Thesis statement: The analyzation of the three covers of The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole will show how vital a books cover is in portraying its story to an audience. Each cover depicts its own illustrations, lettering, language, year of publication and fonts. When these particular elements are precisely molded together in the right way it can grab the readers attention. Such as in the second edition of The Castle of Otranto (1765), in bold and capitalized lettering, “GOTHIC STORY” stands out to show the genre of the book. In contrast to the Penguins Classics (2001), the illustrations give a portrayal of the genre, showing a frightened woman holding a torch with two other characters behind her, who, based on their facial expressions, are also frightened. The third cover the Oxford World’s Classics (2009), depicts the romance aspect of the novel, showing a knight in armor with a woman who seems to be dazed by him. Together, the precise detailing on each books cover will sell itself to its target audience.

Topic sentence 1: “The images, fonts, letter size, spacing, color, and all the decorations the author can adorn the front cover with, can either draw attention or deter an audience towards a book.” In this paragraph I wanted to focus on the vital importance of the writing, positioning of the title, whether the authors name is displayed or not, and the language of the writing. For example in the 1765 second edition, there is Latin writing on the front cover.

Topic sentence 2: “If Gothic fiction interests someone, and they were to see the 1765 second edition book cover of Castle of Otranto, they might automatically be interested in the novel, specifically due to the fact that ‘A GOTHIC STORY’ is written boldly below the title.” In this paragraph I wanted to focus on the genre being displayed on the cover of the book. The genre of a book is very a important factor of a story, and targets a specific audience.

Topic sentence 3: How does the book cover of the older version, the 1765 second edition, differ from the more recent book covers; Penguins Classics (2001) and Oxford World’s Classics (2009).

Topic sentence 4: The illustrations on the cover are very important and can depict a scene from the story that will also play a role in attracting an audience. In the 1765 second edition and Penguins Classics (2001) covers, the illustrations depict a more mysterious, gothic, horror like genre. In contrast, the Oxford World’s Classics (2009) shows the romantic elements of the novel.

Source: To back up most of my argument on the importance of the cover of the book and its ability to grab the attention of an audience and be successful, Cat Yambell’s, Judging a Book by Its Cover: Publishing Trends in Young Adult Literature, indicates that “Many industry people argue that the cover is the foremost aspect of the book. Regardless of the quality of the literature, its cover often determines a book’s success.”