Re: A book by its cover

[Jeff Hecht <jhecht@world.std.com>]

Patrick Norton wrote:
>
><According to the back flap, the photograph is of a cast of the Berlin
>specimen, not the actual specimen itself.  Could this explain the
>reversal?>
>
>No. Casts are duplicates of the original. This reversal is a photographic
>effect, for whatever reason. You can see the cover's reversed image at:
>http://www.amazon.com/covers/0/37/540/119/0375401199.l.gif
>
Flipping or reversing images is a common practice in book and magazine
publishing, usually done to make the image fit better with the page or
cover design. Publishers and production departments do it so routinely they
don't think about its possible impact. You sometimes can catch reversals by
noting reversed type or lettering in the background. It would not be done
on purpose in a schoarly text, but it would be done in a popular magazine,
and could well be done on the dustjacket of any book. -- Jeff Hecht