Monday, May 4, 2009

Houston, we have cover art!

Here it is folks, the Fat of the Land book cover. The book won't be published until August 30, but it feels a little bit more real now, even if the jacket only exists as pixels on a screen.

Try as we may, pretty much all of us judge books by their covers. Social scientists suggest there are evolutionary reasons for this, since making a snap judgment about a friend or foe was often a decision fraught with life-or-death consequences for our prehistoric ancestors. Like all cliches, there's a grain of truth at the heart of the book cover trope. I know I'm guilty. One of my favorite books of the year probably wouldn't have gotten even a cursory flip-through at the bookstore if I hadn't decided to buy it sight unseen after reading a review.

Happily, I'm pleased with the cover. I like the type fonts and those deep blue cobblestones. The fork is a nice touch, too, and the crab—well, that was my idea. You can't really go wrong with a crab. Crabs are cool (the ones you eat, that is).

Okay, enough of that. I've still got to make a few edits to the first typeset pages and get those in by tomorrow. Then it's out of my hands forever.

P.S. You can pre-order it now.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've only just found your blog and am very excited to read about a future book I will deffo need to add to my collection.

Good luck with it!

Janie x

PS for what it's worth I think the cover looks pretty cool too!

Michael @ Herbivoracious.com said...

I like that distressed font. Probably looks like your jeans after a hard day of foraging.

Chantrelle said...

Congratulations! I love the photo. It really works.

pam said...

I think it looks good!

Paul said...

It looks great and I can only imagine how good it feels to hit this milestone.

Anonymous said...

Yay! And congratulations!

I cannot wait to have a copy in my hands. Please forgive, for I know I will write in the margins and dog-ear pages before I've had my copy more than a few hours.

She who ate wild onions whilst hiking yesterday

Donovan said...

Congratulations! The cover looks great and I love seeing the crab which to me helps illustrate the broader view of foraging not just in the woods, but in the water as well.

dp said...

That is so awesome! One step closer--I can only imagine your excitement!

The cover has some texture to it--I like that. Did you take the picture of the crab yourself?

Langdon Cook said...

Thanks everyone! I'm really excited, and jittery too. Four more months...just four more loooong months.

sally said...

Bingo, cover looks fantastic. It depicts one of my all time favorite scenes/pastimes: a stoney beach with time to forage for whatever. Congrats.

Trixi said...

Terrific cover. Looking forward to it. Congratulations on an achievement that most of us can only wish for. I hope that you inlcuded LOTS of recipes!

Poppy said...

Congrats! The cover looks excellent and I'm certain what's inside will be even better. Can't wait.

Nevin Martell said...

Did you know that the Prodigy released an album called "The Fat of the Land" which also featured a crab? Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fat_of_the_Land

Just a weird moment of synchronicity (or a lazy designer).

emilyhall said...

Fan-freaking-tastic! I can't wait!

Saara said...

Great show this morning on KUOW!

Mike said...

Seriously, do you have any comment on the profound similarity to the cover of Prodigy's album of the same name? I saw your book in a bookstore, and I assumed there was some connection. Infinitely curious.

Langdon Cook said...

A profound coincidence, Mike.