While I realize that the new cover art on The Dark is Rising series will undoubtedly draw in new readers, I still prefer the cover art that I grew up with. (And I love the creepy cover art on the hardcover most of all, but I admit that it's dated.)
The new cover is exciting, sure. But, please. The. Rider. Does. Not. Have. Glowing. Eyeballs.
I always loved that the old cover featured an actual scene from the book.
AND I HATE the "Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture" at the bottom of the new one. It's so tacky.
Yah, the old cover art has more....charm? It's just better.
Posted by: Shrieky | 19 April 2007 at 10:42 AM
I agree that it's cheesy, but I do like the blue. Then again, I've never read these. (I know! But they're on my reading list for this semester.)
Posted by: Gwenda | 19 April 2007 at 10:48 AM
I think if it was the cover for a new book, I would totally be fine with it, even though it looks kinda generic. It's just because I've read it a bazillion times -- so many times that I can recite the ENTIRE "When the dark comes rising..." rhyme from memory -- that I had an issue.
And, wow. You've never read it? SHOCKING! I'll be interested to hear what you think.
Posted by: Leila | 19 April 2007 at 10:59 AM
This is the one I grew up with, and still have, so those both look wrong to me:
http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/Authors/dark%20is%20rising,%20the%20pix.gif
Posted by: Chrissy | 19 April 2007 at 11:17 AM
Yeah, that's the cover from the hardback -- I've got a copy as well. The illustrations inside are awesome, too.
Posted by: Leila | 19 April 2007 at 11:21 AM
Wholeheartedly agree. They've sure come up with some icky covers for that series - I saw a library copy once that was just atrocious, I think for one of the later books. Anyway, the hardcover is awesome and creepy, the older paperback makes it look not quite as creepy...and the new one is just unoriginal.
Posted by: jessmonster | 19 April 2007 at 12:24 PM
I'm with you here. The older one is much much nicer.
Posted by: Erin | 19 April 2007 at 01:20 PM
It's hard when a beloved book gets the glamour treatment--I remember when the LOTR covers went from Pauline Baynes (which I loved) to Tolkien's own watercolors I could accept it, but the Brothers Hillenbrand just horrified me--so cheesy.
Posted by: Roger Sutton | 19 April 2007 at 01:42 PM
My husband is prone to spray painting covers he doesn't like -- or just ripping them off.
Posted by: Leila | 19 April 2007 at 01:52 PM
one of the things I remember most from reading Tom Raabe's (sp?) *Biblioholism* is the superiority one has a right to feel about having a copy of the book from BEFORE "now a major motion picture"
Posted by: danielle | 19 April 2007 at 05:19 PM
I haven't read it either, but I own a copy of the original cover... so at least I won't have to scour used bookstore trying to find one with the "Soon to be a Major Motion Picture" on the cover. That bugs me too!!
Posted by: Faithful Reader from Canada | 19 April 2007 at 09:39 PM
I happened upon this book when I was in grade school, amazingly accidentally. Unfortunately I had a habit of taking all of the books with me so stopped reading shortly in the midsts of silver on the tree. Now, if that actually set was or is worth anything, Lol, I've no idea. I quite liked it either way. The trailers for the movie actually reminded me of it, and I thought it quite strange that it sounded so familiar to me. Behold! No coincidence at all. My question is that since my growing I seemed to have lost track of my set. Ive looked and looked for ones like it but have been unsuccessful. Where would one find the sets with the original artwork?
Posted by: Brandie | 11 September 2007 at 02:51 PM