Earlier this week there was commotion about the recent cover updates for some classic literature titles and now there's another update to add to the list. The newest printing of 1984 by Penguin features a "censored" cover with title and author blackened out.
(Techically, the title was released about a months and a half ago, but apparently I'm a little behind in my publishing news.)
Anyway, Penguin has released five new editions of books by George Orwell all with cover redesigns. The most interesting of the lot of course being the discussion generating 1984 with its dramatic cover being self-referential, suggesting that Big Brother himself has tried to conceal the book from inquiring minds.
This redesign has been labeled both "brilliant" and "a risky move" by Penguin, with a few curmudgeons complainging that the title is now illegible and potentially invisible to Amazon and other online book store customers who cannot see the debossed letters under the block, which I think is a little silly (won't the information about the book contain the title and author?). I believe the new cover is definitely one of the most creative redesigns I've seen in a long time. And it's definitely better than the sexy runner up...
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