Saturday, July 7, 2012

Shelf Candy Saturday #27: A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeline L'Engle






This wonderful book meme/blog hop
is hosted by
Stephanie @




The purpose of this feature is to display
a beautiful book cover,
with information, if available,
about the cover illustrator,
photographer, and/or designer.



For all the participation rules,
just click


Here's my choice for this week!




Madeleine L'Engle
Hardcover, 203 pages
Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux
January 1, 1962
Genres: Science Fantasy, YA




Why do I love this cover?

Needless to say, any cover with blue in it will immediately catch my eye!  However, this cover also calls out to me because of the beauty of the total design, as well as the sheer inventiveness of it.  The three central characters,  done in a greyish-blue tone, are so magical and weird-looking.  One of them wears glasses, and reminds me very strongly of Harry Potter, although A Wrinkle In Time was published long before J.K. Rowling's first book in the series appeared on the literary scene.  

These figures are a marked contrast to the ones inside the arched enclosure at the bottom of the cover, which are done in earth-colored tones.  My curiosity is piqued by the strange ball held aloft by the tallest character within the enclosure.  Is it a crystal ball?  Is it some sort of time machine?  The older children are looking up at the ball as if expecting it to do something, while the little boy at the bottom seems indifferent to the proceedings.  

I'm also wondering what those unusual-looking columns or spikes surrounding the arched enclosure are.  They're peeking above what looks like either a forest or tan-colored clouds -- I'm not sure which.

The border is inspired by the Art Deco style, and is a very visually pleasing anchor to the whole composition.  The golden circle at the top right-hand corner is a Newberry Medal, since this book was given that award in 1963.

The font used for the title and author's name is very classic-looking, reminding me of Roman capitals.  I like its simplicity, which doesn't pull the viewer's attention from the gorgeous, complex, overall design. 

If you haven't already guessed who the illustrators of this wonderful cover are, they're the same ones who created the beautiful cover I featured last week -- Leo and Diane Dillon!  These highly talented artists were responsible for the first three covers in L'Engle's Time series, and each cover is a jewel that deserves its own separate post.  All three feature the Dillon's signature style, which is totally unique, totally beautiful!

If you missed last week's post, which provides more information about the Dillons, just check out my Shelf Candy post dated June 30th, which you can access HERE.  

For a quick link to the Dillons, just click HERE.   



Where to buy this edition:  Amazon





So what do you think
of this cover?
What beautiful cover(s)
are you featuring this week?




6 comments:

  1. I love the art deco elements. The illustration is really interesting. I love the picture at the bottom, but the profile images above are stunning. It makes me want to know more, that's for sure. A witch, an older mysterious person. What is the third I wonder. Does it represent a ghost?
    You always find the most unique covers. They often have so much to really look at. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought that cover looked similar and then I saw it was the same illustrators lol. Awesome pick! I love how they kept it simple but still managed to pack in a lot of details.

    My shelf candy is here if you'd like a look :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, Steph!

    Oh, I love the Art Deco elements, too!! It's a feature on some of the Dillon covers.

    I'm not sure what that third character represents. Could be a ghost. I don't know. What I do know is that I can't help thinking of Harry Potter when I look at this figure! Lol.

    Thank you so much for your compliment!! WEll, I sure do try to find spectacular covers! And any covers done by the Dillons sure fits the bill!

    You're very welcome for the share, and thanks for the great comment!! : )

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  4. Hi, Claire!

    Yes, the Dillons have an unmistakable style!! They're absolutely AWESOME!! So glad you liked my pick!!

    Thanks for the comment, and I'm heading over to check out your SCS post!! : )

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  5. This is another great example of superb artwork. I was surprised that it was the cover of a book first published back in 1962! When I think about it the style does fit the time. It is great that you went back and found something that was published a while ago.

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  6. Hey, Brian!

    Yes, I, too, am amazed that this edition was published in 1962! But then, the Dillons were always ahead of their time. I think this cover looks like something done in 1972 instead. It's very striking, very beautiful! I have several books with Dillon-designed covers in my collection. I first saw one such book in a second-hand bookstore, if I remember correctly. It was "Dangerous Visions", by Harlan Ellison, and the publication year wss 1967. So I started to keep an eye out for these covers.

    I was on eBay the other day, and saw the cover for "A Swiftly Tilting Planet", which I featured in my Shelf Candy post last week. So then I had to get the first book in the series!! And I did, too, although not from the same seller. It's on the way; hopefully, I'll be getting it sometime this week.

    I will soon be posting the third Dillon cover, for a book titled "A Wind In The Door".

    Thanks for commenting!! : )

    ReplyDelete

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