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Don't judge a book by its cover, they say. But what if it looks so bad, even a five-year-old with the oldest version of MS Paint could have done a better job?
There's a subreddit, called r/TerribleBookCovers, and its members are—you guessed it—collecting the worst book covers that have ever been published. Whether it's an insulting title or a hideous drawing, they have it all. Continue scrolling and check out some of the most popular pictures within the online community.
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#1
Everything About This Is Terrible
In order to understand what is a bad book cover, we can start by figuring out what is a good one instead. Renowned book designer Chip Kidd (who created the cover for Jurassic Park and many others), said that book design is all about giving form to content but also appreciating the balance between the two.
In his Ted talk, Kidd explained that on his first day of graphic design class in school, the teacher drew a picture of an apple, then wrote the word Apple and said: "Listen up. You either say this," pointing to the word apple, "or you can show this," pointing to the picture of the apple.
"But you don't do this," he said, pointing to a picture of an apple with the word Apple beneath it. "Because this is treating your audience like a moron. And they deserve better."
So a book cover can show or tell, but can't do both.
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#2
It’s Worth A Look!
#3
Wtf?
Best-selling author Jeff Goins thinks covers should also know and respect the audience of the book.
"Books are not created in a vacuum. They are not merely a manifestation of the author's creativity. The content needs a form, and the form will influence the way the content is consumed," Goins wrote. "All art has an audience, and books are no different. Good book design, then, is not just an expression of the story or idea behind a book. It is a piece of the marketing. As such, it needs to matter to the people it was intended for."
#4
The Hobbit
Deena Salzman 3 years ago
I always thought Bilbo was kind of cute...NOT THIS ONE :P
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Nikki Owens 3 years ago
Tbh, this is probably more accurate to Tolkien's vision than many other versions.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 3 years ago
He had too many second breakfasts.
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glowworm2 3 years ago
Oh no! Your comment had me dying of laughter. This is the part where Gollum conveniently disappears as he desperately claims that Gollum was there two seconds ago.
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Emperor Kitten 3 years ago
I used to have this book! My first introduction to Tolkien. Memories :)
William Travis 2 years ago
waaaaay back in the late 1980s/early 1990s I worked a bookstore. These were the copies we sold!
Jennifer Hunter 3 years ago
I HAVE THIS ONE. I actually scratched lightning bolts into Gollum's eyes, like he was shooting them at Bilbo. LOL
Brent Kaufman 3 years ago
This was from the original screenplay, in which Buddy Hackett played Sam.
Kar Red Roses 3 years ago
Ugh! This is the cover of the copy I was issued in school for required reading.
Brett Layton 3 years ago
Bilbo looks like Artie Lange right before the cocaine did in his nose.
Matt Hollis 3 years ago
isn't that a chubby Ricky Gervais?? Maybe Stephen Merchant behind him!
David Martin 3 years ago
I used to have this edition of this book, passed down from my stepmom, before the movies were released. In my mind, this WAS Gollum until I saw those films years later
Anna Banana 3 years ago
It's a children's book. My parents would never have let me read it if the cover looked like this!
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#5
Do Your Kids Suffer From Nightmares? No, Not Yet? Well This Should Help A Lot
#6
My Mom Used To Read This One To Me
Coming back to Chip Kidd, he said that a book designer has a responsibility to three groups of people: the reader, the publisher, and the author. So the ultimate goal of a good book design is to get people to respond. For the reader, you want people to say, "Wow! I need to read that." For the publisher, you want them to say, "This is something we can print." And for the author, you want them to say, "Yes! This expresses my idea better than I could!"
So I guess you could say that a terrible book design is boring, unmarketable, and superficial.
#7
Found This In A Doctors Office A Few Years Ago. I Think About This Way Too Much
Isaac7lego 3 years ago
What..........The.............F***!!!!! If I saw this in my doctors office I would be seriously weirded out!!!!
#8
Not Sure If This Has Been Posted Before, But...
#9
Prehistoric Passion From Mars
#10
The Very Hungry Cthulupillar
#11
Kissing The Coronavirus (Coronavirus Erotica?!)
#12
How Ironic
#13
I’m Just Waiting For The Film Adaptation
#14
My Librarian Wife Always Has Interesting Finds
#15
When Your Mom Tells You To Get A Real Job, But You Double Down Trying To Prove You Can Start That Cult You Always Said You Would...
#16
Woof? I Feel So Empty
#18
Browsing Through Books At A Thrift Store, Um...
#19
Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover, Even If It Is A Collage Of Jpegs
#20
Even The Price Is Questionable
#21
I Think I've Found It! The Most Glorious Photoshop Of All Time!
#22
Terrible Everything
#23
How To Talk With Your Dog About Homosexuality And Communism
#24
That Lighthouse Imagery...
#25
Empress Theresa - Final Cover
#26
His Leg On Ready Player One’s Cover
Isaac7lego 3 years ago
I thought this was photoshopped at first....I looked at my copy its real!!!!
#27
Kissing The Coronavirus Is Back!
#28
Romance Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving
MummyWantsABrownie 3 years ago
Is the fish supposed to cover the nipples? Didn't quite manage that...
#29
I Can’t Believe It’s Real
#30
Librarian Wife Comes Through Again
#31
The 50th Edition Lotr Covers Are Something Else...
#32
I Don't Even Know What To Say About This Book Cover
#33
Til That Native American Women Shot At Cowboys With Lasers (Also There Was Young Love In The Wild West)
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What do you think ?
Toujin C'Thlu 3 years ago
Some of these books are parodies that I've seen on other humor sites.
Son of Philosoraptor 3 years ago
Yeah kinda disappointed, thought these would be natural monsters...
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Jelly the Bean 3 years ago
If you want some more of these, this website has some: https://alwaysjudgeabookbyitscover.com/ It has some of the ones on here, but there's more and they're really funny :)
your local lesbian 3 years ago
second one i saw “how to play with a lions testicles”
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LittleMissLotus 3 years ago
Some of these are obviously parodies, but I'm truly disappointed that some of these aren't, like the LaCroix erotica or the Covid smut
Raine Soo 3 years ago
These titles and covers were so bad, I had to stop, and move on to something else.
bill marsano 3 years ago
Reduced from 142 to 35? Reduce again. Maybe to zero. Many faults shared here: witless, unfunny, obvious, lameness, crappy artwork/ You owe us beter than thi, BPeditor.
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
I saw a book cover once something like--the Centaur Ghost turned me gay--and now I know I didn't dream it.
Toujin C'Thlu 3 years ago
Some of these books are parodies that I've seen on other humor sites.
Son of Philosoraptor 3 years ago
Yeah kinda disappointed, thought these would be natural monsters...
Load More Replies... Jelly the Bean 3 years ago
If you want some more of these, this website has some: https://alwaysjudgeabookbyitscover.com/ It has some of the ones on here, but there's more and they're really funny :)
your local lesbian 3 years ago
second one i saw “how to play with a lions testicles”
Load More Replies... LittleMissLotus 3 years ago
Some of these are obviously parodies, but I'm truly disappointed that some of these aren't, like the LaCroix erotica or the Covid smut
Raine Soo 3 years ago
These titles and covers were so bad, I had to stop, and move on to something else.
bill marsano 3 years ago
Reduced from 142 to 35? Reduce again. Maybe to zero. Many faults shared here: witless, unfunny, obvious, lameness, crappy artwork/ You owe us beter than thi, BPeditor.
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
I saw a book cover once something like--the Centaur Ghost turned me gay--and now I know I didn't dream it.
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