Friday, June 25, 2010

Avon Books 47 (1944)

Title : Shoe the Wild Mare
Author : Gene Fowler  
Cover art : uncredited


style *
substance **
collectibility **



Continuing with mare-titled books, we offer Gene Fowler's Shoe the Wild Mare, a rare instance in which the cover stands out not for its beauty or outrageousness, but rather for its singularly dull and unattractive qualities. All the more unfortunate in that this aesthetics-of-the-ugly entry represents an early Avon release and as such is at least marginally collectible. But nothing about this cover works, from the unfortunate color combination of yellow, black and purple to the man’s floating head between two women's heads facing each other. I can’t comment on the literary qualities of the book – for all I know it’s Faulkner in disguise – but with a cover like this I’m not really interested. 

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