Unwritten · 12 May 2001

Designing a book jacket frequently involves an attempt to cook down amorphous themes to a single visual gesture; it can be tricky work, especially with fiction. Finding an image that sets the emotional temperature of the text without clogging it with other meaning can mean days of research.

Sometimes I come across images which demand to grace books that don’t exist: sometimes it’s great, goofy, Borgesian fun to come up with the titles of these books.

Want to have a go? The best suggestion will be incorporated into a book jacket design, with the winning contributor’s name as author.

*   *   *

  1. What would this book be called?
    — Dean Allen    May 12, 10:49 PM    #
  2. Baz Luhrmann's Othello
    — W. Roxborough    May 12, 11:52 PM    #
  3. modern calculus in context
    — melissa piatas    May 13, 05:36 AM    #
  4. The Guinness Book of Medical Mishaps
    — Davey Leslie    May 13, 05:41 AM    #
  5. England's Dilemma: a short concise history of British epidemics
    — David Chien    May 13, 06:45 AM    #
  6. voices from beneath: a foot's message for the 21st century
    — foot    May 13, 08:30 AM    #
  7. Bliss. And Other Tales of Erotic Subtlety.
    — John    May 13, 10:46 AM    #
  8. Headers and Footers: What Strunk & White
    —    May 13, 10:55 AM    #
  9. Headers & Footers: The Secret Ecstasy of MSWord
    —    May 13, 10:57 AM    #
  10. Compassionate Conservativism: The New Republican Party
    — lh    May 13, 05:37 PM    #
  11. "Listening to Percodan: Fever Dreams of Dental Suffering"
    — Andrew Fenton    May 13, 05:55 PM    #
  12. Beyond Tae Bo
    — Marc Bexx    May 13, 05:56 PM    #
  13. Communion: new approaches to Christian spirit
    — Melissa E.    May 13, 07:32 PM    #
  14. Some new equation
    — riley stevens    May 13, 08:41 PM    #
  15. Dean Allen: The Early Years
    — Josh    May 13, 09:28 PM    #
  16. Def Jam, 1986-2001
    — Iffy K    May 13, 11:50 PM    #
  17. Tiptoe Through the Two Lips
    — kawika holbrook    May 14, 12:09 AM    #
  18. Tofu: Advanced Chinese Martial Artistry
    — James Stacy    May 14, 02:31 AM    #
  19. Colonized Pockets: Questioning the African Franc
    — PAUL FORD    May 14, 04:19 AM    #
  20. Toe-Lickin" Good
    — Timo    May 14, 05:47 AM    #
  21. Delicacies of the South Pacific
    — anonymous    May 14, 07:42 AM    #
  22. ravishing blunder
    — g.armstrong    May 14, 08:09 AM    #
  23. Bonhomie: Acts of Kindness
    — Terry Eaton    May 14, 10:00 AM    #
  24. Pedicures: Art or Technology?
    — lisa    May 14, 10:10 AM    #
  25. Popsicle Toes
    — Robert Dodson    May 14, 10:51 AM    #
  26. A Little Bit Cheesey
    — Tim Blankenship    May 14, 12:26 PM    #
  27. Madonna Album Cover Rejects 1985-2000
    — Deb    May 14, 01:06 PM    #
  28. Othellolita
    — Andrew Huff    May 14, 01:30 PM    #
  29. Say What You Will, He's Nonetheless Christian
    — jesse    May 14, 03:42 PM    #
  30. The Nethermost Joint
    — Nick    May 14, 04:12 PM    #
  31. For Profit: The Commercialization and Exploitation of Michael Jordan by corporations.
    — marcus    May 14, 04:45 PM    #
  32. Tomorrow I'll be Perfect
    — Greg Sainsbury    May 14, 04:52 PM    #
  33. Inflate to Desired Pressure
    — Roland Barthes    May 14, 05:03 PM    #
  34. Footprints: Memories from a Monastic Life
    — zach hooker    May 14, 07:22 PM    #
  35. a place I wouldn't mind dying
    — steve    May 14, 07:24 PM    #
  36. Foot and Mouth Appease
    — J. Benedicto    May 14, 08:04 PM    #
  37. The Idiot's Guide to Home Dental Care
    — mark    May 14, 09:50 PM    #
  38. Pop Lolli
    — les    May 14, 10:33 PM    #
  39. Vanilla, a novel
    — James    May 15, 03:28 AM    #
  40. Astroglide Inc. Annual Report 2000: "The Upside of the Downward Slide"
    — Huge Grant    May 15, 05:14 AM    #
  41. Mastering Mrs. Johnston
    — Phalanx Unger    May 15, 12:48 PM    #
  42. Going Beyond: New Teambuilding Exercises for the Collective Pursuit of Excellence
    — Tom Peters    May 15, 02:11 PM    #
  43. Rosedale: the new etiquette
    — Leah McLaren    May 15, 03:19 PM    #
  44. Cardigan Socks: The Ecstasy of Communication Vol. 1
    — Ben J.    May 15, 04:45 PM    #
  45. Martha Stewart Living Dangerously Presents: Homestyle Dentistry
    — kawika holbrook    May 15, 05:00 PM    #
  46. Throwing the Perfect Donner Party, with Martha Stewart
    — kawika holbrook    May 15, 05:13 PM    #
  47. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook: Secrets from the East Hampton Specialty Food Store for Simple Food and Party Platters You Can Make at Home (Vol. 2)
    — kawika holbrook    May 15, 05:14 PM    #
  48. Dentalism: An Epicuriosity of Sorts
    — kawika holbrook    May 15, 06:10 PM    #
  49. Speaking in tongues
    — David Foster Wallace    May 15, 08:00 PM    #
  50. Jungle Fever 2. A Spike Lee Joint.
    — jkottke    May 15, 08:24 PM    #
  51. Jello Pudding Pop Fever - a Bill Cosby Joint
    —    May 16, 02:52 PM    #
  52. You gots some cracker to go wid dis cheez?
    — Link    May 16, 11:51 PM    #
  53. "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" memoirs of a cannibal
    — Paul Dwyer    May 17, 01:31 PM    #
  54. Administrative, Life-Safety and Field Inspection Provisions, Vol.I
    — sam    May 17, 05:05 PM    #
  55. Surrealist Vomit
    — A.Huff    May 17, 05:43 PM    #
  56. The Penitent
    — Jon Erickson    May 18, 03:02 PM    #
  57. You gots some cheese ta go wid dis cracker?
    — Toni Morrison    May 18, 03:49 PM    #
  58. Wild Toe Jam: A Field Harvesting Manual
    — Roger Toni Peterson    May 18, 03:53 PM    #
  59. Advanced Piercings: Beyond the Tongue Stud
    — Mona Torison    May 18, 04:00 PM    #
  60. Nacreous Sprockets
    — graywyvern    May 18, 05:26 PM    #
  61. The "To Kill A Mockingbird" Companion
    — Lentil    May 18, 09:54 PM    #
  62. New Perspectives: Racial Inequality and Foot and Mouth Disease in Contemporary Great Britain
    — Leslie Lipton    May 20, 02:20 AM    #
  63. The Disaperace of Stella's Groove
    — M    May 24, 01:55 AM    #

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