Nice contents, shame about the cover - Mark Avery unimpressed by front-of-house design of top-selling book

Since publication of the first edition, worldwide sales have exceeded 1.2-million copies 

A RAP for the cover of a much-acclaimed new bird book has been sounded by author and former RSPB executive Mark Avery.

Describing it in his popular blog as "dull", he awards the design just three out of 10.

To the book's credit, Dr Avery acknowledges that the contents - illustrations and text - are "superb". 

Says he: "If you are going to travel widely in Europe, then you should get it, and, if you never stir from these shores, it will meet your needs very well, too."

                                          

Mark Avery: 'Like an advertising poster'

But he continues: "It is unusual for a nature book to be dominated by the publisher’s name and a boast.

"It’s more like an advertising poster than a book cover."

                          

The UK edition of  the book has an illustration - by Dan Zetterström - of a barn swallow on the front, but the impact of the bird’s attractive blue-black wings is lessened by the black background and the small size.

It is understood the rights to the book's contents (but not the design of the cover) are owned by a Swedish publisher, Stockholm-based Bonnier, which has, as of now, sold them to the following:

* Bulgarian: Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds

* Catalan: Ediciones Omega
* Danish: Lindhardt & Ringhof
* Dutch: Kosmos Uitgevers
* English UK: HarperCollins UK
* English US: Princeton University Press
* Finnish: Otava
* French: Delachaux et Niestlé
* German: Franckh-Kosmos Verlag
* Italian: Ricca Editore
* Lithuanian: Jana Seta Ltd
* Polish: Multico Oficyna Wydawnicza
* Slovenian: DOPPS BirdLife Slovenia
* Spanish: Ediciones Omega

However, these other countries have opted for different front covers - see below.

U.S. version - oddly, the illustration is the same as the one used in the 2nd edition of its UK counterpart 

Italian version

Swedish version

* Mark Avery's blog is at: BLOG – Mark Avery

The Wryneck says: Dr Avery makes a fair point. As with the first two editions, the UK  cover does come across as  worthy but clumsy (and boastful). Doubtless, this is a carefully-considered  branding gambit by HarperCollins to seek dominance of the market for books of this type. Will there, in due course, be a change of approach for the inevitable 4th edition? Time will tell.