Last week, we talked book covers, and this time we’ll be slipping under those covers. As in, what’s going on in that unseen space between the dust jacket and the book?
Turns out, a lot in some cases.
I stopped in at the Hastings Ranch branch of Vroman’s bookstore recently and came across a display of books without their dust jackets that included Mark Haskell Smith’s “Rude Talk in Athens,” Shea Ernshaw’s “A History of Wild Places” and the anniversary edition of V.E. Schwab’s “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.”
The most eye-catching, however, was Chip Kidd’s interior design for Haruki Murakami’s “First Person Singular.” Dubbed a “Murakami Records Productions,” it features a blue-tinted photo of a New York City jazz club during an engagement by Charlie Parker and sports the words “Plays Bossa Nova” across the front like an album. It’s a total departure from the dust jacket design, and I absolutely love it.
For all this cover’s energy and charm, it’s unlikely I would have ever seen it unless I’d been alerted to it. So I reached out to the store and got to speak with the person responsible for bringing these to my attention, Serena Null, a supervisor-bookseller at the store who put together the display.
“I’m not sure when I noticed that some books have it, but it’s kind of become an obsession,” says Null, who says that when she’s unboxing stock or adding books to tables she will “quickly flip the cover off to see” if there’s anything interesting underneath.
“It’s like a treasure hunt, almost. I’ve gone through the store in some sections and flipped I don’t know how many books to see what’s underneath,” says Null and it’s hard not to get swept up by her enthusiasm.
She remembers the edition that got her started on her search, “No Gods, No Monsters” by Cadwell Turnbull. “Something about the iridescent snake on it really caught my attention. I think that kind of started my manhunt for them at the store.”
While she’s not sure what the industry term is for decorated book covers, she said she’s seen them referred to as “naked hardcovers” and “undies,” and I will totally take her word for it because moments after I began googling those search terms I realized I’d made a grave error. (Instead, I asked an industry source who didn’t know what the term might be, so just call them what you like, people.)
“Once you know there’s something hidden under there,” she says. “I have to know what other books have these fun little surprises underneath.”
Has anyone suggested a book she didn’t know? “No, they haven’t. I would love for somebody to do that,” she says, adding that on the day we talked she’d just found a new one, Seth Rogen’s “Yearbook,” which has a series of yearbook-like illustrations on it.
While talking to her, I started examining my own bookshelves and suddenly every hardcover seemed to have a potential secret. I might just need to go on a treasure hunt this weekend.
Got a suggestion? Email me at epedersen@scng.com and I’ll forward it to Null.
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It’s also worth noting that Saturday is World Book Day, a day to promote literacy and reading, as well as the opportunity to collect 10 free ebooks from one large online retailer. Check your local independent bookseller and library to see what they have planned, too.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Don Winslow shares his favorite crime novel and the classic he loves
Crime novelist Don Winslow’s new book, “City On Fire,” was inspired and loosely based on Roman and Greek classics such as Homer’s “Iliad” and Aeschylus’s “The Oresteia.” It’s the first in a planned trilogy, after which he plans to retire from writing books, he recently announced. Peter Larsen interviewed him about the new book, and Winslow was kind enough to also answer questions for the Book Pages author interview.
Q: Do you have a favorite crime novel, and since you’ve read the Great Books, a favorite classic, too?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I think probably, despite my intense love for Raymond Chandler, I would have to say the best crime book ever written is “The Friends of Eddie Coyle,” by George V. Higgins. The greatest novel, phew, depends on what day you find me. But today I’m going to say “Middlemarch” by George Eliot. ‘War and Peace,” “Anna Karenina” (both by Leo Tolstoy) also. But I think if a gun were put to my head, I’d have to say “Middlemarch.”
Q: Is there a book you find yourself often recommending to other people?
A: “The Long Goodbye” by Raymond Chandler. People say, “What should I read in the crime genre?” “The Long Goodbye” is maybe the best P.I. book ever written. It’s funny, Michael Connelly and I agree on this; it’s ‘The Long Goodbye.’ It’s sheer poetry. I mean, if you read the first sentence of that book, you’re just enchanted. And it lifts the crime genre to something entirely else.
I got to go actually to the house and the room where it was written. I’m always taunting my L.A. friends that Chandler wrote all of his great Los Angeles books in San Diego. He had the good sense to come down here to God’s country and write from La Jolla. I actually got to go in the room where “The Long Goodbye” was written. It was like going to church. I was almost shaking.
Q: That must have been great. Is it a private residence?
A: It is now, and the people who bought it were only vaguely aware of Raymond Chandler. A friend of a friend said, “You should talk to them. I’ll put you in touch,” and they went, “Oh, like wow, yeah. Would you like to come?” It was so great. It’s down in the Bird Rock neighborhood, just across the street from the ocean. The bullet holes where he shot at his wife are still in the wall in the bathroom.
Q: That’s pretty incredible.
A: He missed!
Q: Yeah, fortunately. How do you decide what to read next, or how do you go about choosing a book to read?
A: It’s extremely random. For good or ill, 90% of my reading’s research reading. So almost all my time is caught up doing that. With this book, I mean, it was just constant reading on the classics.
But Sundays, I have this habit. My wife and I refuse to do anything on Sunday. We go for a walk and then we read all day. Yesterday, man, it was so great. I sat outside all day and read. What was I reading? “Sense and Sensibility,” Jane Austen. But it’s very random, you know, it’s just like, I’ll be cruising the shelves or cruising a bookstore, and just go, “OK, that looks like Sunday to me.”
I’m not religious, but they had a good idea about that, yeah, because like going into Monday, I’ve got to tell you, it really helps.
Q: I wanted to ask you about “The Power of the Dog.” It’s the title of one of your novels and now the name of a movie by Jane Campion that’s based on a different novel. What that’s been like to see?
A: You know, there’s been a lot of confusion. People call me and ask. And listen, my response is, you can’t copyright a title. There’ve been several books by that name. I like Jane Campion’s work. I’m a big fan. God bless, I wish it every success.
Q: Was there someone who inspired you or encouraged you to get excited about books when you were a young person?
A: My parents. My dad was a sailor who’d been a Marine on Guadalcanal during World War II, and all he wanted to do was float around the ocean and read books. My mom was a librarian at this little tiny New England library in this fishing town. And so there were always books around. And we were always encouraged to read. And, I think importantly, allowed to read anything we want at any age.
So if I picked up Hemingway when I was 11 or something, nobody squawked. It’s funny because there are two kids in my family; we both became novelists. My sister Kristine Rolofson has published like 43 romance novels. She’s very successful.
More stories
Undeniable ‘Chemistry’
Novelist Bonnie Garmus talks about her debut novel, workplace sexism and brilliant dogs. READ MORE
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Art of the Steal
Med student Grace D. Li talks about her dazzling debut about art thieves. READ MORE
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Classic Chandler
If Don Winslow piqued your P.I. interest, read a 2018 story on “The Annotated Big Sleep.” READ MORE
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The week’s bestsellers
The top-selling books at your local independent bookstores. READ MORE
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What’s next on ‘Bookish’
On the next free Bookish event May 20 at 5 p.m., host Sandra Tsing Loh talks with Don Winslow and Melissa Chadburn.
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