Wordsworth Classics, The Strangest Book Covers | Esoteric Internet
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- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- Surreal covers for the unreal reader... on a budget.
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Wordsworth Editions is a somewhat notorious name in the publishing business. Since the late 1990s, Wordsworth books have circulated a certain style. An art style that is halfway between pulp Romance novels and unfinished photoshops. The Wordsworth "Black Covers" are the most unique covers in the English book market for how stilted they look. The Wordsworth Classics line is public domain novels dedicated with these incredibly odd (or bad) book covers. Most internet savvy readers have had a close encounter of the third kind with one Wordsworth cover or another.
Why would one adorn classical literature (or books in the public domain) like this? Do they truly grab that much attention? After all, this video does exist to talk about these book covers. The history behind Wordsworth's stunning unique covers is one fraught with old standards, book publishing in the new era, and legal threats in the UK (not because of relations to the poet of the same name). Wordsworth abolished classic art covers in favor of the all encompassing black cover. There are too many to acknowledge, but they are a fascinating genre that has accidentally spawned.
You really want me to expand on these? Well, it is outside the pages of a book.
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Video Sources (Support the creators/uploaders):
- Printing Through The Ages (1950): archive.org/details/PrintingT...
- Civilisation: 6 -- Protest and Communication: archive.org/details/civilisat...
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Music:
Dan Henig - "Russian River" (00:00-01:56)
Frédéric Chopin - "Galop Marquis", performed by Aya Higuchi (01:56-02:06)
Dan Henig - "Eternal Garden" (02:06-04:13)
Dan Genig - "Sunrise In Paris" (04:13-07:28)
Telecasted - "Sailing" (07:28-09:09)
Brian Bolger - "A Fool's Theme" (09:09-10:27, 10:48-12:01)
The U.S. Army Band - "Stars And Stripes Forever" (10:27-10:47)
The Mini Vandals - "Dragon Rojo" (12:01-13:51)
Joey Pecoraro - "Russian Dance" (13:51-16:10)
Godmode - "Spring Field" (16:10-17:40)
Cheel - "Sunset Dreams" (17:40-19:26)
Ben Elliot - "Journey To Paris" (19:26-19:58)
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All copyrighted media, images, and music respective owner(s).
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Sources: rentry.co/Wordsworth_Classics...
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The Cover Charge For Thanks For Watching - Zábava
![Why Are Wordsworth Classics So Ugly? [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HsGFARWuz_Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Some of these covers definitely feel like those terrible low-effort erotic novels you see on amazon.
They really do
There are some solid gold covers in there, though. As in, chill out, scroll down, and laugh your ass off, solid gold, of course.
I never encountered these books growing up. It was Penguin for us. My first encounter was at a brand new school my friend was subbing at. Library and class rooms where FILLED them, and other cheap bulk books. Between them, and the fact the school was only an admin building and a ton of "temporary" class rooms, it was the most generic 'Southern California' new suburb school you can think of!
Sounds about similar to mine. Just replace Penguin with the public domain art Wordsworth cover and the admin building was a basement before schools knew what to do with computer labs. Wordsworth books produce this certain scent when they get old enough that I have never smelt in another book. I will always remember that scent.
"Could only exist at this moment in mass-history" is such an interesting description, that one quote has stuck with me for so long. It's such an intriguing proposition that changes the way how you think of history as a whole. It also reminds me of the song "Video killed the radio star", as that song demonstrates how the concept of a "radio star" could only have existed in a tiny sliver of human history (though still wide enough to be people's childhoods).
After pondering it, I think something else which fits that description of "Could only exist at this moment in mass-history" would by Sony's cinematic universe of Spiderman villains without Spiderman himself. The number of things which had to line up to lead to that existing is something that I don't think could ever be replicated.
Damn, these covers are something else. I've never owned any Wordsworth books, but I've seen them in the library back in high school.
My copy of the Moonstone is on Wordsworth and I hadn't really thought twice about the cover, but based on some of these, it seems like it could've been a lot worse. Some of the figures used look like inventory character paper dolls from early 90s CRPGs (edit: you got this with the Conrads).
I'm sometimes caught off-guard when some eccentric anti-design slips in to an otherwise generic product - one would be a whisky bottle: Edradour's "Fairy Flag", the 00s MySpace goth aesthetics still haunt me to this day from a distillery that usually courts the elder drinkers. It feels as though the simulation has just glitched out and let something wildly inappropriate slip through and distort reality for just one moment.
The "Moonstone" cover is a little goofy, but its not honestly that bad compared to some of this. It just makes it look like a Bollywood action movie. I would say Wordsworth took most of their covers from a stock art source, but the books credit a certain two artists most of the time. There is a definite stock CRPG look to most of the more famous ones though.
I looked up "Fairy Flag" and that definitely is some graphic design. I agree with your comparison too. It reminds me of the gifs from that era.
Great video. ❤
I just came across Wordsworth books at a floating library and saw them, I got the good covers of war and peace and Anna Karenina but I did come across a terrible cover of The Count Of Monty Cristo. It was so horrid that no one picked me it up lol.
Love this channel, always something different in each video.
I grew up in a Dover Books home. I rarely encountered Wordsworth books, but when I did, it was the older, more average covers.
Most fascinating. They're certainly more interesting covers than the cheap editions that circulate over here. The Reclam books are full yellow with black text and that's it. Still, that's what gives them such memorability in all of German-speaking Europe.
Fantastic quote to end the video on. Great video
I try to appreciate everything that exists.
Also, I'm wondering if you'd do a video about Tweetsie Railroad, a rather unique independent Wild West theme park located in North Carolina of all places.
The only thing I didn't throw away after my shitty time at my secondary school was a Wordsworth copy of 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' that I forgot to give back to my teacher, I always found the cover so funny and I'm happy to find out from this video I wasn't the only one who was confused abt these covers
Another great video. Never guess what will come next lol
the fanbase must receive a follow up video on gohan's el blanco, itd be cool if it eventually came out
Great video, although I believe the legal safeguarding hypothesis doesn't quite hold up as hey frequently carry out copyright infringement on these covers and just change the faces or add clipart to them. You can't just modify a protected work and thus avoid copyright infringement -that's not how it works.
Eres de los mejores canales de CZcams
The Man in the Iron Mask cover looks like a Quite Riot album cover
Books are curious creatures, the presentation matters as much as the content, it's an organic whole, an experience that can't be reduced or picked apart. It's their skin.
18:47 is that Bills from Dragon Ball in the window?
He's just having a quick look.
I bought 2 of the Wordsworth collector's editions but regretted it as the quality was bad. I understand why but it's just not what I would prefer.
the photoshop notes from the underground and moby dick will always be my favorites what a beautiful mess
So you lurk on /lit/ huh? Nice
Once upon a time. I was there when Guenon posting was popular.
@@Pseudiom That explains a lot!
@@Pseudiom Virgin Guenon vs Chad Serrano was my intro to Guenon
I like your avatar. :)
Nothing would turn the modern reader off the classics more than these
I read a Wordworth copy of the Odyssey in high school. I think it was the boring cover design.
Probably the only Wordsworth book with a decent cover is Moby Dick.
Malevich did capture the aggressive emptyness of Russians, don't you think?