Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Covered, Thrice...

...or why I can't be trusted on Trade Me.

Why have one cover, when you can have more...

1965:





1970:




1980's (Year unspecified)



Which do you like best? I favour the 1965 version, it's more dramatic. I'm still looking for the psychedelic 1960's version.

Yes, of course I need another!

8 comments:

J.T. Webster said...

Hi Vanda,
The 1980s is my favourite, but I like the 80cent price tag on the 1970s. Those were the days!

Kiwicraig said...

I just watched this one recently (on DVD - I acquired the first season of the BBC series recently).

There is of course this more recent cover: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/ngaio-marsh/nursing-home-murder.htm

I have a couple of books in that publication/cover series, as well as some older ones, and a few combined/collection type ones.

And dozens more too - it's crazy when you go online and realise how many times her books were reprinted, so many different covers - just goes to show how popular they have been over the years, and how terribly badly we have under-appreciated her here in NZ.

Pen said...

I vote 8os. There is just something about bloody instruments that make me go... "OH!"

Bernadette said...

I vote the 80's one too, the less people and/or blood on my book covers the better.

This is my favourite of Marsh's books and I included it as the novel to represent 'the golden age' when a bunch of us bloggers created lists of books in various crime fiction sub genres last year. I like the political overtones to this one.

I'm just watching the same DVD that Craig watched - it's not a bad adaptation though I think they've changed the period of the setting.

Dorte H said...

I also prefer the 80s. The 70s is the worst decade ever in the story of book publishing in my opinion. Boring, and far too often they look like social realism. Oh, horror! I hope you´ll be able to find your psychedelic 60s. Kerrie had a wonderful collection of some of Christie´s vintage covers some time ago.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Seeing the changing covers are interesting and can tell a lot about the marketplace at the time.

Anonymous said...

I vote for the 1960s cover: it's powerful and has impact that's just as strong as the day it was designed. It reaches out and grabs you! The 1970s cover is terrible - trying to cover all the bases (medical equipment plus a sort of toetag on the wrist). The 1980s cover is the sort of thing that's everywhere, eg on Tess Gerritsen novels, and it doesn't really say anything. I think it's kind of safe.

Claire

Vanda Symon said...

I think everyone agrees the 1970 cover is awful!

I'm looking out for more of these, and a friend just gave me a heads up bout a box of Ngaio Marsh books at a local second hand book store..