BILL HAMMOND: JINGLE JANGLE MORNING, Jennifer Hay et al

This book has one distinctive feature that differentiates it from the other coffee-table art books I have seen: its jacket doubles as a poster but, rather than the poster image being on the inside of the jacket, the poster has been folded so that it creates the jacket cover, complete with title. This is an appealing concept, as the purchaser gets a ‘free’ print of Hammond’s Jingle Jangle Morning to hang on their wall and accompany the book. 

The unfolding poster. Note how the title on
the jacket becomes the label on the poster

So that it does not mar the poster, the book’s barcode has been placed inside the case, on the back endpapers.

Unusually and due to the book's unusual jacket, the barcode
has been placed on the back endpapers

However, this design feature does have its flaws. The poster is, of course, folded, which reduces its appeal for framing; additionally, using the poster as a jacket damages it as the folds and corners wear away the ink and paper, further diminishing its potential use as a poster. The purchaser must either immediately decide to remove the jacket and use it as a poster, or keep using it as a jacket and forgo the first option entirely. Even then, the creases make the first option less than ideal.

An example of damage where the poster-as-jacket is folded

The case beneath the jacket is deep forest green with debossed, gilt text. While not ugly, it is very plain compared to the jacket, and I would not find it a good substitute if I decided to use the jacket as a poster.

The book's case with the jacket removed

The interior of the book is a mixed bag. The paper stock is pure white and glossy, providing a good base for reproducing Hammond’s paintings, but it is thin enough that there is some show-through where the other side of a page featuring a painting has been left blank. Nevertheless the presentation of Hammond’s work is appealing: the paintings are presented on two-page spreads, with the caption halfway down the verso page and the painting itself centred on the recto. The margins are large, providing a sufficient amount of framing white space for the images. The sewn binding allows the book to lie open flat - a necessary design element for an art book.

An example of the spread comprising one of Hammond's paintings
on the recto, and its caption on the verso. Note the use of white
space and wide margins

Sadly, the metallic gold ink on the endpapers has degenerated over time. The gold has worn off in some parts, leaving the endpapers looking grubby despite the book having been well cared for. This is very unfortunate as it has an immediate effect on a reader’s perception of the book’s quality: the end papers are likely to be the first part of the interior of the book that the reader sees, and the shabby, worn look would not make a good first impression, regardless of the attractive typesetting further within the book.

Note the worn gold ink on the endpapers

Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning won the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Award for Best Illustrated Book. It is indeed a gorgeous book, but unfortunately not all aspects of its design have survived the intervening years entirely intact.

Samples collected: 29 Jun 2012