Always judge a book by its cover

By Ian Simpson

The old adage that you should never judge a book by its cover is one of the most misguided and confusing things I’ve ever heard in my life. Surely it’s all wrong? What is a cover for if not to hint at, suggest, or blatantly tell the potential reader what’s in the book? After all, publishers pay good money to designers and artists to come up with attractive and attention grabbing covers. A cover is there to be judged.