# The Look of the Book: Jackets, Covers, and Art at the Edges of Literature - Hardcover

by **Peter Mendelsund** (Author), **David J. Alworth** (Author)

****Why do some book covers instantly grab your attention, while others never get a second glance? Fusing word and image, as well as design thinking and literary criticism, this captivating investigation goes behind the scenes of the cover design process to answer this question and more.****

**NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY _THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW_**

As the outward face of the text, the book cover makes an all-important first impression. _The Look of the Book_ examines art at the edges of literature through notable covers and the stories behind them, galleries of the many different jackets of bestselling books, an overview of book cover trends throughout history, and insights from dozens of literary and design luminaries. Co-authored by celebrated designer and creative director Peter Mendelsund and scholar David Alworth, this fascinating collaboration, featuring hundreds of covers, challenges our notions of what a book cover can and should be.

### Author Biography

**Peter Mendelsund** is the former art director at Alfred A. Knopf, the creative director of _The Atlantic_, and the author of a design monograph called _Cover_, as well as _What We See When We Read_, which has been translated into fourteen languages, and the novel _Same Same_. His writings have appeared in the _New York Times_, the _Paris Review_, and other magazines.

**David J. Alworth** is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. He teaches and writes about modern and contemporary literature, media, art, and design. He is the author of _Site Reading: Fiction, Art, Social Form_ and his essays have appeared in _Public Books_ and the _Los Angeles Review of Books_, as well as in various scholarly journals.

**Number of Pages:** 292

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 11 x 8.6 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** October 06, 2020

## Details

- **Price:** 50.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 50.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Look of the Book: Jackets, Covers, and Art at the Edges of Literature - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/the-look-of-the-book-jackets-covers-and-art-at-the-edges-of-literature-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23