots, John. This is by far my favorite MOOR. I'm in a minority in not being enthusiastic about the Picador covers. On further exposure, I really like their BEEK and LETT, but still really dislike MREG and MOOR. I've recently found and ordered a secondhand UK OJER cover, which I like very much, although I also like ours as well. I'm on the lookout for their MREG which just shows a foggy London street at night.

[Chris2004ad]

Hi to all of you... This is an interesting thread, I have to admit to having pretty strong feelings on the cover designs! My own set of LRKs is the UK set, right through from BEEK (except Keeping Watch, which has not yet been published in the UK). Harper Collins published all LRKs work up until Justice Hall, and and there are some beautiful cover illustrations - Birth of a New Moon and Folly are particular favourites of mine. Allison and Busby then published The Game and Locked Rooms, the latter of which is, again, a personal favourite of mine (they made a mistake IMHO not using the same picture for the paperback version!), and they will also publish The Language of Bees over here in August - I hope with the same style of cover!

Of the US covers, I liked O Jerusalem particularly, and recently found a (US) First Edition of To Play the Fool, which is great.

If any of you do get a chance, do check out the Harper Collins covers if you can find them on-line - a number of web-stores still have illustartions, even against some out-of-print editions.

[jtb1951]

One of the things that I almost inadvertently look for on every book cover is the size of the author's name versus the size of the title of the book. Several decades ago, I was at a book signing for a science-fiction author (probably Robert Silverberg) who mentioned that an author felt that they had finally hit the big time when their name was larger than the title of their book! Laurie hit the big time a long time ago by that criterion!!!

John.

[LaideeMarjorie]

One of the things that I almost inadvertently look for on every book cover is the size of the author's name versus the size of the title of the book. Several decades ago, I was at a book signing for a science-fiction author (probably Robert Silverberg) who mentioned that an author felt that they had finally hit the big time when their name was larger than the title of their book! Laurie hit the big time a long time ago by that criterion!!!

John.

John,

Thank you for taking the time to post that amazing collection of covers. You inspired me to look into getting an original of BEEK in hardcover, but they seem to go for $200 or $300 or more now!!! So I was able to find the older softcover version with the "cameos" on them and I bought it. This one here:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/ctmoonmaid/Beeksoftcover.jpg

(I figured that it is okay as I lent out my Picador edition and I will probably never get it back.)

--Marjorie

[tangential1]

I'm kind of tempted to get a hardcover copy of BEEK now too.

Amazon Marketplace has a whole range of pricing on used copies...although probably not signed first edition first printings like the $300 ones. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0312104235/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=&sr=&seller=&colid=&condition=used

[Bachi]

Really enjoyed perusing your collection John, Thanks!

[Canzonett]

A beautiful collection! It seems that the covers of my Russell books are identical to yours. Although I like some of them more (MOOR, OJER), some less (LETT), I would never ever buy another edition of them unless you forced me to. This is the material shape the stories had for me when I first encountered them. I've bonded with these books, and I couldn't just shove them away, even if someone offered me the most brilliantly designed covers ever instead.

[Sara McClelland]

John,

Thank you for taking the time to post that amazing collection of covers. You inspired me to look into getting an original of BEEK in hardcover, but they seem to go for $200 or $300 or more now!!! So I was able to find the older softcover version with the "cameos" on them and I bought it. This one here:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y129/ctmoonmaid/Beeksoftcover.jpg

--Marjorie

That is the copy I received when I was 14! It's falling apart now- I bought the first two Picador covers when they first came out, and am determined to keep them in pristine condition (as pristine as I can while reading, of course). I love the old red and black version, and the silhouettes are both descriptive of Russell's time and reference Holmes' Victorian era. It's graphically clear, without setting the novel in one place or genre.

I'm not as much a fan of the 'little picture' covers- my OJER and LETT, for example, are the old paperback. They're ok, just, not my cuppa tea.

I love the Picador covers, but I feel like they do not coincide with either the genre or the content of the books; having said that, it's not a negative thing- I've not seen anything else look like that. It puts them in a place by themselves, amongst all those foggy forests and dark streets in the mystery shelves....Unique is good.

And why, WHY, must the text always have that 'romance novel' look to it? Why metallic lettering? WHY?!?!? AUGH!

I went to art school, but the problem with going to art school is that they make you an art snob, whether you are aware of/like it or not! It frustrates me sometimes, how things are designed to look like they fit into a certain category (silverware, book covers, bathing suits, whatever- everything is designed) and it seems like some of these early covers were done that 'categorizing' design injustice. BUT on the other hand, people expect things to look a certain way in order to identify their use, purpose, and category. Catch-22-ish. You can't be the same or people won't discover your product. But you can't be TOO different, because then they won't have a clue what your product IS. People make no sense.

*steps off soapbox with a sheepish shrug*

[Pat Floyd]

I tend to come at covers as a former editor who sometimes had to combat fads of designers (and who also had designers who came up with covers better than I could ever imagine).
--From an editor's perspective I look first at type: Is it clearly readable and each element an appropriate size? Is the type font a good one for the product and the artistic appearance of the cover? (I've seen great covers that were type only.)
--If we're dealing with a series, does the cover look like it belongs to the family? Is the cover different enough in color or illustration that buyers will know immediately that this is new?
--Is the illustration appropriate to the content and appealing? Is there anything untentionably objectionable? (For United Methodists you'll save yourself grief by avoiding frontal male nudity. On the other hand, some people may not like to see an interracial situation or a female bishop. We won't bow to them, but we pick our battles.)

[KarenB]

(For United Methodists you'll save yourself grief by avoiding frontal male nudity. On the other hand, some people may not like to see an interracial situation or a female bishop. We won't bow to them, but we pick our battles.) My wayward mind just trailed off into visions of educational materials for churches with full frontal nudity - Adam & Eve, yes, Sodom and Gomorrah, check, David before the ark, wasn't he wearing a loincloth or something, then I derailed into visions like Moses and Aaron in drag! The Marys and Martha doing the can-can! *Slaps self*

[Pat Floyd]

We've had objections to Leonardo de Vinci's baby Jesus and John the Baptist. We've also used Michangelo's David. When I first began work, we were making a concerted effort to introduce children to great art. (I especially like the idea of Moses and Aaron in drag.)

[JTACorwyn]

I'm kind of tempted to get a hardcover copy of BEEK now too.

Amazon Marketplace has a whole range of pricing on used copies...although probably not signed first edition first printings like the $300 ones. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0312104235/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_used?ie=UTF8&coliid=&me=&qid=&sr=&seller=&colid=&condition=used

I've gotten nearly all my signed first edition LRK's from Amazon. :-)

Of course, I'm sure they are worthless now as I've actually READ THEM.... ROFL Turned the pages and EVERTHING....

[Ruth]

Someday I'm going to treat myself to the hardcover edition of BEEK. I still need that and MREG in hardcover. I'm trying to put together complete collections of all the US and UK covers so far. I wish I hadn't been a poor teenager when the early covers were more common, but between used bookstore finds and library sales I've done pretty well. I'm now toying with the idea of an all Russell/Holmes bookshelf, since I probably have enough books and Sherlockian odds and ends to justify it...

[jtb1951]

Someday I'm going to treat myself to the hardcover edition of BEEK. I still need that and MREG in hardcover. I'm trying to put together complete collections of all the US and UK covers so far. I wish I hadn't been a poor teenager when the early covers were more common, but between used bookstore finds and library sales I've done pretty well. I'm now toying with the idea of an all Russell/Holmes bookshelf, since I probably have enough books and Sherlockian odds and ends to justify it...

Good for you, Ruth! That sounds like a terrific collection! Once I manage to pick up a first printing of BEEK I will have first printings of all Laurie's hardcover novels (I don't have a first printing of Califia's Daughters yet, either).

John.

[LindaE]

Nice collection, John. I think my favorite is A Monstrous Regiment. I've never seen the original cover of Califa, but the cover of the paperback got my attention instantly. I liked that book a lot. I wish there was a sequel.

[jtb1951]

Thank you, Linda! I have since procured two more first printings so I will have to update my pics. As far as Califia is concerned, the only version is a paperback, as far as I know.

John.

[Bachi]

Thank you, Linda! I have since procured two more first printings so I will have to update my pics. As far as Califia is concerned, the only version is a paperback, as far as I know.

John.

and audio (that I know of)!
w

[jtb1951]

Thank you, Wanda! Not being an audiobook listener I tend to think of books as either hardbound or paperback; I don't mean to slight the audio versions:)!!

John.

[tangential1]

As far as Califia is concerned, the only version is a paperback, as far as I know.

I was just going to say that;)

I believe Califia's Daughters was a straight to paperback release. For reasons similar to why it was released under a pseudonym, as I recall.

[Strawberry Curls]

I was just going to say that;)

I believe Califia's Daughters was a straight to paperback release. For reasons similar to why it was released under a pseudonym, as I recall.
There is an audio book of Califia's Daughter FWIW.