We’ve heard about not judging a book by its cover.
This goes for not dismissing a person because of the way they dress, or their
vocabulary.
In other words, ignore your first impressions.
But do we? Furthermore, do we judge a book by its cover?
Yes, sir. Certainly, ma’am. We do. I know I do.
When the cover is raunchy, I assume the book is also. When a
cover is cheaply or carelessly designed, I assume lower quality for the
content.
It isn’t fair. One out of ten times (I’m inventing this
quantitative assertion) it turns out to be a wrong judgement. But it’s right
enough times that we, or I, continue to make these judgments.
A thoughtful or brilliant cover will make me open the book
at least to read the flap-jacket. A nicely dressed and groomed person will get
an easy smile and a possible greeting.
Of course, there are life experiences that surprise us by contradicting
this pattern. A person once dismissed is revealed under unexpected circumstances
to be a gem. A book I’d never open even to read the first page turns out, after
a strong recommendation from someone I respect, to be one I will re-read many
times and consider a treasure.
Even if this sort of thing happens enough times to make “Don’t’
judge a book by its cover” an acknowledged truth, I continue to judge books by
their covers.
Which leads me to say: covers matter. Pay attention to yours
and your books’.
