Times are tough in the publishing industry for the German megacorporation Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA which owns Penguin Random House. Even publishing the Morrissey Autobiography as a ridiculous “Penguin Classic” couldn’t reverse their financial woes. You might have read that as part of a major restructuring they recently sold off the venerable Penguin Classics line to, of all publishers, Baen Books.
Baen, being Baen, was quick to reissue many of the Penguin Classic titles with more alluring covers to attract the less discriminating literati. Unbeknownst to Baen though, they recently hired our sometime social media guru Tweet Jane as a copy editor and she was able to forward us the galley proofs prior to their publication. What a sad day for the publishing industry but a major scoop for Good Show Sir!
To confuse the readers even more, Baen is re-issuing some of their own catalog titles and pairing them with traditional Penguin Classics art masterpieces on the cover. Case in point:
Tag Wizard Comments: I’m sure our talented team of GSSers can do Baen one better. Try your hand repurposing your own favourites and send them along with our lovely submit button. I’ll check in during the day update this post with your submissions.
April 1st, 2021 at 2:07 pm
Why go through all this trouble when Penguin did it to itself.
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ESgWzc3ZvHoC&gl=us&hl=en-US&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKT-FDR-na-us-1000189-Med-pla-bk-Evergreen-Jul1520-PLA-eBooks_Reference&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgszryozd7wIVBr_ICh3vUghJEAYYASABEgLhvPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
April 1st, 2021 at 2:45 pm
I assume Good Show Sir acquired the rights to this cover art before posting them on the blog. I think Baen is facing some legal jeopardy here. Tell the GSS barristers to dust off their powdered wigs!
April 1st, 2021 at 3:43 pm
I vote the Moby Dick revised edition for the greatest gulf between the cover portrayal and the actual text.
April 1st, 2021 at 3:53 pm
@Ryan – Are you sure about that? I don’t recall “Little Women” being anything like this new Baen Classics cover. OTOH, the “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” cover is surprising accurate.
April 1st, 2021 at 5:14 pm
From Bibliomancer, via our lovely submit button:
April 1st, 2021 at 5:40 pm
This just in from B. Chiclitz:
April 1st, 2021 at 11:57 pm
Bra-VO and GSS, especially to Tweet Jane!
And well-spotted to @fred #1.
The machine I’m on can’t handle making my own, but I’d like to see “War and Peace” with the art of the toddler trying to wield his Tactical Teddy Bear against the tank.
April 5th, 2021 at 4:29 am
daard23 sends along this classic. More like The Brothers Katamazov, amirite?
April 5th, 2021 at 4:33 am
Tat Wood sends in this beauty:
April 5th, 2021 at 4:38 am
From Ryan, for your consideration:
April 5th, 2021 at 4:42 am
From Bruce A Munro, a real page turner:
April 5th, 2021 at 4:44 am
Raoul sends in a hot bestseller:
April 5th, 2021 at 4:51 am
The other one I tried to send wouldn’t load so I’ll offer it as a small Bank Holiday teaser for everyone: which of the many, many possible covers on this site did I choose to be the new artwork for ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’?
April 5th, 2021 at 6:15 am
Continued GSS to you all.
@Tat: all of them?
April 5th, 2021 at 1:22 pm
I sent one in. Did you get it?
April 5th, 2021 at 2:40 pm
Tor Mented’s entry:
April 6th, 2021 at 1:28 am
@Tor Mented – One extra hard laugh for “Mormon Nailer”.
April 6th, 2021 at 2:23 am
@Tor: what Ryan said. Also good synch between title and art.