Designer: Helen Yentus
title: The Magical Chorus: A History of Russian Culture f
author: Solomon Volkov
publisher: Knopf, 2008
Designer: Helen Yentus
title: The Magical Chorus: A History of Russian Culture f
author: Solomon Volkov
publisher: Knopf, 2008
Helen Yentus does something completely different for “The Magical Chorus” – the Amazon image, as usual, doesn’t do the actual jacket justice; each of the gold starbursts are foilstamped, and so there is a modern geometry to an otherwise vintage and organic cover. This cover really sparkles on the shelf and is highly tactile.
— Chris Papasadero, 2008-05-13 09:48:00
Foilstamped? Sounds fantastic. I’ll have to be sure to look for this one in the store (and touch it’s sparkly tactileness!).
— Suzie, 2008-05-13 10:48:00
Wow, two in a row. You guys are on a roll.
I just had a designgasm.
I would probably fall asleep after the first chapter, but damn, the cover might be worth the purchase.
— C-Dog, 2008-05-13 11:27:00
Absolutely Fabulous. I second the motion – the foil stamped stars are killer in person.
— Tal, 2008-05-13 11:50:00
very nice. Nice when the publisher lets a special color in there.
And how appropriate for a book on Russian culture…
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-05-13 13:22:00
I don’t know what to think or say about this.
From first glance it looks overdone. I can picture it without the starbursts and it seems too boring. So, I guess I will have to see it in person but I can already imagine it looks and feels a lot better than this image lets on.
— Arthur, 2008-05-13 13:43:00
Cover by Helen Yentus seems to be missing on left.
— GH, 2008-05-13 16:08:00
indeed overdone- I don’t really get the big red rectangle either- seems like a fall back position- a lazy design trope plastered on top of all that drama.
— Josh, 2008-05-13 23:27:00
I agree with the overdone pool.
The starbursts are really too distracting. I see the ‘inspiration’ coming from the Saint Petersburg and the like but the overall effect is bad mashup which doesn’t pay the right tribute to the Russian Culture (in the book’s title identified with two great writers) in object.
btw, the book is about a general russian ‘culture’. Don’t let the title fool you. The author has no expertise but a general one in the Literature fiels. Check Todorov if you want a good reading about one of the best Literaure under the sun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzvetan_Todorov
— semioticmonkey, 2008-05-14 02:41:00
I like this cover, actually. I appreciate the pomp. Only, I wonder about the use of the double-eagle as there’s nothing uniquely Russian about it – for centuries it has been adopted as a national symbol all over Europe as far back as the Holy Roman Empire.
— dave, 2008-05-14 06:54:00
For those of you who are fans of John Gall/Vintage Books (where Helen Yentus works, I believe), theirs a great little video at Barnes and Noble.com, where John discusses the five rules of book cover design. Check it out!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/coverstory/index.asp?cds2Pid=16444
— nate s., 2008-05-14 08:12:00
I think this is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen.
Bravo to the designer!
And phooey to the critics.
— Shorty, 2008-05-14 12:05:00
In person this is a stunning design: the gold stars form a scrim through which we read the rest. And the surprisingly quiet type is a lovely contrast to the richness of the montaged illustration. Bravo, I say, Bravo to Helen.
— MarTay, 2008-05-14 12:41:00
What can I say. This book fucking works. It sucks you into the topic the era the culture and keeps sucking you in. The choice to use the metallic helps it do that all that more. I know some of you may think that a cover should stand alone in 4C. I disagree. A little special color, UV etc can take a book to another dimension on the shelf. And this is nothing short of that in person. Great work, once again, by Yentus.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-05-14 18:42:00
gives me a headache
— Josh, 2008-05-15 01:47:00
Bravo! If anyone has ever visited the Hermitage in St. Petersburg they will know that “overdone” is the operative word there. Gold on gold is the decorating scheme throughout. This would lack something if it wasn’t for the gold foil. This lively cover makes Russian history look as interesting as it truly is. I am actually going to read this.
— leslie, 2008-05-15 09:17:00
I like the layers a lot.
“I don’t really get the big red rectangle either”
I see it as a kinda abstract reference to the Bolshevik flag. But I guess I could be reading too into it.
— jack, 2008-05-15 10:10:00
You either love it or you hate it.
— Luke Tonge, 2008-05-15 13:43:00
maybe a ‘red square’ might have been more appropriate?
— pogo, 2008-05-15 15:45:00
I was thinking the same thing pogo . . .
— Arthur, 2008-05-17 09:00:00
Really enjoy it. I’d like to see it without the gold star-burst pattern (kind of cluttered). Maybe seeing the foilstamp in person would change my mind.
— Chris, 2008-08-19 14:40:00