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Boyd Cover Art - A Petition
The Bond canon has enjoyed some of the most prolific artwork in publishing history.
The Jonathan Cape UK Fleming hardback originals are absolute classics with the late, great, Richard Chopping setting new standards. In the '60s, Raymond Hawkey designed a series of covers for Pan that resulted in those particular editions becoming the fastest selling Bond books of all time.
With the exception of the Cape first edition of "Colnel Sun" and that publisher's covers for the first five John Gardner continuation novels, few Bond afficianados would claim that the adult Bond novels, Fleming or continuation, have enjoyed remotely the level of dust jacket art that they deserve. Indeed, the work on both sides of the Atlantic for the Faulkes & Deaver continuation novels has been, at best, lack lustre.
The purpose behind this petition is to challeng IFP and the publishers of William Boyd's forthcoming Bond book to give a commission to a serious artist to provide us with something worthy of Chopping and Hawkey particularly when 2013 will mark the 60th anniversary of Casino Royale.
If you are of like mind - give your opinion and sign up below. Let's motivate the powers that be to provide the fans with something really special!
The Jonathan Cape UK Fleming hardback originals are absolute classics with the late, great, Richard Chopping setting new standards. In the '60s, Raymond Hawkey designed a series of covers for Pan that resulted in those particular editions becoming the fastest selling Bond books of all time.
With the exception of the Cape first edition of "Colnel Sun" and that publisher's covers for the first five John Gardner continuation novels, few Bond afficianados would claim that the adult Bond novels, Fleming or continuation, have enjoyed remotely the level of dust jacket art that they deserve. Indeed, the work on both sides of the Atlantic for the Faulkes & Deaver continuation novels has been, at best, lack lustre.
The purpose behind this petition is to challeng IFP and the publishers of William Boyd's forthcoming Bond book to give a commission to a serious artist to provide us with something worthy of Chopping and Hawkey particularly when 2013 will mark the 60th anniversary of Casino Royale.
If you are of like mind - give your opinion and sign up below. Let's motivate the powers that be to provide the fans with something really special!
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Comments
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Here's hoping it is only promotional, judging by the fact that the release date is on the cover.
Same here; my expectations are always low for covers.
The book may have a simple cover but the content it's good.
It is always the content that is most important, but covers attract readers and sell copies! After all, we are first struck by the visual art before the words on the pages. Very very important, indeed!
It's kind of Growing on me.
In my opinion, given that the book is set in the '60s the design should be in the " Trompe l'oeil" style as used by Chopping.
This would lead to huge merchandising opportunities and would help hardback sales enormously.
Something that most people would consider to be very important in the era of the e-book.
FRWL was a break through cover for Fleming and this could happen for Bond again.
Will Jonathon Cape / IFP have the wisdom or will we just get the same old, same old?
No one here a fan of this cover? I know the novel itself wasn't well received here, but I thought this cover was fairly sleek.
myworldisenough, a serious artist like Chopping would cost them money whilst the DMC cover admired by ultrabox (certainly not by me) can be turned out by any dim wit with desk top publishing software.
I certainly hope that Jonathan Cape take note of this thread and do something worthwhile. It would be much better from a marketing prospective if they had a beautiful dust jacket to merchandise rather than turn out special Bentley editions that nobody wants!
Completely agree. Whilst you can't judge a book by it's cover, you can certainly raise its profile and sell more copies if it has a wow cover. For people like me who collect the Bond hardbacks, I want to see a thing of beauty over a lacklustre half baked effort.
They were a nice easy to handle size and looked really classy with and without their dustjackets.
Couldn't agree more. I don't know if there is some sort of rights issue but those beautiful Chopping covers are amongst the most under exploited literary art ever.
Imagine if they were reproduced as collectors prints to support the launch of the new novel!
I've been hunting for prints but hitting dead ends. I'm putting together a Pinterest page dedicated to the Life and Art of Richard Chopping, who was actually a family friend growing up. I want as many people to appreciate his work as I can.
Now we know that the name of Boyd's novel is to be SOLO we may get some creative ideas from JC as to what the cover may look like?
Thanks
http://pinterest.com/tomjcull/the-art-life-of-richard-dickie-chopping/
For my part, I loved his work and find it such a shame that ultimately the two men didn't get along.
His covers are strong, unique and different and give such an air of literary authority to Fleming's the work. I'm sure they added enormously to sales. His canon of art for the Bond books is of such a high standard, I always find it difficult to pick a favourite but ultimately I keep coming back to FRWL it is just so beautiful and full of mystery.
With regard to the new Bond book, "SOLO", I have written to IFP and appealed to them to do something worthwhile. An assistant replied saying that they are employing the great team that have brought us the outstanding Vintage classics - further proof that they just don't get it!