I include here a special section of Eakins'
book covers, and I ask you, Internet readers, to help me continue
to build this archive. Eakins never had anything but the greatest
contempt for his jacket covers. The highest praise he ever gave a
book cover was an expression of casual disdain, even though only
the finest design artists the world had to offer were employed by
his publishers. One understands his sentiment, however. As soon as
one opens to the first page of any of his books, one realizes how
pathetically the cover's image—no matter how attractive or evocative
it once seemed—pales in comparison to the richness of his prose.
Yet I will not be daunted, and hope to assemble an
exhaustive collection of Eakins book covers, and create a forum for
a highly considered discussion of their aesthetic, commercial, and
entertainment values. So I urge you to send in any cover images you
might have in your possession, and comment on any cover that you
see here.
NOTE FROM WEBMASTER: Please be patient while the covers load. It
will be worth it. You can send covers via email or
you can upload them to Flickr and add them to the Eakins
Covers Group Pool. Please include relevant information in the Title of
the image and include whatever information is available about the
design in the Notes. A complete list of Eakins titles can be found here.
Please note that Eakins' books have been published in a variety of
editions in every language all over the world. Submissions from
whenever, wherever are welcome. Flickr will
host the above-referenced high-minded discussion here.
