Book Covers

[kkersey_austin]

No: HPFGUIDX 166852

Just a few thoughts here:

UK adult cover - I'll echo whoever said it was classy.

UK kids - ugh. Lots of interesting details to pore over, but as a
whole I just don't like it. What is going on with Hermione's back,
anyway? Whether she is falling or grabbing or scrubbing the floor, it
just doesn't look right to me. Maybe her robe is supposed to be
billowing out as she falls. Harry looks like he is levitating.

What on earth are Ron and Hermione wearing, anyway? Possibly dress
robes, but they look more like dashikis to me. Or caftan and dashiki
on R and H respectively. Maybe there was an accident with a time
turner and they all went backto the 60's.

The red and gold and rubies are all about Gryffindor, aren't they? 

US cover - I like it! I wasn't crazy about the HBP cover art; it just
seemed composistionally static. (I did like the cover on the US deluxe
edition though.) The DH art just works better, I think, both the front
cover-only view with the title and the fold-out full picture without.
I like the lettering style for "and the Deathly Hallows". Even the
gold coloring - for just a second I was disappointed, I guess because
I was expecting something darker, but just for a second.

Harry does seem confident. He is focused on whatever it is he is
doing, not looking over his shoulder at Voldemort - who, on the other
hand, seems to have one eye on the whatever and the other on Harry. It
looks to me like Harry may be bracing himself with his right hand as
he tries to catch something (outfielder!Harry) or let it go. Grand Pre
always draws Harry left-handed, doesn't she. Maybe "bracing" is too
strong a term, though; it's more like the way you lay a hand on
something for balance rather than support. 

Harry does have a scar, although it is partially obscured by his hair.
IMO. It seemed more obvious to me yesterday, for some reason...

I seriously doubt that the curtains are the Veil - the description
just doesn't match (not that Grand Pre hasn't got things wrong
before). My first impression was that it was not part of the scene,
just compositionally filling and framing the picture; see the PS cover
for how she has done this before. But if it is part of the scene, then
perhaps the curtains are either in some sort of doorway leading into
the arena or the curtains are framing a seating box, though there are
no boxes or curtains in the arches we see behind the shadowy
spectators. The perspective, though, is quite low and seems to be
looking up from near the floor of the arena, so an entrance seems more
likely. 

I am puzzled by Arthur Levine's remark that this is "for the first
time" a wrap-around cover - all of the jackets have had wrap-around
artwork that includes the flaps.

Interesting that there seems to be some ambiguity in both the UK and
the US covers - is Harry catching or releasing? Are the trio+elf
falling or being sucked out? (Is the term "trio+elf" singular or
plural?) I'm not sure whether or not the ambiguity is intentional or
not (and doubt that it is for the UK cover). 

Elisabet, pleased as punch with two of the three covers, and willing
to forgive the third