We’ve all heard it said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is particularly true when it comes to human beings rather than books: you can’t discern what is in a person’s heart by looking at their appearance. However, for the most part, book covers are designed so that the reader and discern whether they’re interested in the story contained therein.
I judge books by their covers. I find I most often overlook books that are
white, black, or have bright primary colors. I avoid certain fonts that make the book look like it is a 1980’s
Romance Paperback. I am drawn to books
that have subtle dark colors, jewel tones, or natural tones. I like Victorian or handwriting fonts.
The first Gerald Morris book I read was The Ballad of
Sir Dinadan.
Look at it. What does it mean? It’s so confusing! Is this Sir Dinadan like Snow White? Is he lulling the beasts into a false sense of security before he unsheathes that sword and kills himself some dinner? Or is the badger in the bottom righthand corner going to mug him and steal his lutey fiddle thing? (I can hear Sir Dinadan groaning and facepalming now: “It’s a rebec, you ignoramus!”)
So I picked it off the shelve at the library, took it
home, and read it. First, I found out
that the cover depicts an actual scene in the book. Second, I found out that I was reading the
middle book of a series called The
Squires Tales which retell and interweave Arthurian legends. I went and read the other ones. They are wonderful, but most of their
original covers are awful. Basically
whoever was in charge photoshopped a bunch of Arthurian legend paintings
together and hoped we wouldn’t notice.
John Duncan's 1912 painting, "Tristan and Isolde"
Original cover art for The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf
We did notice, so the publishers came out with a new set of cover art which is somewhat better depending on the book...
...Except I don’t know if I would pick this one up. Sir Dinadan looks like an emo in this. He looks cranky, like “What you lookin’ at,
rabbit?” Meanwhile Brangienne (at least
I hope that’s who it is) is opening the gate in the background and apparently
singing “The hills are alive with the sound of rebec…”
I have read all of The
Squire’s Tales several times. The
Ballad of Sir Dinadan remains one of my top ten.** I love Morris’ style of
writing, which is a flawless blend of humor and action and meaning. The characters are lovable…unless you’re not
intended to love them, in which case they’re unlovable. You get attached
to the protagonists, root for them on their various quests, and when you reach
THE END you want to flip back to the beginning and start afresh.
*"What do you mean? Lynet doesn’t look anything like that painting of Isolde! Lynet, FYI, is BRUNETTE. And she’s looking the other way. And she’s holding an ineffectual walking stick. Duh."
**Because there’s only ten in the series! Hehe sneaky ol’
me.
Recommended Reading Age: 13+
Parental Notes: Some swearing (mostly bowdlerized or
British), descriptions of immorality (although immodest or immoral characters
are generally looked down upon by the main characters) and violence. Magic and sorcery are also mainstays of
Arthurian legend. 
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