tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post5129092366580902194..comments2024-03-28T06:28:49.282+00:00Comments on Picture Book Den: Do Hardback Children's Picture Books Lack Something? by Paeony LewisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-54541489957172232382017-11-23T23:59:51.459+00:002017-11-23T23:59:51.459+00:00What an excellent suggestion. Thanks, Jamie.What an excellent suggestion. Thanks, Jamie.Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-17889601685289451132017-10-29T18:47:51.222+00:002017-10-29T18:47:51.222+00:00You might like "The Illustrated Dust Jacket: ...You might like "The Illustrated Dust Jacket: 1920-1970<br />Martin Salisbury" published by Thames and Hudsonjamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04262564143206098900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-51462379316411127442014-08-20T18:00:10.617+01:002014-08-20T18:00:10.617+01:00Thank, Moira :-) Yes! I too think this is one of t...Thank, Moira :-) Yes! I too think this is one of the ways forward.Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-11741250557405388032014-08-20T13:36:02.728+01:002014-08-20T13:36:02.728+01:00Yes, yes, yes!!! I love endpapers because they can...Yes, yes, yes!!! I love endpapers because they can feature such lovely design, free from the constraints of the story narrative itself. I also love the look of your book collection, Paeony! Tempting strokeable spines, touchable embossed covers and those oh-so-exciting secrets behind the tissue. This is the way paper book publishers will need to go to compete with the online world. Moira Butterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17355420549929911500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-53114576821733924762014-08-20T08:17:54.175+01:002014-08-20T08:17:54.175+01:00And apologies for all the typos - I'm useless ...And apologies for all the typos - I'm useless at typing on my phone!Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-43041921296573549112014-08-19T23:02:13.048+01:002014-08-19T23:02:13.048+01:00It's good to hear your thoughts, Kathy. Hope y...It's good to hear your thoughts, Kathy. Hope your bookshop is thriving in Phoenix.Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-36581516401037778702014-08-19T22:15:23.307+01:002014-08-19T22:15:23.307+01:00Hi Jonathan, its interesting hearing what you do. ...Hi Jonathan, its interesting hearing what you do. I don't think I notice if a book is 12 or 14 spreads -I tend to notice the length of the text more (nowadays I prefer fewer words).Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-10525100467619203712014-08-19T22:09:40.845+01:002014-08-19T22:09:40.845+01:00Thanks, Patricia, and the difference in spread len...Thanks, Patricia, and the difference in spread lengths is interesting. Right now I can't look through my books to check it out as I'm in Hull for a few days, but later l will.Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-24359026836826994202014-08-19T22:04:38.811+01:002014-08-19T22:04:38.811+01:00Ha ha, I adore discovering all you closet endpaper...Ha ha, I adore discovering all you closet endpaper fansI'll take a look at your interesting coupon idea, Michelle, though does that mean you have to cut the book? Yikes! Paeonyhttp://www.paeonylewis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-86154867538314522302014-08-19T18:30:48.230+01:002014-08-19T18:30:48.230+01:00I've just been reading about the Charles Santo...I've just been reading about the Charles Santore illustrated Aesop's fables. Have a look and see what you think, it looks v nice. And I should add that I ended up framing our Along a Long Road (Frank Viva) dust cover - so it was actually useful in the end!Lucyhttp://onthestripeycouchonasaturdaymorning.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-4917566215022708582014-08-19T16:56:31.733+01:002014-08-19T16:56:31.733+01:00Yes, endpapers are part of the story- the anticipa...Yes, endpapers are part of the story- the anticipation and final act. I always look at endpapers and discuss them w/children & adults when book talking at my indie book store in Phoenix. It is added opportunity to extend the story. I do like the idea of dust jackets being posters. Really important info about cost, too. Kathy Halseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11600954824509054774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-18717173032507894912014-08-19T07:55:46.435+01:002014-08-19T07:55:46.435+01:00I love old kid's books, Paeony! And I agree th...I love old kid's books, Paeony! And I agree that books will have to have a certain visual and tactile georgeousness to set them apart from digital content, which can be gorgeous in it's own way of course. . . <br />In my books I have always done endpapers as a kind of repeat pattern using elements from the book. My Baby Owl ('I'm Not Cute!' etc) books have Baby Owl in various poses with various facial expressions denoting the various emotional states he is in during the story. It's fun and decorative and does help the transition from the real world to the story.<br />My books have all been '32 pages self ends' which meant the story itself took up 12 spreads. Without self ends you can get an extra spread or even two out of it, as long as you find somewhere to put the copyright info. I sometimes wonder if people think they are being short changed if they only get 12 spreads when they could get 14, but luckily, I don't think it works like that ;-)<br />Dust covers are the norm in the US, at least my US editions always had one. The UK editions never have had them. They are a bit annoying. Jon Burgess Designhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686489273842347796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-53519420239421760352014-08-19T01:52:29.790+01:002014-08-19T01:52:29.790+01:00Great post, Paeony! I love wonderful endpapers, to...Great post, Paeony! I love wonderful endpapers, too. And Jonathan's explanation helps to understand why I find gorgeous endpapers more often in the UK than the US, where 14.5 page spreads are common for a story.Patricia Tohthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06878871084215411303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-39112672698602695862014-08-19T01:13:32.955+01:002014-08-19T01:13:32.955+01:00I so agree, Paeony! Great topic for a post. All my...I so agree, Paeony! Great topic for a post. All my dust jackets are safe in a cupboard. I am really chuffed with the endpapers for There's a Lion In My Cornflakes - both editions feature cut out coupons for collecting your own free lion (my suggestion, and Bloomsbury and Jim were good enough to go with it - hooray!). I have a bit of an endpaper fetish. I might set up a Pinterest board of them for procrastination's sake!}Michelle Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09620246793467493696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-10322623573973642312014-08-18T21:42:08.172+01:002014-08-18T21:42:08.172+01:00How great that you recognised 'Milly Molly Man...How great that you recognised 'Milly Molly Mandy' :-)<br />I just looked up 'Balloon for a Blunderbuss' - I see it's a Phaidon book. It's the same publisher as 'The Fog' and I presume it also has lovely embossment beneath the annoying dust jacket (sshh... hope your husband didn't hear me say that!). <br />I've also just looked up the Tashen fairy tale book. I have a lot of Grimm tales, so I'm rather tempted by the Hans Christian Andersen volume.Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-63235955718070627872014-08-18T21:30:52.320+01:002014-08-18T21:30:52.320+01:00Thank you, Malachy, and I so like your TV analogy....Thank you, Malachy, and I so like your TV analogy.Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-4597563351158906102014-08-18T19:56:51.689+01:002014-08-18T19:56:51.689+01:00Well, I'm an "average book buyer" an...Well, I'm an "average book buyer" and definitely care about endpapers, the quality of the paper, the book jacket(hate them too, and actually just put our a Balloon For a Blunderbuss one in the recycle bin only to find my husband has taken it out again. The book is so beautiful without it! Anyway, the dust cover is staying, as is marital harmony) and general gorgeousness. I got the Taschen Grimms Fairy tales recently and while the contents are fabulous, the cover is surprisingly disappointing; clothbound with some pictures glued on. Anyway, interesting topic and I love your Milly Molly Mandy map - brings back great memories. Lucyhttp://onthestripeycouchonasaturdaymorning.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-42485492767746613692014-08-18T16:50:13.523+01:002014-08-18T16:50:13.523+01:00This is a lovely post, Paeony. I do so agree that...This is a lovely post, Paeony. I do so agree that endpapers can add so much to the picture book experience. And ads at the back of a book, especially when the story finishes on the left hand side and the ads are right there on the opposite page, shouting BUY ME!, is a real bete noir of mine. A story needs breathing space at the end. It's like when a TV programme goes straight into an ad for next week's before it's even finished. Give me a break!<br /> malachy doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14428551785118345251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-76306560405874380952014-08-18T16:06:32.230+01:002014-08-18T16:06:32.230+01:00Hurrah, you're another endpaper fan, Jane!
I&#...Hurrah, you're another endpaper fan, Jane!<br />I've heard that in particular they buy a lot of hardbacks in the US and Germany, though I'm sure there are other enthusiastic hardback countries.Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-9462866451263853052014-08-18T15:50:13.910+01:002014-08-18T15:50:13.910+01:00I buy hardbacks of the picture books I love and go...I buy hardbacks of the picture books I love and gorgeous endpapers are definitely a plus - but I agree with you, Paeony - forget the dust jackets. Several of my pic books have hardback versions only outside UK - presumably because UK markets prefer paperbacks?Jane Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361379190770989657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-71025447472146517502014-08-18T15:28:22.763+01:002014-08-18T15:28:22.763+01:00Pippa, I'm so glad you too look at endpapers -...Pippa, I'm so glad you too look at endpapers - they're part of the whole book 'experience'.<br />Jonathan, thanks for the useful detailed info on cost implications. Where the design fits, I think monochrome could be a pleasing alternative (now I know why the endpapers for 'Maude The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton', shown above, are in black and white. I also wonder if that's why publishers sometimes use coloured paper that includes pencil/ink/charcoal sketches, like the 'A Pipkin of Pepper' example (also above).Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-44687673759937171412014-08-18T15:20:06.326+01:002014-08-18T15:20:06.326+01:00Interesting, Jonathan. I'll look out for your ...Interesting, Jonathan. I'll look out for your examples. I hadn't heard of the books you mention where the dust jacket is more than a decorative cover - what a good idea and a definite extra that might encourage sales.<br />I too like it when endpapers continue the story to a quiet end - almost like a gentle epilogue? Paeony Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13129555451791248798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-38130324998605137402014-08-18T15:04:28.647+01:002014-08-18T15:04:28.647+01:00There is a significant cost implication. Nearly al...There is a significant cost implication. Nearly all UK picture books contain 32 full colour printed pages: giving 15 full spreads and a half-spread at beginning and end. <br /><br />If the endpapers are full colour, the story is usually told in 12 spreads (the remaining spread being the imprint and title page). All of the books I've done with Vanessa Cabban at Walker are like this.<br /><br />On the other hand all the picture books I've done with Poly Bernatene at Macmillan are told in 14 and a half story spreads (plus 3 more pages for pre-title, imprint and title). The endpapers included in the hardback editions of these books make them more expensive to produce than the 12 spread format described above, so they are made from plain coloured paper to minimise the additional cost.<br /><br />A third option is endpapers illustrated in monochrome (in addition to the 32 full colour printed pages), which is more expensive than using plain paper, but a lot cheaper than full colour since only a single colour plate has to be produced and set up instead of the four plates needed for full colour. Both the picture books I've done with illustrator Steve Cox have monochrome endpapers.<br />Jonathan Emmetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11413964991466780348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-43316759000672323192014-08-18T13:35:14.092+01:002014-08-18T13:35:14.092+01:00I absolutely agree that good use of endpapers adds...I absolutely agree that good use of endpapers adds another dimension to a book. It's a chance to expand or comment or simply decorate, and, yes, I do look at endpapers when choosing a book. I'd like to know the answer to the question of whether or not it costs publishers much more to print endpapers and pay illustrators to design them.Pippa Goodharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17709422048047155208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3758609568631190155.post-59079364848275263412014-08-18T08:58:08.910+01:002014-08-18T08:58:08.910+01:00I share your love of illustrated endpapers Paeony....I share your love of illustrated endpapers Paeony. Plain endpapers always feel like a missed opportunity to me. Vanessa Cabban produced illustrated endpapers for all of our ‘Mole and Friends’ books. The endpapers begin the storytelling before the text begins and allow it to run on a little afterwards. One of my favourite spreads in ‘Bringing Down the Moon’ is the final endpaper that shows Mole sitting on a hill admiring the moon, long after his friends have gone back to bed. Fortunately Walker include these endpapers in the paperback editions as well. <br /><br />Dust covers can seem a little pointless, especially when they simply duplicate the cover that’s underneath them, but I love the way that the 2-ply dust covers to Jonny Duddle’s Templar picture books unfold to make large wall posters. The dust cover to the “King of Space” opens up to a smashing double-spread-sized detailed diagram of one of the Warbots from the story. Dust covers like this, that offer the reader a substantial extra, are a great way of adding value to a hardback and making it seem worth the extra money – so well done to whoever thought of doing it.Jonathan Emmetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11413964991466780348noreply@blogger.com