I love books that have covers inside covers. I bet half of you are confused by what I mean by this and since there’s no other ways to describe this, I’ll explain what I mean by showing you guys some pictures. (Don’t expect excellent pictures – I’m awful at taking pictures.)
I mean this:
And this:
And hmm, these too.
Do you get what I mean now when I say “a cover inside a cover?”
I love it when I open up a book’s dust jacket and see that there’s a cover inside a cover. I just want to pat it all day and hug it.
When I read hardcover books, I also almost always take off the cover dust jacket first before reading the book to not damage the dust jacket. When I do this for the books shown above, I get to look at the beautiful cover, always. (Not to mention hardcovers with black covers leave dirty black smudges on my fingers that’s hard to wash off, but that’s a whole another story.)
There are some situations where I wish there’s a cover inside a cover for some books, like Since You’ve Been Gone, especially since there’s a picture on the back of the cover dust jacket that could be used for the inside cover.
There are other books that I’ll love to see using this “cover inside a cover” concept, books like The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski (wouldn’t that be amazing, especially with a cover like that?) and Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff.
If a book has a cover inside a cover, I would most likely buy it (it’s the main reason why I bought The Treatment.)
How about you? Do you also love books that have a cover inside a cover? What books do you wish would have this cover inside a cover concept? Will you most likely buy a book that has a cover inside a cover? I want to know!
This is one thing I love about Hardbacks! Unfortunately the few hardbacks I own just have plain covers with text beneath their dust jackets!
Brittany @ Nice Girls Read Books recently posted…WINNER of a copy of ‘Hidden’ by Marianne Curley
Yes, why can’t ALL hardbacks have this? I mean, we pay more money for them for a reason right?
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
I have the paperback of Pushing the Limits and now I am so tempted to buy it again and the rest in the series as hardcover, just cause of the inside covers
Angel @Angel Reads recently posted…Top Ten Book Covers I’d Frame As Pieces of Art
I have the hardcover of Pushing the Limits (like you can see from the pictures above) and I want another one, plus the paperback version because the covers are just so pretty!
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
oooh, I see what you mean. When I noticed this I started taking off every dust jacket of my hardcovers but sadly none of them have those like yours – an entire photo in the cover.. ohwell~ but this is certainly one more reason to buy hardcovers.
Yeah, only a very select few have covers like these. D:
And definitely!
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
I have never seen such hardbacks I think.. Or maybe the Estonian translation of Purge by Sofi Oksanen had one, but a modest one, I’m not sure.
But what I’ve seen on the Internet, in book blogs, the English book industry is somewhat different from what I know from here. Note that I’m mostly going to talk about YA books (or simply books for younger generation). YA is newer here, and I don’t know of many that were translated and then published before Twilight. I think that was the big bang. Anyway, around that time, every new release seemed to come out in hardback with a dust jacket (with a plain color underneath it). At some point though, I think they realized it was too expensive for such a little country – the books cost a lot and with only ca 1 000 000 inhabitants, there aren’t too many of those who would go and buy a YA book, especially since people around here like their mundanity. So suddenly everything seemed to come out in paperbacks, and they still do. Only the best get reprints. But once in a while we have those hardbacks without dust jackets, just smooth covers with the cover photo printed on them, and I think they look the best (but I still prefer paperbacks since they take less room). I’ve never particularly liked dust jackets, and with these cover prints on actual covers I can stare at them anytime while I read the book, and it’s a lot more convenient I think. You must have those in the US or UK or elsewhere too, I’m sure. But I’ve never come across a mention of such books. Everyone is always talking about dust jackets, and the only hardback book in English I have (The Shadow Society) is a dust jacket as well. At the same time, dust jackets here are getting more and more rare.
So, if we’re talking about hardbacks, I’ll definitely take the ones without dust jackets, which are like your cover-inside-a-cover, but with an actual cover without anything covering it :)
Kristina recently posted…Of Books and Monsters
I’ll love to be in your country – I prefer the cover prints on the actual covers too. Dust jackets are so weak and they wrinkle so easily.
And wow, to have paperback everything. Hmm…I don’t know if I prefer hardbacks with dust jackets better than paperbacks or the other way around.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
Oh, I love this pretty much for all the reasons you said. Another book that came to mind is the old cover for delirium.
ashley recently posted…Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
YES! I totally forgot about that one and I have a copy of it. -smacks forehead-
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
Oh gosh, YES. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL, KELLY! Every time this happens to me, I feel like hopping around and shoving the book at random people’s faces going, “Look! THERE’S A SECRET COVER!”
Though that probably won’t help with how others perceive my mental health. But really, I think it’s genius when books have those second covers, especially like the one for The Treatment, with a second meaning to it. Really just makes you want to read the book even more!
Adelena @ A Page of Heaven recently posted…Top Ten Book Covers I’d Frame As Pieces of Art
YESSSSSSSSS. And I pat it like a weirdo, stroke it like a creep, and hug it like a lunatic. :D<3
Not to mention it makes you want to buy the book even more! That's why I bought The Treatment the first place. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [79]
I rarely buy hardcovers, so I don’t get these surprises often. I do love it and I think it’s great to have the surprise of ‘another cover’ but hardcovers are always so expensive and I rather buy more books :D Haha.
I love the inside cover from Cruel Beauty! This book makes me tempted to buy the hardcover.
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Early Review 257. Cassandra Clarke – The wizard’s promise.
I just have Pushing the Limits, and I love it!!
But that’s why I don’t like hardcovers, cause most of them are too plain in the inside. I’m tempted to buy The Treatment now. I like the inside cover!
Lis @ The reader lines recently posted…Torn Away by Jennifer Brown *Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway*
I absolutely love them! Barry Lyga’s books for his Jasper Dent series all have these types of covers. The inside covers have cool looking blood spatters, which fits perfectly well since the series is about a serial killer!
I love this, too! I was so surprised when I took the dust jacket off of my copy of Pushing the Limits and there was a picture underneath! It’s such a cool thing for a publisher to do, and makes the book that much more special.
Miranda @ Tempest Books recently posted…Bookish Beauty Feature Debut: Stolen Songbird
I’ve never actually seen a hardcover like these in person. I always take off the dust jacket when I read my hardcovers too, but have never come across any surprises like these. I agree that the inside flap of Since You’ve Been Gone would be perfect for a cover inside a cover! Wake by Amanda Hocking has a similar thing with a poster on the inside of the dust jacket that would have made an awesome “inside cover”, too! Nice post, and I’ll keep a closer eye out for books like these now! :)
Emily @ Books & Cleverness recently posted…Top Ten Book Covers I’d Frame As Pieces of Art
I’ve never seen this before! I rarely buy books, but when I do it is usually paperback. On the rare chance I get a hardcover though, I’d usually toss the dust jacket out. I think that is probably weird, but I haven’t bought a hardback in years so…
Anne @ Lovely Literature recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Covers we’d frame as pieces of art
I definitely see the appeal of a coverception! I feel like it just adds so much depth to the cover and a lot of the times the inner jacket will just be a solid color but it’d be sooo cool if it had another cover inside it like you said!
Eileen @ Singing and Reading in the Rain recently posted…Mini Review: Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
This is the first time I’ve seen the second cover for The Treatment – I thought they had gotten rid of that one! Now I’m almost sad I didn’t buy a copy when I was at the bookstore today… But I completely agree with you; that poster on the back of Since You’ve Been Gone would have made a beautiful second cover.
Kayla @ The Thousand Lives recently posted…Top Ten Covers That Should Be Framed
I LOVE COVERS LIKE THIS. It’s almost like an added bonus in the cover jacket. It’s wonderful!
It’s a nice mix up from the one-color covers. Sometimes, I like having the covers be extremely different. It adds to the book’s appeal. It makes it more original. I always find myself peeking under the dust jacket to see if there are hidden images or symbols. I get giddy when there is because it’s like an extra awesome surprise. Plus, I’m kind of obsessed with covers. ;D
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Those are nice but I actually like the plain covers too. It would be nice to have a plain cover and beautiful print of the title and name of author.
I like the concept and was pleasantly surprised when I noticed this with a hardcover copy of The Program last year. But I don’t like dust jackets. I wish the cover insider the cover would become the norm as the actual book cover while publishers ditch the dust jackets. Haha.
Joséphine @ Dudette Reads recently posted…Covers I’d Frame
I loved the fact that The Program had a cover inside a cover. I had no idea these other books did too. I hope it is a trend that continues :)
Ashley @The Quiet Concert recently posted…The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
I love this. I don’t own books like these though I think. But I would definitely want them. One that comes into mind is Scorched by Mari Mancusi if I remember correctly. I adore the prettiness~
Francine Soleil recently posted…The Grief of Cliffhangers
I need to have these books… like right now! they’re so freakin coooool!
Clarisse recently posted…Book Review – Torment by Lauren Kate
I love when books have a cover inside a cover. It gives you something to look at when you are reading the book instead of a black cover or a different color. I wish all hardcover books were this way instead of a select few.
AHHH, I’m so glad to see the inside of The Treatment. I LOVED the ARC cover, so I was sad when they changed it, but there it is. <3 <3
Also, I cannot wait to own Since You've Been Gone — I love the inside cover.
Jess @ Such A Novel Idea recently posted…The Bookish News — May 11
Oo-la-la. This is gorgeous. Wish more books had this! :)
Rissi recently posted…Frozen is Coming
I LOVE covers inside covers. They’re TOO beautiful for words. Unfortunately, I only own three of those – the Pushing the Limits series. I wish more would do it, though. I want to buy the Program and the Treatment after seeing this post!! xD Know of any other books with this inside cover thing? :O
Nitzan Schwarz recently posted…Review: All He Ever Desired by Shannon Stacey
OMG that’s amazing! I love that detail with a cover in a cover, it’s so pretty. <3 unfortunately we don't use that very much in Denmark where I live. If you take of the dust jacket it's usually just black/some other color under it. :/
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