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Today in Micro-Trends: Cassette Tape Book Covers

This is another one of those posts that started out on Twitter — a flippant tweet from me sparking a conversation about books with cassette tapes and vinyl records on their covers. It turns out that putting a record on a cover has become quite popular. Unfortunately the composition of many of these covers is often strikingly similar, even if the tone/intent is different.

The combination of clunky retro-future technology of cassettes and the DIY aesthetic of mix tapes, on the other hand, provides a richer vein of inspiration…

Art Behind the Mixtape design UnderConsideration
The Art Behind the Tape by Marshall “DJ Mars” Thomas, Djibril Ndiaye, Maurice Garland, and Tai Saint-Louis; design UnderConsideration (2015)

Big Rewind design Regina Starace
The Big Rewind by Libby Cudmore; design by design Regina Starace (William Morrrow / February 2016)

Counter Narratives Palgrave Macmillan
The Counter-narratives of Radical Theology and Popular Music edited by Michael Grimshaw; design Palgrave Macmillan Design (Palgrave Macmillan / May 2014)

don't-you-forget-about-me
Don’t You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn; design by Catherine Casalino (Villard Books / July 2008)

9781846146459
Earthbound by Paul Morley; design by Jim Stoddart (Penguin / August 2013)

he died with his eyes open design Christopher King
He Died with His Eyes Open by Derek Raymond; design by Christopher Brian King (Melville House / October 2011)

Iron Rose design W H Chong
An Iron Rose by Peter Temple; design by W. H. Chong (Text / June 2016)

Kill Your Friends design Glenn ONeill photo colin thomas
Kill Your Friends by John Niven; design by Glenn ONeill; Photograph Colin Thomas (Cornerstone / July 2014)

Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death design Jim Stoddart
Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death by Otto Dov Kulka; design by Jim Stoddart (Penguin / March 2014)

UMN28 Walsh Bootlegs D1.indd
Bar Yarns and Manic Depressive Mix Tapes by Jim Walsh; design by Michel Vrana; lettering by Robert Lawson (University of Minnesota Press / NYP)

New Sorrows design Clare Skeats
The New Sorrows of the Young W. by Ulrich Plenzdorf; design Clare Skeats; cover art by Joel Penkman; series design David Pearson (Pushkin Press / September 2015)


Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; design by Erik Mohr (Solaris / October 2015)

Tape
Tape by Steven Camden; cover art by Keri Smith (HarperCollins Children’s Books / January 2014)

Tsar of Love and Techno design Christopher Brand Photography Bobby Doherty
Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra; design Christopher Brand; photography Bobby Doherty (Hogarth / October 2015)

(I also rather like this tape-related killed cover by designer Na Kim)

So there you have it — cassette tape book covers are a thing. But please let’s not get started on VHS tape book covers…