Judging a book by its cover: University Presses display their best
Press reaches out to community, adapts for readers

September 8, 2004: Boring and dull are two words you won't use to describe the winners of the 2004 Association of American University Presses (AAUP) Book, Jacket and Journal Show. "They were fresh and engaging, with expressive imagery, and more frequently than not they produced a cogent plea for the publications they represented," said Daniel Pleavin, an illustrator and typographic designer in New York, who judged jackets and covers in 2003.

The traveling display of 2004's winning designs will reach Knoxville on September 13, and will be displayed in Hodges Library.   Forty-two books, one journal, and twenty-nine jackets and covers were selected as "best-in-show" from over 600 entries for this year's awards. The display will occur during The Book and The Scholar: Celebrating the Year of the University Press symposium.

"To sell a book one must engage the viewers and then hold their attention long enough for them to pick it up and appreciate the finer details," said Gabriele Wilson, a judge in this year's competition and a book designer for Alfred A. Knopf. "The selected designers embraced challenging subjects by making them look approachable, smart, elegant and fun!"

2004 is the Year of the University Press. To celebrate, the University of Tennessee Press and University Libraries are presenting a symposium entitled The Book and The Scholar: Celebrating the Year of the University Press, September 23-24, 2004. The program will focus on the important role of the university press in the academic community and also offer a writing workshop with tips for publishing with a university press.

Details about the symposium are available on this web site. You may also contact Tom Post at the UT Press, 865-974-3321, for more information.

Event Program