For a literary tourist, sometimes it's the little differences that stand out most. For example, the book covers. ♦
We all collect souvenirs to remind us of our travels and the places that we visited. Books are just as good a souvenir as a shirt that says “I Love London.” There’s the memory not just of the place you visited but of the bookshop where you made the purchase and what your bookbuying experience was like; I can remember every shop where I got a book and what my experience was there. I’d also argue that books are often a more useful souvenir when it comes to functionality, compared to a snow globe or fridge magnet. Some people tour museums and landmarks (which I did) but I was also sightseeing bookstores … and especially book covers.
High on my variant-cover sightseeing list was R.F. Kuang’s Babel. It was the first book that I hunted down when I arrived in London, speeding through Foyle’s trying to catch a glimpse of its gorgeous cover variant. I’ve been obsessed with this book’s variants and special editions, because each edition is unique and stylistically beautiful, and I think the UK cover is gorgeous (but I won’t lie, the Polish edition might be my favorite). A surprising bonus of finding Babel at Foyles was that it was a signed copy! I already owned a copy of Babel from the US, but the UK cover is so aesthetically pleasing that I had to put it on my bookshelf.
Another book that I bought in London for the cover was Alice
Some of the books I bought in London I hadn’t heard of before, but the cover drew me in and then the story hooked me. I was in Forbidden Planet for the second time (of many visits), and this beautiful gold-highlighted cover drew my attention like a moth to a flame. The illustrations were dramatic and eye-catching, the story fantastical and as gritty as the black and white illustrations on the front. I quickly bought it and brought it home, eager to break into it, and my flatmate was astonished at the cover, because he’d been interested in the book for a long time but had been hesitant to buy it because the US cover seemed embarrassing (featuring the main character, shirtless, with blood surrounding him).
I ended up taking another trip to Forbidden Planet to buy the book for him, and while there I had a really sweet moment that will be forever tied to Empire of the Vampire and the manga series Witch Hat Atelier. After grabbing my friend a copy, a nice mother asked me if I knew manga well. I of course replied that I knew it very well, and she asked if I knew of a manga with a magical girl on the cover who had a tall hat and carried a staff. My first thought was of the tenth volume of Witch Hat Atelier, but the words “magical girl” threw me off, so I asked if it was maybe Cardcaptor Sakura. It turned out that my first guess was correct, and I carefully navigated her and her kid to where Forbidden Planet kept Witch Hat Atelier, then gave my thoughts on the pros and cons of buying the tenth volume (Forbidden Planet only had the tenth; believe me, I checked on multiple trips) without having read the first nine.
Of course, not all UK covers are worth sightseeing for their good looks; some are worth it for how bad they are. I realize that some might prefer these editions, but for me the UK editions of such books as A Certain Hunger, The Maze Runner, Purple Hibiscus, and many others are not some of my favorites compared to their US covers. I was particularly disappointed about one book that I’ve not read yet but have been itching to read. On a visit to Cecil Court bookstores, I came across Goldsboro Books, which had a special-edition signed copy of Rin Chupeco’s Silver Under Nightfall. The edges were sprayed red, and for a signed copy it was at a reasonable price of £30. However, on the cover is a floating image of the titular weapon, Breaker, that the main character carries. It is a smart cover choice, given that it shows a very important object related to the story, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to the dramatic blue-and-red illustrated cover published in the US.
London is well known for its books and bookstores, and I had a blast not just reading but viewing different books. If you’re a book lover who’s traveling, I highly recommend choosing a day to go cover sightseeing and browse bookstores looking for cover variants. You may just happen to find a handy souvenir to bring back home with you (or ten souvenirs, in my case).
