First Two Vintage Books Covers Revealed

I'm digging the simplicity.

Not bad.

No, not too shabby indeed. Fairly typical Vintage.

Nice. Particularly liking the hat on the LALD cover.

There's something about it I don't like, I just can't quite put my finger on it. I was going to say the colour scheme, but purple and green is a really common colour combo. Then I was gonna say the over simplicity, but I love Raymond Hawkey's 1960s Pan paperback Bond covers because they are gorgeously simplistic.

So I'm not sure.

I was expecting something better than this.

I guess I won't be going out of my way to purchase these editions.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

There's something about it I don't like, I just can't quite put my finger on it.

Compared to this:



Life. Colour. Cool. Intrigue. Wit. Character. Mental mindfuck.

Bang on, Brown and Sharky.

To be honest, with the announcement of going back to the original publisher and vintage covers, I was expecting to get reprints of the original Jonathan Cape covers by Richard Chopping, which are my second favourite Bond covers after Hawkey's Pan volumes.

I don't understand why the covers say "Vintage 007", either.

Vintage 007 is 007. There are no substitutes for Fleming's Bond.

I mean, given that nobody ever reprints the continuation novels, why do you need to brand it Vintage 007? What other 007 is there?

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

Bang on, Brown and Sharky.

To be honest, with the announcement of going back to the original publisher and vintage covers, I was expecting to get reprints of the original Jonathan Cape covers by Richard Chopping, which are my second favourite Bond covers after Hawkey's Pan volumes.

Yeah, it was the Richard Chopping covers I was hoping for, that would have been the deal breaker. Regardless how good the new covers may turn out, I'm only interested in the old covers. Pan covers might have made a nice alternative.

My favorite Bond covers are actually the 2002 "abstract" Penguin covers. Not the typical choice, I know, but I find them irresistibly mysterious and evocative.

These covers are alright, a bit dull. Wonder what Amazon will cook up for their re-releases.

Vesper wrote:

I'm digging the simplicity.

Meh.

Mr. Brown wrote:

I don't understand why the covers say "Vintage 007", either.

Vintage 007 is 007. There are no substitutes for Fleming's Bond.

Vintage do that with most authors. My Planet of the Apes has VINTAGE BOULLE across the top, Shute's Ruined City VINTAGE SHUTE and so on. Their name plus authors equals a brand.



tis how they roll

I'm sorry but those Vintage Bond covers look like cheaply printed flyers...

Harmsway wrote:

My favorite Bond covers are actually the 2002 "abstract" Penguin covers. Not the typical choice, I know, but I find them irresistibly mysterious and evocative.

Those are my third favourites, after the 60s Pans and 50s Jonathan Capes. I much prefer those abtract Penguins to the gaudy 2004 Penguins.

Here are some of the other covers (CASINO ROYALE, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS). I like 'em better than the two we've already seen.

Harmsway wrote:

Here are some of the other covers (CASINO ROYALE, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS). I like 'em better than the two we've already seen.

something about them appeals,even the OHMSS one.

I like the OCTOPUSSY/THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS cover the most.

CR and FRWL are pretty good -- CR is pretty much an updated take on the Fleming's original hardcover concept.

http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=10173

Well, overall I'm pretty underwhelmed by these covers.

Makeshift Python wrote:

http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=10173

Well, overall I'm pretty underwhelmed by these covers.

Those two are pretty meh, but I like some of the covers.

Looking at these again, I enjoy most of these covers, especially FYEO, OP/TLD, TSWLM, DN, and GF.

MR, FRWL, and TMWTFF are a bit bland.

Overall, not too bad of a job. Could have been worse.

I like those more than recent versions even if OHMSS' looks like some old advert for BEA.

At least it's not the hackneyed old "Girls, Guns, Cars" routine we've seen a million times before, or the "sell Literary Bond by evoking Cinematic Bond" approach