Annotated Bibliography-DraftAlberts, J.K. The Role of Couples.docx

Annotated Bibliography-Draft
Alberts, J.K. "The Role of Couples’ Conversations in Relational
Development: A Content Analysis of Courtship Talk in
Harlequin Romance Novels." Communication Quarterly,
Spring 1986. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
The Role of Couples’ Conversations in Relational Development:
A Content Analysis of Courtship Talk in Harlequin Romance
Novels, relies largely on references to the Harlequin series. This
article dives deeper into the conversations that the characters
have in the novels and the aspects and steps of developing
romantic relationships. The stages of romantic relationships
were referenced in accordance to what Knapp had previously
established being initiating, experimenting, intensifying,
integrating and bonding. (p. 128) After referencing Knapp’s
stages of relationship development, J.K. Alberts analyzes ten
novels from the Harlequin series to exemplify the stages.
Alberts uses examples and quotes conversations from the text in
the analysis of the novels to prove the relation as well. In
conclusion, Alberts states that from the research presented in
the article can lead to many other things but even though
“romantic literature may have its drawbacks as a research
database; however, it is a widespread and important cultural
artifact that should not be dismissed out of hand.” (p. 141)
J.K. Alberts uses multiple examples to support the initial
idea that there are many steps and important conversations in
establishing romantic relationships. Because the Harlequin
romance novels are so popular and have been around for so
many years these novels were a strong choice in representing
the stages of relationships. The way Alberts quotes directly
from the text to exemplify different stages and different
language context while also using research from a few different
people, it helps the reader to understand the stages fully. The

stages are also very clear and relatable to real life situations
which help to be able to understand how these may both relate
to novels and also real time relationships. One thing that could
have been more focused is that the author referencing many
different people who have done research in the past and it may
have been more beneficial to focus solely on Knapp because
their research seems the most expansive and relevant to the
content of this article.
The information presented in this article is very relevant to
my topic and will be very helpful when I write about the stages
of romantic relationships in novels later in the semester when
composing my paper. The stages that were developed by Knapp
are also very informative and will be very useful to dive deeper
into stages of theses relationships in novels.
Connolly, Jennifer, Wendy Craig, Adele Goldberg, and Debra
Pepler. “Mixed-Gender Groups, Dating, And Romantic
Relationships in Early Adolescence.” Journal of Research on
Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell) 14.2 (2004): 185-207.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
In this article Jennifer Connolly talks about the stages of
romantic relationships in people from grades five to eight. She
conducted her own study and uses this as evidence for her
claims that “they [mixed gender activities] were influential in
heightening young adolescents’ romantic interest as well as
leading to romantic relationships.” (200) Much her this article
presents information about the way young adults tend to have
social circles that then lead to romantic interests in

relationships. It provides different measures to gauge the views
of the participants of the study, including romantic activities,
romantic interest, and pubertal maturation. At the end of the
article the results of the study are shown and explained in
relation to dating stages and models of romantic relationships
during early adolescence.
This source was originally published in 2004 but seems to
still be relevant. Also with multiple contributors to this source
and the fact that it is scholarly and was published in a journal
also helps its credibility. Throughout the work there are many
references to other research that was done in addition to the
study that was conducted specifically by the contributors about
this topic. The end of the article where the results were
discussed was good and overall the article contained solid
material, but I think that there were a lot of elements pulled into
the article and a solid central theme. The article had a lot of
moving parts and to focus on fewer of these and make the
claims with research that way may have been helpful, rather
than have so many parts to consider.
Overall for my research this will help because it has in
depth research about the stages of romantic relationships
between young people. Because I am comparing these stages to
those of novel I think the way that these stages are defined and
the process in which these typically occur will be helpful in
coming to my conclusion.

Reese-Weber, Marla. “Intimacy, Communication, And
Aggressive Behaviors: Variations By Phases of Romantic
Relationship Development.” Personal Relationships 22.2
(2015): 204-215. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27. Oct
2016.
Reese-Weber’s article focuses largely on three stages of
romantic relationships, intimacy, communication and
aggression. She takes into consideration that relationships vary
and do not all follow the same pattern, but there are general
forms and stages that these relationships take. Reese-Weber also
uses studies completed previously to help represent “how
positive and negative qualities of relationships may differ due
to the romantic relationship context.” (211) The research and
references that the author uses all refer to the point of trying to
understand the “developmental context” of romantic
relationships in order to understand the qualities of them. (205)
This article has a very clear focus and uses a lot of
information to provide reason to the claims that are made. The
author also refers to research from other people to defend her
points while using a study by Solomon and Knobloch with
figures and statistics. One thing that could be better about this
article is that there are so many references to other people and
research that is gets to be a little heavy on the information and
studies whereas less may have been more with the information
the author provided. Overall, this article has a very clear focus
and uses good examples to prove the points Reese-Weber tries
to make.
For my research paper I think that this article will be
helpful because there is a strong basis for the claims that are
being made and the three stages of relationships are another

way for me to compare these of real life to that of the stages in
novels. There is a lot of good content in this article that could
work well with the content in Jennifer Connolly’s article. Both
articles give me a solid perspective and basis to discuss stages
of relationship development in real life.
Bowie State University Department of English
and Modern Languages
English 101
Fall 2016ESSAY #3—LITERARY ANALYSIS
Authors who write literary analyses closely examine literary
texts to understand and interpret a writer’s meaning, messages,
and techniques. The literary analysis is considered a form of
argument, in which the authors form interpretations by
extensively breaking down a text. By analyzing the text, authors
grasp an understanding of what a text says, how it works and
what it means.
Genre/Medium: Textual Analysis/Typed essay
Purpose: The writer of a literary analysis describes the content,
structure, and functions of the messages and meaning contained
in the text.
Format: Your five-paragraph essay must contain a concrete
closed thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and
follow the MLA guidelines. You must use the text Insurrections
by Rion Scott in addition to one outside source to support your
analysis.
Audience: This essay will target a scholarly audience.
Therefore, your language and style should meet the intellectual

needs of individuals who read on a collegiate level. Are you
writing to an audience that consists of classmates and the
professor who have experienced similar obstacles in life
towards becoming literate scholars? As you think about your
audience, write to pique the interest of your audience by
considering what your readers already know and what they need
to know.
Stance: What attitude will you convey through your analysis?
How can you see your subject through interested, curious eyes –
and then step back in order to see what your observations might
mean?
Topics: Write a five-paragraph essay on one of the topics
below.
(A.) In “Good Times,” the main character, Rashid, can be
described as an impetuous man whose good intentions usually
lead to disastrous results.
Write an essay that analyzes the ways in which Rashid’s good
intentions lead to bad results. Support your analysis with key
examples from the text and one other outside source.
Literary Analysis Rubric
Total Points Earned by Student: _____ (See comments within
the essay)

Criteria and
Points Earned by
Student
Outstanding Exceeds
Expectations
Meets Expectations Approaching
Expectations
Unacceptable
Thesis Statement
Points
Clear thesis with three
parallel points that
address the prompt
5 out of 5 Points
Thesis presents
reasonable thoughts,
is clear and focused

4 out of 5 Points
Thesis is a plausible,
contains a legitimate
assertion, but is somewhat
broad and basic
3 out of 5 Points
Thesis demonstrates
misunderstanding of the
essay prompt or text
2 out of 5 Points
Thesis not evident; thesis is a
fact or plot summary; thesis
not in correct position
1 out of 5 Points
Content: Introduction
Points

Introduction grabs
attention and
provides meaningful
context to a
literary analysis
15 out of 15 points
Introduction sparks
some interest and
effectively introduces
the reader to the
content of the essay
12 out of 15 points
Introduction provides
context for the literary
analysis but lacks
substance
9 out of 15 points

Introduction does not
flow with the rest of the
essay, contains
blanket or vague
statements; needs
development to be
effective
6 out of 15 points
No introduction
3 out of 15 points
Content: Conclusion
Points
Conclusion
effectively restates
thesis; fresh

language and
meaningful insight
leaves reader
wanting more
10 out of 10 points
Conclusion restates
Thesis; uses new
language and shows
understanding of the
big picture
8 out of 10 points
Conclusion restates
thesis, but recycles
previous statements
verbatim
6 out of 10 points
Conclusion does not
flow with the thesis of

the paper, contains
blanket or vague
statements; needs
development to be
effective
4 out of 10 points
No conclusion
2 out of 10 points
Organization: Topic
Sentences, Supporting
details, and Transitions
Points
Topic sentences and
supporting details
contribute to the
highly organized and
analytical paper
with coherent and
unified paragraphs
15 out of 15 points

Topic sentences and
supporting details
articulate precise
analysis; linked to thesis
with details and
examples or supportive
ideas
12 out of 15 points
Topic sentences and
supporting details
make assertions connected
to the thesis; however,
ideas are not substantial;
paragraphs are somewhat
coherent or unified
9 out of 15 points
Topic sentences are not
linked to the thesis and
show misunderstanding
of essay prompt or text;
paragraphs are
incoherent and lack
unity.
6 out of 15 points
Topic sentences are not
evident; topic sentences are
facts or summaries; topic
sentences and supporting
details lack cohesion and

coherence
3 out of 15 points
Logic and Reasoning:
Evidence
Points
Most of the evidence
is highly persuasive
and effective in
supporting the thesis
5 out of 5 Points
Evidence is convincing,
a few assertions may
lack specific examples
but are connected to
the thesis
4 out of 5 Points
Evidence is superficial
3 out of 5 Points

Evidence chosen does
not support thesis/topic
sentences; textual
evidence is irrelevant
2 out of 5 Points
Little or no Evidence; simply a
plot summary;
1 out of 5 Points
Logic and Reasoning:
Commentary
Points
Evidence of critical
thinking; displays
sound logic and
reasoning, and dispels
rudimentary or
simplistic ideas; goes
beyond obvious and
basic commentary
5 out of 5 Points

Logical ideas; reasoning
may be sound, but lacks
smoothness; ideas may
not be displayed in an
analytical or critical
manner
4 out of 5 Points
Ideas are illogical or are
not fully developed; essay
displays rudimentary or
simplistic ideas
3 out of 5 Points
Ideas lack
development;
misunderstanding of
prompt or text;
illogical perspectives
2 out of 5 Points
Analysis does not address the
prompt; essay is extremely
disorganized; essay contains

incoherent paragraphs
1 out of 5 Points
Expression: Style,
Vocabulary
Points
Sophisticated
vocabulary; sentence
variety; appropriate
for the intended
audience; quotations
are smoothly blended
15 out of 15 points
Effectively blends
direct quotation with
explanatory/signal
words and phrases to
introduce the quotation
and facilitate narrative

flow; still attempting
advanced vocabulary
12 out of 15 points
Blends quoted material
smoothly; but sentence
structure lacks variety;
attempts to incorporate
more advanced vocabulary
9 out of 15 points
Problems with sentence
clarity, redundancy; some
quotes stand alone; some
vague sentences; little use
of advanced vocabulary
or sentence variety
6 out of 15 points
Serious problems with
coherence and sentence clarity;
most sentences need revision;
most quotes stand alone
and lack introduction/
connection to the paper

3 out of 15 points
Grammar and
Mechanics
Points
Demonstrates
mastery of grammar
and mechanics
30 out of 30 points
Does not contain major
spelling, punctuation,
or typographical errors;
few sentence errors;
effective punctuation
25 out of 30 points
Minor problems with
coherence, grammar,
spelling, punctuation, but
does not interfere with the
understanding of paper
20 out of 30 points

Several distracting
problems with spelling,
grammar, punctuation,
coherence; incorrect in-
text citations and Works
Cited page
15 out of 30 points
Major spelling, grammar,
punctuation errors; distracts
and interferes with
understanding of paper;
citations nonexistent
10 out of 30 points
Who Says You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover?
Nicholas Vanderschantz, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Claire Timpany, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Abstract: They say that first impressions are everything, so
what impression do our books give us by the cover they have?
Can we make a generalisation or gain a basic understanding of
the content of a book from this first impression? There is
much debate over the future of the book, with much of our
understanding of how an electronic book should look and feel
coming from generalisations about what a ‘book’ is and

assumptions about the needs of those that read them. Little
evidence exists regarding the physical properties or the use of a
book to support these generalisations and to guide the
development of future books. The printed book comes in an
almost infinite number of proportions, sizes and variations,
depending on the content which it must hold, or maybe
depending on the whim of the designer. With hundreds of
thousands of new printed books being published each year it is
hard to generalise about what the ‘average’ book might
be with the current paucity of research to support this. The data
used in this research is sourced from a wider data
collection sampled to give a broad impression of what our books
“look like” and how we use them. Based on this audit of
880 books we are able to examine the age-old adage that one
cannot judge a book by its cover. The design elements of
type, image and colour all play a role in conveying an initial
impression to the potential reader about what the volume
may hold. Thus we ask, what does a book’s cover tell us about
its use, its audience, and how it fits within an academic
library classification system?
Keywords: Book Design, Cover Design, Typography,
Illustration
Introduction
rom a practical standpoint a book cover serves two purposes, to
protect the pages inside it
and to hint at what it might contain. The latter purpose forms
the hypothesis of the
investigation that this paper endeavours to explore. It is often
said that first impressions are
everything, so what impression do we get from the covers of our

books? Are we, or our
audiences, able to make a generalisation or gain a basic
understanding of the content of a book
from this first impression?
The visual impact of the front cover of a book is used to entice
the reader to open the book to
explore the content inside. Andrew Haslam, a respected graphic
design practitioner and teacher,
boldly proclaims that “the old adage about not judging a book
by its cover is inherently critical of
designers’ and illustrators’ abilities to communicate content
within a miniature poster” (Haslam
2006, 160). Halsam also states that the designer of a book cover
needs to be aware of how its
style reflects its readership, with differences between age,
gender and stereotypical
characteristics reflecting the book's content. “A cover is a
marketing device, an aesthetic
production, and a representation that may relate to a book’s
content” (Kratz 1994, 179). In
practice, these design parameters discussed by Kratz should be
used to assist in determining the
aesthetic appearance of the cover a book. “The business section
of a bookshop will feature very
different covers from the classical literature of poetry sections”
(Haslam 2006, 162). Haslam has
made this observation, but there is a lack of solid evidence to
support this claim. Thus this
investigation explores the following questions of: what does a
book’s cover tell us about its use,
its audience, and how it fits within a library classification
system and from this what can
designers and publishers learn for future book design?
Strikingly, much of the literature on book covers and their

design and the influence this has
on purchasing and use decisions is predominantly related to the
design, illustration and use of
trade books. There is a paucity of literature in either the media
or the scholarly literature with
F
The International Journal of the Book
Volume 10, 2013, www.booksandpublishing.com, ISSN: 1447-
9516
© Common Ground, Nicholas Vanderschantz, Claire Timpany,
All Rights Reserved
Permissions: [email protected]
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE BOOK
discussion on decision making in academic or non-trade
environments. This study is unique in
that it specifically investigates this question not with regard to
trade publishing, instead with
regard to the academic bookshelf and the academic library.
When viewed within the Library of
Congress Classification (LCC) system, are books designed in
such a way that they specifically
target their intended audience? To study this we inspected cover
material, cover binding, use of
colour and image as well as typographic presentation of
information in books across a LCC
categorised academic library.
Of further concern to the design of book covers is the increasing
availability of ebooks, for

which Drew & Sternberger (2005) ask if the marketing and
purchase of books will change in
digital formats. With the cover of a book having such a crucial
role in the purchasing process,
how will the design for book covers change with the
development of ebook design and
distribution? Understanding the current situation will help to
inform good design practice in the
future.
The goal of this investigation is not to understand if one can
identify a book and its
classification system. Rather, can one make assumptions about
where a book falls within the
classification system based on design features of the cover of a
book. Do the assumptions or first
impressions gained by the visual appearance of a book match
the section in the LCC where an
academic book is categorised? Are there key identifying
characteristics in certain categories?
With this knowledge it is hypothesised that publishers will be
able to make sound decisions for
the design of covers of academic texts that fit visually within
the spectrum of similar manuscripts
on the academic library shelf. Similarities in the design of
books with similar content may assist
with selection of books by readers. It may also improve
navigation of complex library sections
due to visual markers or identifiers provided by books of
similar content and context.
Related Work
Cormac & Mazzios’ (2005) paint a fascinating picture of the
history of books thorough historical
discussions. The shape, format and cover of a book have long

been important considerations for
book owners and readers. Early books often had multiple uses,
such as a paperweight or a flower
press, and were also considered to be objects to exchange, and
were prized and used as gifts
regardless of their content. They were often bought unbound,
and the binding of a book was seen
as a status piece and often reflected its owner’s personal
relationship to the book or its content.
Books without a practical purpose were considered to be
frivolous and useless. In the early
development of books the illustrations they contained were
related to natural science were also
considered dangerous and suspicious because illustrations and
content could be interpreted in
different ways (Cormack and Mazzio, 2005).
For some time, the format of a book also depended on its
purpose. Books that were simply
theoretical were often large and intricate while a book with a
more practical purpose, such as a
medical diagnostics or reference book, that may be carried
around by the doctor, were often
smaller with sturdy leather wallets or folios to contain them in
(Cormack and Mazzio, 2005).
The history of placing type and imagery onto the outside of the
book began as early as 1820
with book jackets, and became more common over time. The
jacket was initially created for the
purpose of being a protective wrap for the book until the
purchaser took it home, when it would
be discarded (Powers 2001). Early decoration on the outside of
the book was either as blocking
directly onto the binding cloth or paper sheets that were pasted
onto the front and back (Powers

2001). With the evolution of the paperback, jacket designs were
transferred to the cover of the
book and were no longer discarded once the reader was home.
Kratz (1994) believes that books
can be told by their covers, which helps to distinguish both
genre and market. There are three
ways to understand a book cover and what it tells or the way it
sells; through allegorical
narrative, by categorising it, or by using it’s identity to lure the
reader (Kratz 1994).
The related work most prevalent to this study is discussed
below with consideration of the
importance of cover design and the design process of trade
books. Most evident in this related
work is the limited literature regarding the design of academic
or scholarly works. This we
2
VANDERSCHANTZ ET AL.: WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T JUDGE
A BOOK BY ITS COVER?
consider troublesome due to recent work in the digital library
literature which considers the
impact of library search and book selection through browsing
and searching in the stacks of
academic libraries (Hinze et al. 2012; D. McKay et al. 2012;
Vanderschantz et al. 2011; Stieve
and Schoen 2006). This literature discussed the interactions of
academics and students in the
stacks and the importance of visual features of books during the
selection and location of books
and provides a context for the need for our study described

here.
The Importance of Cover Design
Haslam (2006), Weedon (2007), Sonzogni (2011) and Phillips
(2007) all discuss the need of a
book cover to advertise, entice and sell the book, all the while
attracting attention to the text
conveying essential information such as title and author and
perhaps also publisher information,
blurbs etc. Weedon (2007, 117) describes book covers as “a
doorway through which we glimpse
the text” and Sonzogni (2011, 4) writes “the book cover
provides the (potential) reader with a
visual summary of the book’s contents.” Books, like any other
product in today’s visually rich
commercial arena have just a few seconds to catch your eye.
It is thoroughly considered in the literature that the cover of a
novel or trade book has an
impact on its sales and its success (Mullan 2003; A. Phillips
2007). Kean (2005) discusses covers
as requiring attention due to the fact that 125,000 new titles are
published each year and thus
each cover must seduce the reader into picking up a copy and
purchasing it.
Kean (2005) discusses consistency in trade book cover design as
necessary, where books
must look consistent within a genre, and yet must not appear to
be cut from the same cloth. This
is supported by Dychkhoff (2001) who discussed bookshops as
being “almost colour-coded to
make selection easier” (2001, para. 2). Dychkhoff continues,
describing this as “design
shorthand.”

It is evident however that the same considerations and capital
dedicated to the design of
academic or scholarly books is not equal to that of the novel.
Phillips (2004) states that the
publishers claim to be unable to justify excessive expenditures
for the production of academic
books because prices and sales do not increase with relation to
the design or production quality
of such books. This is due to the fact that publishers believe
readers in this market are unlikely to
be swayed by appearance. The authors of this paper argue that
the nature of purchasing in an
academic library environment is often driven by the needs of
individual courses run by the
university. We suggest that libraries make acquisitions based on
the needs of the research
interests within the institution and this is supportive of the
notion that Phillips discusses. Thus
insights gained from this research, and research that builds upon
this, may offer both time and
capital savings to publishers, while still assisting library users
and book purchasers.
The Design Process of Trade Books
Today, trade book cover design is heavily influenced by
retailers, end users and publishers.
Sonzogni (2001, 6) states “in the practical world, covers are
chosen for reasons unconnected with
the book’s text (editorial guidelines, marketing research,
promotion strategies and the personal
tastes of individual staff members of the publisher).” In 2007
Phillips described the approval
process for new cover designs being influenced by the opinions
the publisher’s own editorial,

sales and marketing staff as well as key retailers. Kean (2005)
notes supermarkets are a common
source of book cover design influence. This notion that retailers
and marketing staff may
influence cover design for trade books, and therefore that cover
design is perhaps not directed by
content, genre, or target market seems at odds with Dyckoff’s
(2001) observations. Dyckoff
notes the visual similarities of books within market segments,
suggesting specific design features
relating to content, genre and target market. On the other hand,
the topic or subject of an
academic book may be less able to be easily determined by
looking at the cover than a trade
book. As Kratz (1994) explains this may be due to the academic
authors having more
3
involvement in the design of their book covers because reviews,
word-of-mouth and strategic
advertising are considered important within this type of
publishing.
The cover design of trade and academic books is treated
differently. “Distinctions in cover
designs for the two are paralleled by differences in expected
sales volumes, marketing strategies,
policies on advances, and authors’ use of literary agents” (Kratz
1994, 184). The same level of
discussion in the literature regarding the design of academic or
scholarly books compared to

discussion regarding trade books was not available at the time
of review for this paper. In fact,
Phillips (2004) states that the design of academic and scholarly
books may well come by way of
the author supplying the cover image.
Methodology
In this investigation we audited the collection of shelved books
in the University of Waikato
(UoW) libraries.
Forty titles from each classification section in the UoW Library
of Congress Classification
(LCC) collection were sampled via a random selection. We used
truly random data provided by
Haahr (2006) throughout our study to make our random
selection. Because random data may
produce duplicates we selected the first 40 non duplicate results
from each of the 21 LCC
sections. This gave a total sample of 840 books. All 840 books
were retrieved from the shelves,
measured, weighed, and analysed according to their physical
dimensions, binding, colour, image
and typography use within the book and on the cover. This
paper details the findings of this
investigation with sole reference to the visual properties of the
book covers.
All titles were physically pulled and audited by a single
researcher. This ensured consistency
of measurement and analysis. Type size was measured using an
International Depth Scale
provided with Type Survival Kit (Yelland 2003). While much of
this information may have been
available from a combination of digital libraries and

repositories, for example the UoW OPAC
(Online Public Access Catalogue), Amazon.com etc, it was
discovered in this study that there are
discrepancies in this data between sources. Therefore a single
source was unable to provide a full
audit of the randomly selected sample. This phenomenon is
noted by McKay et al. (2012) who
note that within a single digital library discrepancies are present
between reported metadata and
physically counted metadata.
Sample
The University of Waikato (UoW) in Hamilton, New Zealand
has an academic staff of 654 Full
Time Equivalent (FTE) staff members and a student body of
12,642 FTE students, 617 of which
are studying at MPhil or Doctoral level. The university serves
courses in seven academic
faculties; Arts & Social Sciences, Computing & Mathematical
Sciences, Education, Law,
Management, Maori & Pacific Development and Science &
Engineering. The university has
three libraries in two separate library buildings containing
accessible library stacks of 79,197
physical books. All three libraries, General Collection,
Education Collection and Law Collection
were audited. While the library also retains a collection of
ebooks and a collection of books
housed in offsite storage, both of which are accessible by
students and staff through the OPAC,
these two facets of the collection were not audited for this
study.
The UoW collection uses the LCC system detailed in Table 1.

4
Table 1: Library of Congress Classification System
A General Works H Social Sciences Q Science
B
Philosophy, Psychology, and
Religion J Political Science R Medicine
C Auxiliary Sciences of History K Law S Agriculture
D
General and Old World
History L Education T Technology
E History of America M Music U Military Science
F
History of the United States
and British, Dutch, French,
and Latin America
N Fine Arts V Naval Science
G
Geography, Anthropology,

and Recreation
P
Language and
Literature
Z
Bibliography, Library Science, and
General Information Resources
Results
Data from the sample was collated and analysed in two ways,
the physical properties of the cover
and the contents of the cover. Physical properties included the
use of a dust jacket and the type of
binding. The contents of the cover included analysis of the
background colour or most
predominant colour on the cover, the imagery used and the use
of typography.
Table 2: Most Common Book Cover Features According to LCC
Section
Binding Colour Image Typeface Type Size
A Case White Illustration Sans Serif 55-65
B Case Black Illustration Serif 45-55
C Case Blue Illustration Serif 55-65
D Perfect Red Illustration Serif 25-35
E Perfect White Illustration Serif 35-45
F Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 45-55
G Perfect Red Photograph Serif 35-45
H Perfect Black Illustration Serif 35-45
J Perfect Blue OR White Illustration Serif 45-55

K Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 25-35
L Perfect White Illustration Sans Serif 55-65
M Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 35-45
N Perfect Orange OR Blue OR White Illustration Serif 45-55
P Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 45-55
Q Case Green Illustration Sans Serif 35-45
R Perfect Blue Illustration Sans Serif 35-45
S Perfect Blue Photograph Serif 35-45
T Case Blue Illustration Serif 25-35
U Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 45-55
V Perfect Blue Illustration Serif 45-55
Z Case Red OR White Illustration Serif 15-25
Table 2 above shows the most commonly occurring features in
each of the 21 LCC
classifications. In reading this table we can see that a book
found in LCC category A is most
likely to be Case bound, if it has an image on the cover it is
likely to be an Illustration and if the
cover has a predominant colour this is likely to be White, and if
it has a title on the cover, this is
most likely to be Sans Serif typeface at 55-65 points in size.
The table we present does not
5
suggest that we found individual books fulfilling all of these
parameters, but can be taken to
suggest that a book containing all of these variables may be
considered appropriate within this
category.

Table 2, above, seems to suggest that the most common design
parameters for an academic
book would be:
• perfect bound,
• with an illustration,
• with a cover background colour of blue,
• set with a Serif typeface
• and have type that was between 45 & 55 points in size.
This appears to be the case in four of the 21 categories (F, P, U,
V). We have termed this the
“perfect academic book” design. While Perfect bound,
illustrated, blue, and Serif typeface use
was found in seven categories, or eight categories if we simply
consider the use of binding,
image and colour.
Discussion
The results provided some interesting insights that when
considered as a representative sample of
a much larger population can be used to help understand how
we might judge a book by it’s
cover. We are also able to analyse the representative sample to
garner the impressions that these
design features give and how this relates to the LCC section in
which books fall in relation to the
binding, imagery, colour and type. We thus break our discussion
into two parts, When Judging a
Book means Identifying a Book and When Judging a Book
means Perceiving a Books Content.
When Judging a Book Means Identifying a Book

Upon discovering this “perfect academic book”, it would seem
to suggest that many books in the
LCC will have very similar overall design parameters and
therefore prove correct the adage, you
can’t judge a book by it’s cover. This has suggested to the
authors, that it is in fact difficult to
judge a book by its cover if judging a book is to identify its
place within the categorization
system using its’ overall design features. This is because many
books when classified according
to the LCC are designed in ways that are very similar from one
category to the next.
To attempt to understand the characteristics of books in each
category and thus how one
might distinguish books in one category from another we have
noted that one must analyse the
differences rather than the similarities based on individual
design parameters. This is because,
aside from these noted four categories where books were most
likely to have all of the most
common design parameters of the “perfect academic book”, no
other LCC category showed this
trend. As can be seen in Table 2 above, all other categories
were distinct in 1 or more of the
analysed visual aspects of their design. These findings imply
that the design of book covers in
certain subject areas are more distinct than in others.
There are however certain characteristics that are most
commonly found within certain
subject areas. To further understand these results we can
carefully analyse the points of
difference of individual design features and what these tell us.
For example, case binding was
found in only 6 of 21 categories, so we can use this to identify

that books which fall in A, B, C,
Q, T & Z as most likely to be case bound rather than perfect
bound. Photography only appeared
in G & S as most common for the cover image. White was the
most common cover colour only
in A, E, J, N and Z. Sans Serif type appeared most commonly
only in A, L, Q and R. The least
common type size was 15-25 points, comparatively very small
type and was the most common
size only in Z. Comparatively large type was found commonly
only in A, C and L with 55-65
point type sizes. When we view the results in this way patterns
appear to emerge that would aid
in considering the first impressions of a book according to the
LCC section that it falls within.
6
Inferences can be drawn from these results about what a book
cover in a specific category
would most likely look like by assessing the features of cover
design that set books apart. For
example:
• a book in A would most likely use Case binding, White
background colour, Sans
Serif type and comparatively large type sizes
• a book in C would most likely use Case binding and relatively
large type
• a book in Q would most likely use case binding, Green

background colour,
• with Sans Serif type that is slightly smaller than the most
commonly occurring size
• a book in Z would most likely use case binding, white, with
very small type
• a book in G or S would likely be illustrated with photography
• a book in L would most likely use relatively large Sans Serif
text
From our list above we can identify that categories A (General
Works) and Q (Science)
show the most features of a book that differ from our most
commonly occurring “perfect
academic book” (perfect bound, with an illustration, a cover
background colour of blue, set with
a Serif typeface that was between 45 & 55 points in size).
Books in these two categories are
perhaps therefore the most unique as compared to what we have
defined as the perfect academic
book and may well be the most easy to identify.
When analysing the fourth column of Table 2 above we can see
that image is the least likely
indicator of what category a book falls within. This is because
all categories showed the most
common use of image on the cover was illustration except for G
(Geography, Anthropology and
Recreation) and S (Agriculture) which both showed use of
photography most often.
Colour was shown to be the most likely determinant for
classification identification as 11 of
the 21 classification categories showed a predominant colour
other than blue.
When Judging a Book Means Perceiving a Books Content

Physical Features of the Cover—Jackets & Binding
We investigated the physical design considerations of the
covers of books and the impressions
that these gave. A jacket on a book can convey strong ideas
about the publication itself, and
implications associated with the binding of a book give
impressions of the book’s value.
Jacket
When considering the physical format of the book and its cover,
the first parameter of note was
whether the book had a dust jacket or not.
Use of Jackets Identified
Table 3: Use of Jacket According to LCC Section
A B C D E F G H J K L M N P Q R S T U V Z
Jacket 3 2 8 11 12 8 2 6 6 4 2 17 14 10 3 6 3 6 7 17 6
Categories M (Music) and V (Naval Science) were found to be
most likely to have a jacket
cover. These two classifications showed 42% of the sample as
having jackets with 58% not
having jackets. Next most likely to have jackets were N (Fine
Arts - 35%), E (History of America
- 30%), D (General and Old World History - 27%) and P
(Language and Literature - 25%). Least
likely to have a jacket were categories B (Philosophy,
Psychology, and Religion), G (Geography,
Anthropology, and Recreation) and L (Education). However, as
these numbers show, all sections

of the LCC showed less than 50% of the sample as having
jackets. Only 153 books of 840 were
found to have a jacket. This may be a result of the books being
housed in a library, where
collection management policies often mean that jackets are
removed before circulation. Not all
7
books with a case binding (hard cover) were found to have a
jacket and many of the perfect
bound books had a jacket.
Impression Given by a Jacket
A dust jacket was originally used to protect the book from when
it left the publishers until when
the purchaser finally gets the book home (Powers 2001). The
function of the jacket has now
evolved to be something that is more likely to be retained as a
decorative exterior to the book.
Due to the low numbers of jackets present in the sample it is
difficult to draw clear hypothesis as
to the impression that a jacket may give and how this relates to
the LCC classification where
jackets are predominantly found.
Binding
Closely related to whether a book has a jacket or not is how a
book is bound. However, the
categories where jackets were most likely to be found were not

those where case binding was
most commonly used.
Use of Bindings Identified
Table 4: Types of Binding Identified in our Sample
Perfect Case Saddle Stitch Ring Spiral Velo Stapled Wire
Bound
508 281 30 3 3 2 2 1
Predominantly books were found to be perfect bound, with the
second most commonly found
binding to be case binding. Interestingly in A, B, C, Q, T and Z,
case binding was found to be
more prominently used than perfect binding. Perfect Binding
was the more likely binding in all
other categories (15/21).
Figure 1: Perfect Binding vs Case Binding
In only sections T & Z did neither Case nor Perfect binding
reach 50% of the sample. In both of
these categories the next most common binding was Saddle
Stitch (three and four instances
respectively) and Ring binding one instance each.
8

Impression Given by Binding
The type of binding used for a book is heavily dependant on the
durability required and the
relative cost, as well as whether the spine can be printed and
whether the book will lie flat. “The
fact the serious book lovers prefer hardcover books to
paperbacks (they last longer and look more
impressive in one’s library) is simply icing on the cake and
merely adds to the perceived value of
the hardcover” (Baker 2010, 61).
Perfect binding is traditionally used for soft cover books or
paperbacks and is where a
melted adhesive is applied to the spine edge of the signatures to
hold them together and a cover is
then wrapped around the book when the glue is still hot
(Campbell 1983; Evans 2004). Case
binding or edition binding is the traditional, method for binding
hardcover books. In case
binding, signatures are sewn together and encased in a hard
outer cover made from board
covered in paper, cloth or leather, which is manufactured
separately and glued to the pages using
endpapers (Campbell 1983; Evans 2004). Saddle Stitch binding
is where the signature and cover
is ‘wire stitched’ or stapled along the back fold.
Each binding style has its relative advantages and limitations,
and the costs and durability
associated with it, each binding style having an impact on how
the book is perceived. Because of

the relatively high cost associated with a case bound book and
the high durability of it, a certain
impression is given to the viewer it has a “look of quality”
(Evans 2004, 72). In contrast a perfect
binding has a low relative cost and therefore the impression
given by this binding is different to
that of case binding.
The books that most often showed case binding were found in A
(General Works), B
(Philosophy, Psychology and Religion), C (Auxiliary Sciences
of History), Q (Science), T
(Technology) & Z (Bibliography, Library Science, and General
Information Resources). These
categories perhaps are the older categories, more steadfast,
“harder” categories in the list. It could
be argued that Philosophy, Science, Technology and
Bibliography are those subjects more
steeped in tradition and requiring a look of authenticity,
strength and robustness as perceived by
such a hard binding and cover material.
Visual Features of the Cover—Image & Background Colour
We investigated the distribution of covers that contained
images, illustrations or flat colours. Of
the ones that contained an image we also asked whether that
image was a photograph or
illustration and if it was a photograph, whether it was a black
and white or colour photograph.
When considering the covers that have images we also
considered the size of the image and
whether it was dominant on the cover, or whether the image was
supplementary.
Use of Flat Colour Compared to Use of Image Identified

This table shows the number of books in each category that
contained an image on the cover
compared to covers that contained a flat colour and typography
only. Table 5 shows totals for all
images whether predominant or supplementary and photographic
or illustrative. Z was the only
section where more than 50% of its sample had covers
displaying no image, while L was the only
category that was evenly split.
Table 5: Flat Colour vs Use of Image on Cover
A B C D E F G H J K L M N P Q R S T U V Z
Flat Colour 16 19 14 11 11 14 12 16 14 18 20 13 9 16 14 17 12
9 11 10 23
Image 24 21 26 29 29 26 28 24 26 22 20 27 31 24 26 23 28 31
29 30 17
To determine the most commonly occurring book colour, we
considered books that had no
dominant image (an image taking up less than 50% of the cover
surface) to have a predominant
flat colour. Thus books that had only supplementary images and
books with no image were
9
sampled for their colour. The colours identified in the total
sample were black, blue, brown,

green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red and yellow. While the
majority of books in most categories
had a dominant image, there were still many that did not, and
when you take this away it makes
the colour used even more crucial in how the cover is perceived.
Blue was discovered to be the most predominant book cover
colour in 12 of 21 categories
with white next in 6 of 21 categories.
Table 6: Most Commonly Occurring Background Colour
A White H Black Q Green
B Black J Blue OR White R Blue
C Blue K Blue S Blue
D Red L White T Blue
E White M Blue U Blue
F Blue N Orange OR Blue OR White V Blue
G Red P Blue Z Red OR White
Impression Given by Colour
Colour is associated with emotions and can have a significant
effect on the mind. A viewer's
subconscious associations with certain colours will influence
the initial perception of a design.
These impressions and associations are considered to come from
deep within the human psyche
and their influence on the mind cannot be easily changed. Marks

(2006) describes colour as
communicating to a viewer even before they have an
opportunity to read, interpret, or analyse
words, images and objects and therefore could have a
significant influence on how a reader
perceives that content of a book, based on the cover alone.
Marks continues stating that colours
can enhance meaning and improve communication when used
appropriately. This can be done to
create emotional connections through sociological and cultural
perceptions of colour or through
the use of colour for emphasis, attention and impact. Therefore,
on a book cover the effect of
colour could have an impression on how a book is perceived.
This being said, these perceptions
of colour are from a western perspective and cultural
differences can have a significant effect on
perception of colours, as observed in research by Ou et al.
(2004).
Marks (2006) describes 21 categories in a classification system
for colours and the emotions
that are associated with these. Marks classifications and
discussions are referred to throughout
this section as these are helpful in describing some of the
potential impressions created through
colour use on the cover of books.
The associations with the colour blue, the most common book
cover colour across
categories, are varied; it is generally considered to be a
negative colour, it is powerful, but has
contradictions between excitement and calm (Marks 2006). Blue
appears to retire from us and
draw us towards it, but also gives the feeling of cold (Von
Goethe 1970). Blue falls into many of

Marks’ (2006) classifications, most notably regal, calm, classic,
and professional.
Black, most common in B (Philosophy, Psychology & Religion)
and H (Social Sciences), by
definition is the absence of colour. Marks (2006) places black
within both the professional and
graphic classifications, describing black as “no-nonsense”,
“humourless” (p. 206) and
“demanding respect” (p. 226).
Red, most frequently found in D (General and Old World
History) or G (Geography,
Anthropology, and Recreation), conveys the impressions of both
gravity and dignity in its deeper
10
shades as well as grace and attractiveness in its lighter tints
(Von Goethe 1970). Marks (2006)
describes Red as central in his powerful classification, a colour
that can “neither be denied nor
ignored”, while dark reds fall into his rich classification and are
described as conveying strength
and affluence.
Green, the most frequent colour for Q (Science), is the balance
between yellow (positivity
and light) and blue (Von Goethe 1970). Forest greens are also
attributed by Marks (2006) as
falling within the rich classification. Greens also fall into

Marks’ fresh and trendy classifications
and are seen to be healthy and youthful.
Use of Image Identified
When we break down the use of image into photographic image
compared to illustrative image
we can see that only G & S are likely to include a photographic
image more often than
illustrative image on the cover, just two of 21 categories.
Figure 2: Flat Colour compared to Photographic and Illustrative
Image Use
In most categories an illustration was most likely to be found on
the cover of a book.
Exceptions to this were in categories G and S, where the cover
was more likely to have a
photograph, in category Z where it was most likely that there
would be no image and L where it
was equally likely to find no image as it was to find an
illustration.
Impression of Photography versus Illustration
A photograph, as described by Langford (2000) and Dondis
(1974), has a truthfulness, whether it
is the communication of factual or fictional information. This
method of recording an image seen
in a single instant is in contrast to an illustration, which is an
artist's representation through a
painting or drawing. The artist’s impression is a result of their
interpretation onto a substrate of

the image that they have perceived on their retina, the image on
the retina, is not the same as the
image in the mind (Gombrich 1960), and different still to what
appears in the artist's image. This
contrast in methods associated with image making mediums
implies that the type of image on the
cover of the book can infer different impressions on the content
within. The books that most
often showed photography were G (Geography, Anthropology,
and Recreation) and S
(Agriculture), this may be because the detail and clarity of a
photograph can make it ideal for
conveying accurate reality and scientific evidence (Langford
2000).
11
Figure 3: Colour Compared to Black & White Photographic
Images
While the numbers of photographic images on covers was
relatively low across the sample
compared to illustration or flat colour we did consider the
breakdown of colour images as
compared to black & white images. We found that 12 LCC
sections contained colour
photographs most often, while seven contained black & white
photographs most often and 2
sections where colour and black & white appeared equally. The

seven sections containing more
black & white than colour photographic images were C
(Auxiliary Science of History), E
(History of America), F (History of the United States and
British, Dutch, French, and Latin
America), J (Political Science), M (Music), P (Language and
Literature), and U (Military
Science). Interestingly U (Military Science) contained no colour
photographs on the cover in this
entire sample. This was the only classification to contain no
colour photographs. We highlight
these because black & white photography is most often
associated with a stronger truthfulness
than colour photography. According to Wells (2004) black and
white film and subject matter in
documentary photography were considered essential in
depicting a “serious” documentary
photographer. Colour was deemed to be only used in commerce
and was often regarded as
something that was a technically less sophisticated art form.
Squires (in Bolton 1992) discussed
black and white images as likely to be interpreted by an
audience as having more truth than a
colour photograph and thus we see black and white used to
emote integrity, austerity and
truthfulness in corporate manuals, annual reports, newspapers
etc.
Typographic Features of the Cover—Typeface & Size
When analysing the typography that was used on the covers it
was first assessed whether type
was present or not, then whether the typeface was a Serif or a
Sans Serif font.
Use of Typeface Identified

Figure 4. Typeface use on the Cover shows the use of Serif vs
Sans Serif typefaces on the covers
of books in our sample. Books that contained no type on the
cover of the books were also found
within the sample and are represented in this graph also.
12
Figure 4: Typeface use on the Cover
Unsurprisingly Serif is the most commonly used typeface for
the book title across 17 of the
21 LCC categories. In LCC categories C, D, K, M & N, more
than 60% of the books had a Serif
as the predominant typeface. Only three LCC categories (L, Q &
R) used a Sans Serif more than
a Serif and in category A, Sans Serif and Serif were used
equally. Surprisingly there was a
portion of the sample that contained no type on the cover of the
book. 125 of 840 books
(14.88%) contained no type on the cover of the book, this was
most common in category B,
which was the only category that had more books with no type
on the cover than had a Sans
Serif. Just two books of the 840 surveyed contained both Serif
and Sans Serif typefaces on the
cover. Of these two books one was in category C and one book

was in D.
Impression Given by Typeface
Typeface choice can be very influential in regards to
perception, as Hochuli (2008, 10) explains
“The reception of everything written - including typography
takes place in two ways: firstly, in
the act of reading itself, that is the conversion in the brain of
the perceived succession of letters,
and secondly as a (mostly unconscious) visual perception, that
triggers associations with what
has previously been seen and arouses feelings.” Spiekermann &
Ginger (2003) suggest that if
you look closely at a typeface or letter you can assess the
personality expressed by the physical
characteristics of this type. According to Garfield (2010, 42) the
finishing stroke (Serif) of a
letter often makes Serif typefaces appear grounded to the page
and he further describes these
letters as “traditional, square, honest and carved” with a
“lineage [that] can be traced back as far
as the Roman emperor Trajan, whose Column in Rome,
completed in 113, bears an inscription in
his honour”. This suggests that the books in B (Philosophy,
Psychology, and Religion), C
(Auxiliary Sciences of History), D (General and Old World
History), E (History of America), F
(History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and
Latin America), G (Geography,
Anthropology, and Recreation), H (Social Sciences), J (Political
Science), K (Law), M (Music),
N (Fine Arts), P (Language and Literature), S (Agriculture), T
(Technology), U (Military
Science), V (Naval Science), Z (Bibliography, Library Science,
and General Information

Resources) should all appear to have this tradition and history
associated with them and seem
formal and strengthened.
Garfield (2010) goes on to discuss Sans Serif faces as less
formal and more contemporary,
although durable and monumental due to their shape and
minimalism. Sans Serif was only found
predominantly in L (Education), Q (Science), and R (Medicine)
and equally presently in A
(General Works). These categories while steeped in tradition
could well be argued as forward
facing and evolutionary and thus many books produced in this
category we would argue are in
fact modern and contemporary and thus arguably fit this use of
Sans Serif rather than Serif
typeface.
13
Use of Type Size Identified
Table 7 shows the most commonly occurring type size for each
LCC section.
Table 7: Most Common Type Sizes by LCC Section
A 55-65 H 35-45 Q 35-45
B 45-55 J 45-55 R 35-45

C 55-65 K 25-35 S 35-45
D 25-35 L 55-65 T 25-35
E 35-45 M 35-45 U 45-55
F 45-55 N 45-55 V 45-55
G 35-45 P 45-55 Z 15-25
From this table we can see that the most commonly occurring
type sizes were 35-45 points and
45-55 points with 7 categories showing this as the most
predominant type size. The variance
from the very small 15-25 points to the largest 55-65 points.
Average type sizes varied greatly
across categories and this can probably partly be attributed to
books being a wide range of sizes.
Thus type size, particularly in the majority of books appearing
commonly between 35-55 points
on its own may not give a significant first impression.
Impression Given by Type Size
Z (Bibliography, Library Science, and General Information
Resources) had the most common
type size as 15-25 points – the smallest most frequently
occurring type size of the sample.
Interestingly Yelland (2003) advises that type sizes 14 point and
above is recommended for
headlines or display type, while 14 point is suggested as the
maximum point size for setting body
text. This suggests that these books that appear at the smallest
type sizes in the sample of 15-25
points verge on the side of being considered body copy as

opposed to title or display copy. We
were also able to identify 23 books out of the 840 that used type
sizes smaller than 14 points, 4 of
which appeared in K (Law).
A (General Works), C (Auxiliary Sciences of History) and L
(Education) had the largest type
sizes of 55-65 points being most common. These comparatively
very large type sizes appeared
across three quite broad categories and perhaps again would be
interesting to investigate the
relationship of text size to book size. There were 39 books out
of 840 that were identified as
being larger than 100 points, 5 of which appeared in V (Naval
Science).
It will be interesting for future studies to contrast type size
against book size, something that
was outside the scope of this study. We believe size will be
most telling when compared to the
size of the book. Large type set on a small surface will
generally appear heavy, dominating and
imposing, while type set with large amounts of negative space
around it will have a feeling of
lightness, openness and cleanliness. At present type sizes will
likely give some of these
impressions when viewed on the covers of books however
without further investigation of ratio’s
of space to type size these impressions are difficult to
generalise.
Conclusion
The goal of this research was not to attempt to show what a
book in each category of the LCC
may look like from bind, to colour, to image to type; it was to

understand what specific visual
14
features identify certain categories of the LCC. That is, what
differences in the visual design of
academic texts distinguish books from one classification to
another.
Our goal was to identify impressions generated by features of
books and how these
impressions relate to the LCC classifications within which these
books fall. The sample required
to achieve more than this was outside the scope of this study.
We have been able to see that
certain features show interesting correlations to the types of
books present in the classifications
that they are found within and what first impressions colour,
text, image and bind are able to
provide to a reader.
We believe that these findings will help us to design
considerately for books that will be
housed within the LCC. Publishers may be able to identify ways
in which they can design texts
to fit within the LCC and that visually align books with others
of a similar nature. Visual
alignment of books will give the opportunity for readers to be
able to judge a book by its cover in
a way that is meaningful. These findings if implemented by
publishers would provide assistance

for library users and book purchasers to identify books of
potential relationship and similarity to
them in their browsing or searching needs.
What do the impressions given by the book features offer? The
design decisions made by the
designers of book covers can create semantic meanings that help
to convey the ideas or content
within the book. Can these findings be used to guide decision-
making by designer, publisher or
purchaser? Now that we have a picture of the trends in
designing books according to the LCC
further research can be conducted to gain a greater picture of
how the design of a book cover can
enhance design decision-making with the target reader in mind.
Understanding of the design
parameters and their variations across different subject areas
can assist with accurately conveying
the content of a book to the reader, as the initial impression of
the outside of a book can have an
effect on whether the reader delves further into the content.
In the discussion of this paper we briefly addressed some of the
aesthetic features of book
cover design and the potential first impressions that these would
give readers. These impressions
ranged across perceptions created by the use of binding, colour
and typeface selection. Books
were discussed showing heritage, prestige or robustness when
case bound compared to perfect
bound books which are cheaper to produce. Books using a Sans
Serif typeface were described as
showing a minimalist, forward facing and modern or
contemporary first impression. The myriad
of colours identified as predominant in each LCC classification
was discussed with respect to the

various psychological and emotional impressions that these
colours may give according to
psychology of colour literature. Colour has long been a
controversial area of research and the
literature here is thin and divided by ethnographics and
demographics. The space that this paper
allows us to dedicate to the subject is limited, however the
potential for deeper analysis and
empirical investigation is evident from our discussion. These
visual and aesthetic impressions are
tools that are used by skilful graphic designers to impart such
an ideal when viewed by a reader.
As Phillips (2007) points out these factors would be carefully
considered by designers, publishers
and decision makers for trade books. Here we have analysed and
noted that impressions can be
perceivably garnered from the current generalisations able to be
made from our sample. It would
seem thus publishers and authors must consider if the
impressions we propose as perceivable are
those desired by these decision makers.
This research has begun to show that there are some features
that provide indications that we
can judge a book by its cover and therefore what it contains by
considering judgment from the
perspective of either identification or impression.
15
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Campbell, Alastair. 1983. The Designer’s Handbook. London:
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Cormack, Bradin, and C. Mazzio. 2005. Book Use, Book
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Dondis, Donis A. 1974. A Primer of Visual Literacy.
Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Drew, N., and P. S. Sternberger. 2005. By Its Cover: Modern
American Book Cover Design.
Princeton Architectural Pr.
Dyckhoff, Tom. 2001. ‘They’ve Got It Covered | Books | The
Guardian’.
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ures.
Evans, Poppy. 2004. Forms, Folds, and Sizes: All the Details
Graphic Designers Need to Know
But Can Never Find. Rockport Publishers.
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Press For Success.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nicholas Vanderschantz: Nicholas’ area of research focus has
been in children’s on-screen
learning. These investigations have looked into typographic
design and interaction design
for children’s reading and learning. This area of exploration
saw him graduate with a Masters in
Computer Graphic Design from Whanganui School of Design,
New Zealand in 2007. Nicholas is
a lecturer in Computer Graphic design at the University of
Waikato in New Zealand. As a central
part of his teaching and research at the University of Waikato
Nicholas pursues his interests in
design for children’s and adult’s information behaviour with
digital documents, ebooks
and digital libraries, as well as socially responsible graphic
design and graphic design education.
Claire Timpany: Claire completed her Masters in computer
graphic design at Wanganui School
of Design, New Zealand. She is currently a lecturer in computer
graphic design at the University
of Waikato, New Zealand, teaching both print and screen-based
papers. Her main areas of
interest and research are typography, print design and physical
interaction design. Because of her
love for both printed books and interactivity, this is where her
research interests lie. Her research
is currently focused on the way in which people interact with
printed material and how the
benefits of electronic media can be applied to traditional media,

such as print, to aid it in
developing and become more beneficial and keeping up with the
digital age.
17
Copyright of International Journal of the Book is the property
of Common Ground Publishing
and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or
posted to a listserv without
the copyright holder's express written permission. However,
users may print, download, or
email articles for individual use.
Annotated Bibliography (professors require )
Due: November 6
Value: 50 points
Once you’ve thought of a question and thought of a way to
answer that question, you need to start looking into the
conversation surrounding the topic. This is where your
annotated bibliography (and later, literature review) will come
in.
For your annotated bibliography, you need to come up with at
least five scholarly sources related to your topic that would be
useful in your final project. One of these can be your article
from your article critique. Any articles we are using in class
that are also useful for your topic can be included in the
bibliography, but do not count towards your total.The same goes
for non-scholarly sources and novels you may need to use.
Your bibliography needs to include MLA citations and then an
annotation for each entry. The annotation should include:
· A summary of the source

· A critical assessment of the source
In the final bibliography, I want to see the most relevant,
helpful sources you’ve found. You should initially find more
than five sources, but then by the time you’ve narrowed them
down based on critical assessment, you will have a shorter final
list.
We will talk further about annotated bibliographies; you can
also look them up in The Everyday Writer and here on the
Purdue OWL: this is important and please also see example of
Annotated Bibliography in this website.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/
Annotated Bibliography Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvQb2OdV-_I
Research we will did (Research Process):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9XqLcAce04
Topic I choose and I wrote
How cover appearance affect my school students when they
want to choose romance book? A random searching study.
Secondary research strategy:
I plan to find totally 5 scholarly source article that related to my
topic. I am going to find an article that how color or picture
affect people’s emotion or how they affect people when they
want to choose something. It maybe not related to romance, but
I know I cannot find any article about how cover appearance
affect people when they choosing romance book? It is a gap or
niche for my topic, which means I only can find article that
related to romance or only related to design. I find less

scholarly source article for my topic but I find one me magazine
source named Anatomy of a Cover. I also find a book named
Book cover designs / Matthew Goodman ; foreword by Nicole
Caputo. I plan to rent this book next week and see that does this
book can give me some help? I also find a book named The
Look of Love: The Art of the Romance Novel , I think it also
will give my many help.
Primary research strategy:
I am inclined to do more work on primary research, because I
cannot find much information about my topic. I am going do a
random searching from our school students. I want to research
about 20-50 people (50 will be the best). I will ask same
questions for interviews or the questionnaire. Or maybe I will
did questionnaire for 20-50 people and did an interviews for 5
people.
At the first, I will ask the question that if you want to choose a
book, what it the things you first looking for? (Multiple choice)
I want to make sure how many people choose book by book
cover.
Then, I will find some book cover pictures, which contain
romance, science fiction, thrillers, fantasy, or historical novel
books. I am going to use some Chinese book covers that
American students never see before to do this research, because
such as Fifty Shades of Grey or Release me are popular novel, if
I use those covers, some people maybe know them. I will ask
them, what do you think this book will be? A romance, science
fiction, thrillers, fantasy, or historical books? (Multiple choice)
(I never know how American people choose book, it give me
some ideas) And what do you feel about this cover? (Answer) I
also will ask them, what do you think the story talk about in the
book? I will ask some question about color. Like, which color
you think can describe love? And why? Pink, red, purport,
yellow, blue….. (I believe, pink color means love. I just want to
make sure for it.)
For the end of the research, I will put a question that if the book

contain sex content, what element do you think the cover must?
If the book not contain any sex content, what element do you
think the cover must? (A research question about how they
choose book.)
Annotated Bibliography draft that I wrote before, you can
change or add whatever you want.
“Who Says You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover?”
Summery
This article is a research article and Author did a research in the
University of Waikato libraries. Vanderschantz believe, “first
impressions are everything” so book cover is very important.
Different book cover can have big effect for people on choose
book. He use some source to talk about the importance of cover
design and the design process of trade books. Then he did the
research report. They did random selection for the research.
They got results about different between the physical properties
of the cover and the contents of the cover. Author talk about
important about a book jacket, book banding, visual features of
the cover. Then, author write how color and picture on cover
affect people when choose books. Also typeface and size affect
people when choose book. (Vanderschantz)
Assess
This article is a scholarly source and an academic journal which
wrote by many authors. They did research in the University of
Waikato libraries about how different book covers affect people
when choosing book. Opinions that authors wrote in the article
will affect people’s choices when they choosing book by look
book cover. Authors effectively presented his argument by
stating book jacket, book banding, visual features of the cover
(color and picture), typeface and size (title and authors name on
cover). Information they found from the research are primary
source and they are credible. The article also have many work
cite that they use from other scholarly articles to prove their

opinion. The article talk most things on how to choose academic
books by different cover and they are credible. However, this
research have limited about people choosing book by cover. The
insufficient they have is that they only did a research on
academic books and they did a research in the University
library. The cover is not very important for academic book
when students and researcher choosing them. Actually, most
student choose the academic book because the book is required
for their class. Also when students did a research and try to find
some scholarly source by books, they usually see book title
first, then see the book introduction.
Reflect
Vanderschantz believe, “first impressions are everything” so
book cover is very important. It is true, and the point is very
helpful for my research topic. Authors effectively presented his
argument by stating book jacket, book banding, visual features
of the cover (color and picture), typeface and size (title and
authors name on cover). Those point not only show in the
academic books, also work for novel books. This article is a
very good start for my research topic.
Comment from my professor:
Look at your Everyday Writer for information on how you
format a document in MLA format. This is not MLA format.
You should always say the name of the article and the author at
the very beginning of a summary so the reader knows what
you're talking about. Call the author by his name, not "Author."
As far as English mechanics go, you may want to have someone
read over your paper before you submit it, to clean up the
grammatical issues -- it is a little hard to understand. When you
cite, use a page number. What books did the author talk about?
What kinds of things on the book covers, etc., affected the way
people chose books? Can you support the point you make that "
Information they found from the research are primary source
and they are credible" ? You should indent paragraphs rather
than put spaces between them; this is part of MLA format. Your
content, especially in your critique part, is pretty good -- you

make a pretty good case for the article and also do a good job of
explaining it's limitations. 7/10 for writing, 5/5 for article
Work need to do:
Need 5 scholarly sources
1. Who Says You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover? (PDF)
2. Book : The Look of Love: The Art of the Romance Novel
(online)
https://books.google.com/books?hl=zh-
CN&lr=&id=7ONpEbYVz-
MC&oi=fnd&pg=PA5&dq=romance+covers+Design&ots=8GEL
V__ESU&sig=FMIyD6n8PxfPgKYSm6vyUxcBiZM#v=onepage
&q=romance%20covers%20Design&f=false
Still need 3 more scholarly sources (must be book or Journal
articles). Please find 3 more scholarly sources and write
Annotated Bibliography for all 5 scholarly sources.

Annotated Bibliography-DraftAlberts, J.K. The Role of Couples.docx

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