Judging a Book By Its Cover…
I spent probably as much time at the library when I was a kid as I spent at the video store. The main reason was, of course, to do research for homework. We had this really cool old church at the top of the hill down the road from my house that served as the local library. It had the old parish cemetery right on the grounds, and was even said to be haunted.
MY OLD LIBRARY
I would spend hours there – looking up information, writing papers, etc. Of course, this was all well before the internet and computers…it was the Dewey decimal system at its finest. But while doing work, I would always wander off to the fiction section and take a look at the books. I was never one for the “young adult” section – I thought those books were lame. No, I wanted cool stuff – adult fiction. And not just any adult fiction – horror.
Even at as early as 8-9 years old, I could be most found in either the occult section or the horror section of books at that library. It was around that time that I heard of Stephen King. It was the mid-80s and King was arguably at the height of his popularity, so his name was everywhere…so were his books. And how beautiful they looked… Cujo with the glistening fangs on the cover, IT, with the hand coming up from the sewer. If the story inside those pages was half as intriguing (and scary) as those images, I wanted it. So most trips to the library ended the same way…a scrawny little kid (myself) walking home with piles (and I do mean piles) of hardcover books. Sometimes I had 8-10 books in one trip – and they were all horror.
Now, if you do the math, I only had about 2 weeks with these books before they were due back to the library. Did I read them? Heck no. Sure, I tried… I would get 10 pages into one, 30 into another, but my attention span would wane if there was no carnage in the first few pages. That’s not to say the stories weren’t good – I’ve since read my fair share of them – but I was just too young to grasp them completely.
What I did mostly was just simply gaze at them. I’d arrange them on my floor and stare at the covers like they were Picassos or Van Goghs. I was so entranced by them and the type of imagery they evoked in my mind (did Cujo really look like that? Was Christine that bad ass of a car?) that they told me the story themselves. It was the idea of the books, and what they had waiting inside that captured me. And it all came from the eye-catching covers that I couldn’t ignore.
Below are some of my favorites from when I was a kid. What about you? Did you have a similar experience? What are some of your favorites? Post your comments below!
It seems to me some of these would look cool on a shirt…
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There was a series of truly terrifying children’s scary stories books back in the day called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”. I don’t know if the shirts would be successful, but the artwork is that of nightmares. Really great stuff.
Wow, I have not thought about that Night Shift cover in years. That just makes my hand hurt looking at it again! I was really young when that first got published and upon seeing it, had a real bad nightmare about eyeballs coming out of my hands. Good job Ben, most psychiatrists would kill to be able to bring a 30-something year old repressed memory to the surface so quickly!
Dead and Buried by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is another awesome book cover that stuck with me.
A lot of Clive Barker covers were such a huge inspiration such as the original BOOKS OF BLOOD series, THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW and the best is THE HELLBOUND HEART. Some other authors were inspirational like J.R. Tolkens & Phillip K. Dicks. Thats why I think books will never be replaced by tablets or ipads. Nothing like looking at the cover, holding a book in your hands and jumping right iinto a good story…espeicially horror!
If you want to pick up some really cool covers to make into shirts, why not tap into the new horror writers? There are a scad of them on Facebook! A fellow named Bob Freeman (on facebook) does a lot of cover art for newly published horror writers–and he could probably turn you on to others.
Carson
not a big fan of king’s
Thanks Ben, now I think I have to add Pet Sematary to my watch-list this weekend. Already have Rambo II-IV…you trying to turn me into a hermit? Awwww dammit. I just remembered that I still have Dreamcatcher to read too!
Any of those covers would make a great t-shirt. I would also like to see Barnabas Collins and Dark Shadows.
Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker cover is really insane! and would make a sick shirt!
http://cronicaszombi.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/7ba9db458d-7cb1-4282-a978-ac5f48d5688d7dimg100.jpg
YEAH,I,M A BIG HORRORHOUND,.EVER SINCE I WAS ABOUT 5 R 6 YEARS OLD.I ALSO LIKE TO READ A LOT,I HAVE BIG BOOK COLLECTION,MOSTLY HORROR AND TRUE CRIME BOOKS.I WOULD HAVE 2 SAY MY FAVORITE IS FRIDAY THE 13TH CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES.I ALSO LIKE STEPHEN KING,ALL THOUGH I HAVE,NT READ ANY OF HIS BOOK,S,I LOVE HIS MOVIES.I WOUD HAVE TO SAY MY FAV,IS PET CEMEATARY,I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT T SHIRT,I THINK U GUY,S HAD ONE A WHILE BACK BUT I I MISSED OUT ON IT,LET ME KNOW IF YOU GET ANYMORE IN,I WOULD BY 1 FOR SURE.ANYWAY,S THATS IT FOR NOW.IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU,KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
I was the same w/ both horror and science-fiction books. Some awesome covers there. Hey, I’d love a Nightshift shirt. I love that old cover more than the new one. I teach the book sometimes, and I’d love to wear the shirt to class. I’m sure my students would love it. LOL
HP Lovecraft books have some cool designs on them. Most notably the design Obituary used as an album cover for cause of death. Also others featuring drawings of cthulhu etc. or drawings of the author himself.
Cycle of the Werewolf was a turning point for me appreciating Stephen King as a jaded pre-teen. Amazing artwork and great story. Not too many good Werewolf movies or stories, but Silver Bullet and Cycle of the Werewolf blew away any other “monster” for me.
H.P. Lovecraft!
I got into reading Stephen King when I was 9 or 10. It was during the summer when school was out. Now I would actually read most, if not all, of the book. Even if I didn’t understand everything going on in it. Pet Semetary has always had a special place in my heart. Misery too. I think the covers of those bools would make cool t-shirts. Maybe even some of Clive Barkers?
Yea the first books probably were the R.L. Stine Goosebump series. When ever we had this thing called the scholastic Bookfair at my school . I always tried to find the newest goosebumps book and various ghost story books. All great stuff.
Not much of a reader myself but I have always liked artwork on the covers of books. My favorite book though is Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Which was adapted into a movie years and years ago. Awesome film, I think.
Would love to see a design for a shirt of that film.
This is a really good idea. Go for it the designs will definitely sell.
I was a huge fan of the Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark, the illustrations use to give me nightmares. I would pay anything if you made a shirt or this: http://www.terminalpacketloss.com/personal/scarystoriesgirl.gif. I think that would be a great shirt.
I loved Michael Whelan’s cover art for sci-fi and he did some work for Lovecraft books. He knew how to use his greys, reds, and blacks, well. There were also some amazing and surreal covers for Lovecraft books released in pocket edition in the 60s and 70s. Very odd, but very cool too.
As for the covers you posted I think The Bachman Books and Nightshift would make for amazing covers. Bachman in color and Nightshift in stencil.
Nice finds Ben! Those covers really do bring back the memories for sure. I remember reading Pet Semitary in grade 6 with that cover, and that friggin monkey on the Skeleton crew cover scared the crap outta me. A line of book cover shirts would be fantastic to see, the art that went into those covers is some of the most overlooked, and best in the horror world.
Travis
Check out the Cinefantastique with Carrie on the cover. I have a tattoo of the cover because the artwork was done so well.
some of my favorite covers were always the h.p. lovecraft books by del ray with art by michael whelan
I always thought R.L. Stine had the best handle on covers. Goosebumps were always the right amount of creepy and camp, reminded me of Are You Afraid of the Dark? His more teen friendly books like Fear Street and the series he did about High School always were chilling.
Stephen King is the reason I love reading today, and the covers were definitely what drew me in. Night Shift and It were two that still stand out in my mind to this day.
I had my appendics taken out in 7th grade. Home alone for a week, my sister gave my a paperback copy of Night Shift – same one displayed above. The cover was twofold – an outer cover with the book title and with eyeholes cut off of the fingers, and an inner cover with a full picture of the eyed hand and no title. To me then, it almost had a blinking effect when opened. Imagine my disappointment years later when the Lawmower Man movie came out after reading the real story in that book. Regardless, thanks for that memory! I’d buy that shirt in a second and I’m sure some others, too.
Oh wow! What a flash back to when I was a teen! My favorite always was Night shift, this cover really got under my skin. I can remember even having a nightmare one night when I was about half way done reading this book and that hand was in it! I just love it! Too bad it has a different cover now. Thanks so much for the memories!!
SK had so many reprints of all his books, a multitude of great covers have come and gone…I relate to the picking them up and getting 30 pages in as a youngster…I always was more of a comic fan, but since then,as yourself have read most of them all properly…the stand being my fave. Whats the legal issues of putting that stuff onto a shirt, i have wondered this about other TM designs/names etc etc
Pet Semetary!! Just the name of the book was scary to me when i was a kid..i read it anyway..wasn’t a good idea at the time;)
As a kid the goosebumps book covers were enough to scare me. I was a bit of a scaredy cat as a kid, and embraced horror later in life (so much so, surprisingly, that my life revolves entirely around it nowaday.
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Also, my mom had alot of stephen king books and the shining specifically was something that always drew my attention as a kid. Maybe because it was that old cover that was litterally shiny. One day I shook it off the top of the bookself to see it, only to have it hit me in the eye and give me a shiner. lol, one of my favorite childhood stories.
one of my current fav. book covers is the cover for Gregory Lamberson’s “Johnny Gruesome”.
as ben’s big brother, i, too, have spent time at this library, and have often looked at the occult section. tho’ i never checked it out, i used to look thru Alister Crowley’s Satanic Bible. talk about scary!!!!!
i was never a ‘reader’ but did purchase and read King’s CHRISTINE while in the Air Force. what a great book…even the epilogue was cool!! it should have inspired me to do more reading, and i think i did read one more horror book later by John Saul. but i can see the appeal of these books and thank Ben that he’s brought this up in the first place!!
My parents rewarded my good grades with Stephen King novels as a spooky youngster! I read IT at the age of ten on a cross country vacation in the motorhome. I’ve been re-reading Night Shift in my bathtub all week! You make a SK tshirt…I’ll buy it!
I’ve read quite a few horror and science fiction books myself when I was kid and Stephen King is one of my favourite writers. I have to say that the covers of Pet Sematary and It would look neat on a shirt. I’ve read Insomnia and Dreamcatcher a while back and they were really good. Although, I wasn’t too fond of the Dreamcatcher movie. But those are definitely awesome covers, Ben!
A recent issue of Rue Morgue featured an article about this very subject and pictured some of the same images above.
I absolutely LOVE all those old Stephen King paperback covers. I still own every single one of them. I really loathe the current printings covers with their boring photoshop-heavy “designs”. Give me the good old painted covers — that’s where it’s at.
My love affair with King began when I was around 8 and I would find myself in my father’s den gazing at his SK paperbacks and hardcovers. My first King book I actually read was THE SHINING, followed quickly by THE STAND, and I was only 9 at the time. Those two books remain my favorites and I begin plowing through every single massive King book as they were released, which continues to this day.
Pleased to see HP Lovecraft makes many a mention. I like the Omnibus Editions put out by Grafton with the covers by Tim White, although in terrible support of the old saying about the book and the cover my favourite picture (from The Trail of Cthulhu) was of the people falling into the well with the monstrous something awaiting them at the bottom which was actually the illustration for a series of execrable pastiche tales by Derleth!
I started reading Stephen King in 8th grade..Love every book! Also, I was really into serial killers in my youth and read Silence of the Lambs and Red dragon. I also read Lost boys..LOL
Cool Stephen King covers I haven’t really read those books though I think I should get them and read them since I have read some of his stuff and I think they are great
Stephen Gammell’s illustrations in Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark contains some of the most beautiful, vivid images I’ve ever dared to lay my eyes upon. A great trilogy, brilliant illustrator and a must have in every household. I would love to see some of the artwork appear on a Fright Rags T-shirt.
Yo Ben I had a interview with you a while back for my website the realmcast.com
I totally love the king covers. But lovecraft is my ultimate horror author.
I have many king books as well as live barkers.
Love the site and can’t wait for you to come to california.
i love stephen king also. I am an avid reader. The book that did it for me tho was definatley IT. Cover was creepy i loved it. Another one wasnt the cover so much as it was the reading.. i loved Christine also.
I know they were children’s books, but the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark books had art that stayed with me to this day, covers and inside.
So if you are even considering making t-shirts out of these old bookcover artworks, I’d say go for it. You mentioned many early Stephen King works, but oddly didn’t have my 2 favorites; Carrie and The Firestarter. I would totally buy a Firestarter shirt that reminded me more of the book and less of Drew Barrymore. Love that shit!
ooooh yeah, and the stand and the shining!
One of the book covers that used to terrify me growing up was my father’s copy of the Omen. He let me stay up one night and watch the movie with him. I know, a little boy on the cover dressed like Angus Young, how scary could that be? Well, I have to say it scared me because I knew what the little bastard was and what he could do. The art work on some of the Lovecraft collections is downright nightmarish. I have to agree with everyone on the King covers. My theory is if you live in Derry, Maine all the shit on King’s book covers will happen to you.
I was around 14 when I first noticed Stepen King’s Christine on the shelves of our local newsagent. After checking it out every time we went there I finally asked my Mom if I could buy it. I was already fascinated with Horror stories and ghost stories so once I read it I loved it. Then every christmas I would get a Stephen King novel. I live in ustralia so out covers were slightly different from the rest of the world, maybe I should scan them and send them to you.
I recentley discovered Joe Hill, Stephen’s son. Im looking forward to reading sone of his work.
I think some King t-shirts would be awesome… I know you have done some from the films already. Mmmm I want a Christine shirt now!
I think it’s cool that a church library even had an occult section. My favorite book covers were actually Fabio, I always thought he was cool because he was on the cover of Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II, so I would always see the book covers and be like yeah Kuros is getting some action hahaha. Also I had a Cycle of the Werewolf book by Stephen King which was pretty much a horror picture book, and it was amazing I remember bringing it to school and people crowding around me like whoaaaa haha.
As a kid those Stephen King covers were my first introduction to horror along side the cover for the Exorcist, Dracula (one of the many softcover editions), Jaws (which is just the movie cover) and my absolute favorite HP Lovecraft. Kelly D and I have the same taste apparently and was able to procure the Bantam covers from the 70′s. They would make the best shirts (or tattoos). Check out the pics here and if your so inclined Dr. Terror’s Blog of Horros (plug… shamelessly applied).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14758&id=113905488629738&saved#!/album.php?aid=14758&id=113905488629738
Man these covers were all it took, they almost told a story themselves. I would stare at them and it would conjure up horror in my head that wouldnt even involve the story itself. Good artwork is like that, it will create its own fantasy and stick with you for a long time.
the scary stories series illustrated by alvin schwartz…those drawings gave me nightmares.
http://images.paxholley.net/blog/scary_books/scary_stories1.jpg