I don't remember anything I see on that cover actually appearing in the story. It looks to me like a mishmash of random graphic assets.
I fully agree with all of your points: Yes, the book is excellent. Yes, this cover is objectively bad. Yes, most covers in this sub have nothing actually bad about them; some redditors just live for the sole purpose of passing harsh judgement on others.
There were a series of these covers, I like to think someone at the desktop publishing company that was given the covers had recently learned VGA 3d ray-tracing on their DX2/66.
https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecgi/comments/kxgmhl/anyone_remember_these_hitchhikers_guide_covers/
My bewildered and horrified eyes are just staggering around in that mess. It's not just awful; it's several different kinds of inexplicably awful, all thrown together like Mr. Creosote's bucket of dinner. Weird textures, a translucent desk, and some multicolored bubbles arranged unattractively. It's stunning. It's also impressive how nothing on the cover relates to the story.
After all these years as a classic and beloved work, I'm glad someone found a review in a small paper calling this book "hysterical". That's a pretty fresh and comprehensive take. I can definitely see why they put that right up front there.
The price tag actually improves it.
Truly excellent post.
I like it, I am also going to start using “creosotes bucket” for a chaotic melange of otherwise inoffensive things. Like “hanlon’s razor” or “brannigans law”.
My god, I didn't even notice the price tag (even though I saw it) until you mentionned it because my brain was just like "yep this is just part of the artwork".
I had the same experience! I actually edited the comment to add that bc it took me that long to notice it.
The yellow balances the ugly yellow of the small font at the bottom. The rectangular shape echoes the random desk. It fits in.
There were covers for the whole series in this style in the mid-late 90s, if I'm remembering right. I believe they were done in part with an early 3d landscape program called Bryce?
Oooh that's it exactly! I alluded to this in another comment, I messed with a dodgy copy of Bryce a lot back then. Entirely unintuitive, no manual, early user interface, hours and hours of ray-tracing output generation, all for very little satisfaction.
This is as a big trend in the mid nineties, I think. The idea of using technology that was speculative just a few years earlier to make sci-fi covers was just too delicious.
Aw yes. The Bryce 3D cover. I remember this one on the shelves. Believe it or not, there was a time when phong shaded balls and terrain were unbeleivably cool—a time before papyrus was cliché. This has nothing to do with the books, but at the time it was cool and surreal, so people back then didn’t think it was as bad as we do now.
That’s a crime!!! This is one of the funniest, smartest and most beloved series and they give this crappy cover! I know you can’t judge a book by his cover but that’s offensive! Lol
My God, it’s an actually bad cover (I unironically like about 75-80% of the covers on this sub, but this is *terrible*, and such a great book too)
I don't remember anything I see on that cover actually appearing in the story. It looks to me like a mishmash of random graphic assets. I fully agree with all of your points: Yes, the book is excellent. Yes, this cover is objectively bad. Yes, most covers in this sub have nothing actually bad about them; some redditors just live for the sole purpose of passing harsh judgement on others.
There were a series of these covers, I like to think someone at the desktop publishing company that was given the covers had recently learned VGA 3d ray-tracing on their DX2/66. https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecgi/comments/kxgmhl/anyone_remember_these_hitchhikers_guide_covers/
It looks like a first year college students first week using 3D Studio & Bryce in the mid 90s.
My bewildered and horrified eyes are just staggering around in that mess. It's not just awful; it's several different kinds of inexplicably awful, all thrown together like Mr. Creosote's bucket of dinner. Weird textures, a translucent desk, and some multicolored bubbles arranged unattractively. It's stunning. It's also impressive how nothing on the cover relates to the story. After all these years as a classic and beloved work, I'm glad someone found a review in a small paper calling this book "hysterical". That's a pretty fresh and comprehensive take. I can definitely see why they put that right up front there. The price tag actually improves it. Truly excellent post.
Nice allusion to creosote’s bucket. 🪣
I say "all mixed up in a bucket" far too often. Some people get it.
I like it, I am also going to start using “creosotes bucket” for a chaotic melange of otherwise inoffensive things. Like “hanlon’s razor” or “brannigans law”.
My god, I didn't even notice the price tag (even though I saw it) until you mentionned it because my brain was just like "yep this is just part of the artwork".
I had the same experience! I actually edited the comment to add that bc it took me that long to notice it. The yellow balances the ugly yellow of the small font at the bottom. The rectangular shape echoes the random desk. It fits in.
Maybe the PS1 rocks looked cooler back in the day?
Yeah, too many artworks in late 90s were like this lol
This looks like a web browser math game from 2004.
There were covers for the whole series in this style in the mid-late 90s, if I'm remembering right. I believe they were done in part with an early 3d landscape program called Bryce?
Oooh that's it exactly! I alluded to this in another comment, I messed with a dodgy copy of Bryce a lot back then. Entirely unintuitive, no manual, early user interface, hours and hours of ray-tracing output generation, all for very little satisfaction.
Did anyone ever crack the puzzle that Adams put on the covers? (Those colored spheres)
Answering my question: looks like yes(-ish): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#42_Puzzle
I remember looking into it and the answer I liked was that there are just 42 spheres.
Oof. I don’t think that font is actually Papyrus, but it sure has Papyrus vibes.
What could possibly go wrong by hiring a university's computer science department to do your cover art?
I used to have a copy with this cover, truly atrocious art
That would be perfect for the netrunne ccg of 1996
This looks like leftover assets from *Beyond the Mind’s Eye*.
it looks like three Windows 95 screensavers firing off at once
Hey, I own this edition! They're all bad like this.
This is as a big trend in the mid nineties, I think. The idea of using technology that was speculative just a few years earlier to make sci-fi covers was just too delicious.
Aw yes. The Bryce 3D cover. I remember this one on the shelves. Believe it or not, there was a time when phong shaded balls and terrain were unbeleivably cool—a time before papyrus was cliché. This has nothing to do with the books, but at the time it was cool and surreal, so people back then didn’t think it was as bad as we do now.
I can’t even tell what is going on here.
Reminds me of my materials science textbook. https://www.amazon.com/Materials-Science-Engineering-William-Callister/dp/0470556730
30 minutes of work and 10 hours of render in Daz3d!
I have this sitting on the bookshelf next to me! This is absolutely a terrible cover for an excellent book
I own this copy and I'm so used to it that I don't notice how ugly it is.
Ha! My whole Hitchhiker's set has this and the associated matching covers. They're all variants of orbs in a cube formation.
The Papyrus typeface. WHY.
That’s a crime!!! This is one of the funniest, smartest and most beloved series and they give this crappy cover! I know you can’t judge a book by his cover but that’s offensive! Lol
It’s Papyrus!!! - Steven (IFYYK)