Title: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Author: Carson McCullers
Cover artist: Uncredited [faint signature on crease in bottom right corner looks like that of Mitchell Hooks]
Yours for: $8
Best things about this cover:
- Wow, that guy is selling it. Least appreciative audience Ever.
- I read this book twenty years ago and though I largely forget the plot I remember really liking it. I do, however, remember the first line, verbatim. "In the town there were two mutes, and they were always together." I think those are the mutes there: Tevye and the Undertaker.
- Little girl demonstrates that peculiar paperback phenomenon whereby people appear to be looking at things they could not possibly see from that angle—that man is both behind her *and* blocked by a man's belly.
- I like how the human beings are painted naturalistically but the surroundings are kind of surreal. I mean, look at that gray and white smear of a sidewalk. And that fire&brimstone sky.
Best things about this back cover:
- "Easy, girls, there's enough of me for both of you."
- LOVE her "Holy F*&^" expression.
- Not generally a fan of the multiple-scene cover—pick a scene and depict it, dammit, don't try to cram so much action into such a little space. Here, however, the paintings are discrete enough, and large enough, that there's not the usual feeling of chaos.
- No Pasadena Star-News blurbs here. All top tier publications.
Page 123~
"No. There was some definite thing you did that for. We been knowing each other a pretty long time, and I understand by now that you got a real reason for every single thing you ever do. Your mind runs by reasons instead of just wants. Now, you promised you'd tell me what it was, and I want to know."
~RP
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]
5 comments:
One of my all-time favorite books. My cover doesn't look like that, though! Awesome.
I'm not familiar enough with this book to tell, but was the artist going for a crucified Jesus thing? If so, he failed. It looks more like a bad rock star pose or a drunk laughing at his own joke. Or maybe he's stealing John Belushi's Joe Cocker imitation.
Also, the guy on the left looks a little like a young Nixon.
Dang, I like musicals too much because the first thought I had was, "The guy looks like he just burst out in song about being in love with the new teacher."
I live in a Southern town and I've never seen anybody act like a danged fool on the sidewalk like that guy.
In your review you said that you think the two men in center of the front page are the two mutes.
I don't think so...I think that the tall man in black is indeed Singer but the emoting man is Blount, the loud-mouth labor agitator. Remember how in the book he was always screaming and yelling and railing against social injustices.
Just my opinion....
Thanks for posting these images; I'd never before seen this particular printing.
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