Cover comparison: The Colour of Magic | 16th March 2010, 22:16

The cover images above are for the most recent (as far as I can tell) covers for the US and UK publications of the first novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, 'The Colour of Magic'. It would be hard for them to be more different. I can understand where different publishers are involved that the cover designs may be owned by each publisher and so differ between markets, but these covers are so much at odds that the two publishers almost seem to have a completely different idea of who the books are targeted at. The most obvious difference, of course, is that the title is spelt differently on each of the two versions. At least it's not gone as far as Harry Potter, being titled differently in each market. I have to wonder though whether the editors in the US have gone through and changed all the text into US-English - and I expect they have. I'm not really sure why this is felt to be necessary, there are lots of books on sale here in US-English so I don't see why they cannot put up with a little of our version. Both covers are part of an attempt by their respective publishers to reissue the entire series of books in a uniform new design, and the US version seems to me to have decided to aim for a younger audience. The bold colours, cheesy Discworld logo down the border and funky font remind me of the Glory Gardens cricket books I read as a child, and also of the most recent issues of the Jennings series. I'm not sure why they have decided to aim for a young audience, perhaps their original issues didn't sell to that market, but part of me is concerned that actually they just don't get the deeper humour behind Pratchett's writing and think that they actually are kids' books. The UK designers have gone for something a lot more subtle, and definitely something that adults are more likely to be seen reading on the train than the previous covers, which were brightly coloured but richly detailed pieces of art in their own right, or the cheeky US cover above. Indeed I didn't even pick up a Discworld book until I saw them in this cover. So perhaps it is just that the original covers in the US were more successful with adults and the UK with children, and they have both tried to rectify this. The design also, in my opinion, tells the reader what sort of book they are getting - that it is deeper, and that you need to peer into the shadows to get the full picture. The photo suggests that a lot of thought has gone into preparing the cover design, and the simple image evokes an air of mystery surrounding the trunk and coins. The US version of the 'Luggage' (almost a character in its own right) looks like it has been sketched together quickly, and by someone who has failed to read the description from the books. It's a "travelling trunk" made from "sapient pearwood" - not a cheesy red suitcase with a lightbulb in. As always, the US version takes the time to label its author as a 'New York Times bestseller', as if these are the only books worth reading. I imagine it to have got to the point where the majority of books/authors can claim this and so a book without it leaps out in shops as being awful without the need to look at it. The remaining text highlights that it's the 25th anniversary, although I think that could work against it, given that the lower text states that this is the first book - thus telling potential buyers the content is now 25 years old. There's nothing wrong with that in itself but some readers may decide it will be dated without even picking it up. The text at the bottom is very light-hearted and fits with the cover design, but not really with my view of the book and the series - this was meant to be a fairly light-hearted mickey-taking of the fantasy genre, but the description on the cover makes out that it's just a crazy romp. It's just too cheesy. The UK publishers though have gone with the tactic of including a reviewer's quote on the cover of each book (but unlike Wheel of Time actually a different quote on each book!), which to me adds an air of intellectualism to the presentation. It emphasises the series' long standing and brilliance without having to resort to stock phrases or giddying zaniness. As you may have gathered, it's once again the UK version for me. Maybe the US version would have attracted me fifteen years ago, but I'm glad it didn't - the Discworld books are best read by an adult who can get the jokes.

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