Do you judge books by their covers?

I do, unfortunately.

I judged this cover of this book for a long time before actually getting around to reading it: http://www.amazon.com/I-Capture-Castle-Dodie-Smith...

The only reason I read it is because I saw so many suggestions on here (good ol' B&A) telling people how fantastic it is. I put it on my list and it took me forever to decide to finally buy it (good ol' B&N) because the cover made me feel iffy about it. It just seems like it might be a silly, dramatic version of what could be a really good story. Firstly, I didn't realize that that cover is the movie cover (it's really an amazing movie though). And secondly, if I'd seen the second (original?) cover first (you can see it if you go to the next picture) I'd be way more inclined to read it, not because JK Rowling says that this book has one of the most charismatic narrators she's ever met (though, yes, that did help convince me that it's probably going to be a good book), but because it's just way more within my style. I almost didn't read this book and it's now one of my favorites. Don't I feel silly. I want, one day, to find myself writing something in the kitchen sink in an abandoned castle and experiencing first love in a more realistic Jane Austen scenario. I love this book.

If I'd judged Harry Potter by its cover, I'd never have begun it. I appreciate the covers now, mostly because of the nostalgia thing, and I think the Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix covers are pretty cool, but I'm not a fan of those first few. Actually, nothing got me started except my dad buying me the fifth one, me feeling guilty that he'd done it and me, therefore, feeling obligated to. Can you believe that? I was such a snobby kid. I just instinctively say that really popular things must not be as good as everyone says they are.

And there's another favorite! Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I can't even find the cover my school library had on Amazon, but it's from the 80s and it's awful. It's got this really awful 80s-ish font and everything. If I'd had just looked at that book without knowing anything about the story, I'd never have tried it. But because I'd seen the movie a million times and loved it so much, I wanted to read it and I did and I love it forever. Fortunately I found a good cover :p http://www.amazon.com/I-Capture-Castle-Dodie-Smith...

And I'm actually holding off on buying The Princess Bride because I haven't found a cover I like. This one is the one I see all over the place: http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Morgensterns-... And even though it's not the movie cover, it reminds me too much of the movie. And I LOVE the movie, but I have a thing about movie covers. So that's the story of why, as much as I love that book to death, I don't own it.

I'm ridiculous. Ridikkulus. Ridiculous. I always say that word like "ridikkulus" but no one ever knows because it sounds like "ridiculous" so it's like this private joke with myself because it would sound lame to explain. Anyway....

I wish there were a magic wand I could wave that would make all the book covers in the world in my own personal taste and that would be that and the end.

To some extent, everyone judges books by their cover, even if they don't think they do.

As an example, take the person who answered "No. Matter of fact, I tend to think the book is better if it doesn't count on anything but a plain cover." This answerer claims they don't judge books by their cover, but then goes on to admit to judging books by their cover.

I don't think the cover artwork necessarily has a huge impact once I've actually checked the book out a bit more, but it certainly is the case that an attention-getting cover will get my attention, and cause me to check out a book that I otherwise wouldn't have. The same is true of the title of a book.

This almost certainly does influence my buying decisions, but doesn't cause me to buy a book that I otherwise wouldn't have after investigating the book a bit more. Of course, the end result is the same, with more books that have attention-getting covers being sold. Due to this, I also make it a point to try and find books through other ways than just merely browsing (like say, the internet and all of the myriad websites dedicated to finding books to read and that have reviews on books).

As another note though (obviously depending a bit on the price and how likely I am to re-read the book), paperback < hard cover with slip off front < hard cover.

Yeah sorry to say, I"m 19 and I do that all the time. Whenever I"m Browsing at the library, If theres a book cover I dont care for, I dont look further into it. I tend to not read books with people on the cover. The only time I did was With the vampire academy. Just saying...I hated it. Another book with a person on it is Lauren Olivers novel: Before I fall. That was a good book!

Yes, good cover always attract the readers. But we can't predict the content of the book from the cover. Some times the book cover may be very stylish and the content may be boring. There are books which have no stylish cover and the content is very interesting. We can select the book by at least go through the pages or search in the interest, we can understand the quality of the book.

Not in the sense you ask.....

I prefer reading the blurb or synopsis or a review or my trusted bookstore man's recommendation [whenever I'm thinking of buying a new book]; although it's always an admirable bonus if the book has a pleasing or unusual & original cover.

What I really like, as a cover, is the leather-bound, gold-embossed hardbound books. They make Any story/book look like a classic that would grace anyone's library shelves ! And I can't stop myself from buying them, even if I have a paperback at home [altho' it Has to be a classic or a good writer coz space becomes an issue] ;-D

Yes but not in the way you think. I don't pick up a book because of an aesthetically pleasing cover. I just judge the quality of writing by it.

A publisher's brand and quality is projected through their cover art. Take Harlequin Romance novels and their trademark covers: a man and woman posing in the throes of a passionate encounter. The same can be said for early fantasy novels with their comic book quality cover art.

Sometimes. If a book has a certain cover, I avoid it completely, such as the all too common random female in fancy dress or medieval art looking like it's straight out of the 60s. Other times I just go off the title, and if the cover is cool it's a bonus.

Yes, I often judge books from their cover. But It also depends on my mood. Suppose I am in a good mood of reading, I may find a book including its cover interesting whereas I may not like the same book and its cover if I am in a different mood.

I do. One time I thought a book cover was so cute, I bought it without even reading the summary.

It ended up being my favorite series haha but yeah. I wouldn't go that far again.

Yes. In the adult section of books at the library, I have found that most books by Christian publishers have a certain look to them. So I usually just look for books that have that one "Christian" look. In the Young Adult section, I look for books that have a cool and fun looking cover. If I feel girlie, i look for pink colors. Or other "girl" colors. if I feel like adventure or spies, I look for books that look like it is and action thing. Yes, I totally judge books by their covers. The cover doesn't tell you if a book is good or not, but it sometimes tells you the type of book it is. :)