Which cover of Ready Player One do you prefer?

Today in the mail I received the final hardbound edition of Ready Player One, the science fiction novel by Ernest Cline that I've been raving about for months now (it hits shelves August 16, 2011). I think the final cover (on the right) is okay. It reminds me of a Vonnegut cover. But my favorite cover is the black, red, and white advance reader's edition (middle). interestingly, the first advanced reader's edition cover, the green and white one, has a similar layout to the final version. Which do you prefer? (click image to embiggen).

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Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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http://andreajames.com Andrea James

1. middle
2. left
3. right
dmcinnes

1. left
2. right
3. middle
aj

I much prefer the first! Simple and direct.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HLGBGQUPGAPO55VH6PQIGXDQCA jojo

1.right
2.middle
3.left
Absolutely right, the red cover is like a Vonnegut cover and therefore my absolute favorite!!!
Talia

My preference would be the middle one. While I love the binding on the right-hand one, the cover hurts my eyes. The cover on the left is a bit plain for my tastes.
http://www.facebook.com/kerry.r.benton Kerry Benton

The middle one, by far, far, far.

The final one is, frankly, an atrocious turn off that might make me pass by the book in a store. The middle one conveys energy, (presumably) implies something about the story and makes me want to pick it up. The first is plain, but fine… far superior to the over-engineered grotesque they landed upon.

In fact, if I buy the book, there’s a decent chance I’ll recreate that middle image for myself, print it out, and toss the red and yellow one in the bin.
David D.

Middle one all the way–much more evocative of the content too.
JBarnes01

Frankly none of the covers do much for me. If those are the only three choices, I’d select as follows:
1. Middle
2. Right
3. Left
Perhaps it’s over a decade of mostly audio book listening that has destroyed my appreciation of a fine book cover?
Bassguitar115

I like the one on the left best, and it’s a second place tie between the other two. Mark, if you have three copies, you should share some ‘Ready Player One’ love. ;)
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XN2SJDMODQVUVHUWGJSLWQRR2I Denise *

the middle one, for sure.
http://www.konstantinrudt.com/ Konstantin Rudt

1st middle
2nd left
3rd right
6Degrees0fJohnLaw

This one

http://www.ernestcline.com/blog/images/Vendetta_RPO_cover.jpg

Ernie is cool shit. Got to meet him at a publisher’s dinner in S.F. Said I was the first to get the “HotCock007″ reference in the book.
Ted Lemon

I don’t like any of them, but the one on the right is least ugly. Of course, I actually grew up when 8-bit computing was popular, so I don’t have the sort of retro nostalgia for it that people whose first computer was a PowerPC Mac have (dunno if that’s you, just theorizing). Well, okay, I do have a retro nostalgia for the IMSAI 8080, but it didn’t have a bitmap display.
elondaits

1. Middle
2. Right
3. Left
Space Toast

The one on the right, with the color scheme from the middle.

They are all a little weak. Not The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks US hardcover weak, but weak. I wouldn’t expect the softcover to come out in any of the existing designs.
chellberty

middle
http://www.facebook.com/lester.nelson Lester Nelson

I like the middle one best also, but I have a feeling the one on the right would have a stronger shelf presence and sell more copies.
cratermoon

It’s a bit of a stretch to see it, but middle one == goatse
http://www.facebook.com/asher.stephanie Stephanie Asher

I like the middle cover best by a wide margin.
oldtaku

Middle. There’s absolutely nothing about the left or right covers that would even cause me to give the book a second look. The huge letters are screaming ‘KEEP AWAY’ like a bathrobe in public.
http://profiles.google.com/walter.guyll Walter Guyll

I’d rather carry the middle one in public. I also like it.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OK42M52VJS2OAKNLPPQJ2YRJLU Tweedle

The middle option, but for some reason it seems too reminiscent of The Yiddish Polishmen’s Union (even though they aren’t that similar). A stronger version of the one on the left would be best.
tiredofit

Visually I prefer the red and yellow one, and would be more likely to pick it up in a store.

But for carrying the concept of the title I prefer the middle one.
ChurchTucker

Left by a long shot, although The GF prefers the right, and she is a professional.

The middle one is right out.
szcole

I like the middle one. It is the cover I have! I got this book at Comic Con, straight from the author’s hands after kicking my friend’s ass in Joust.

This book is fantastic and it was finished within a few days. I would urge everyone to get it!
http://twitter.com/LukeTomashek Luke Tomashek

The middle is best
blueelm

Left. I actually like it.

Middle ok, too busy though.

I hate the one on the right so much it would affect whether I would look at it long enough to determine what book it was. I find it unpleasant to even look at.
blueelm

However, there is a reason most fast food is in those colors. I am repulsed by most fast food signs, to be honest. That’s clearly not the majority reaction though. Most people seem to literally eat that shit up!
blueelm

*fast food advertising I mean

Gawd I hope most fast food isn’t actually like that.
http://twitter.com/JovialJay JovialJay

I love the middle one as well, but I love any of them that have the fabulous story that Ernie tells. I would read one wrapped in a brown paper sack, for all that matters. But the middle one gives the best sense of the book.
Andy Woznica

I would go with, ummm, Middle!
http://twitter.com/jes5199 jesse wolfe

Anyone who does not prefer the middle one is lying.
Hanglyman

Middle one, definitely. The left one is ugly, boring and it’s even a little hard to read. The middle one is eye-catching, unique and attractive. The author’s name looks like it should be the title, since it’s so much bigger and more prominent, but that’s a problem with pretty much every book printed these days. But at least it’s not the exact same size as the title, like with the other two! The right one is a bit less ugly than the left one, and it looks like there’s something interesting going on with the spine, but it’s still boring and very, very easy to just tune out.
cub

middle, middle, middle.
red, white, and black are the ‘caveman’ primary pigments, and they repeat in signage over and over again for a reason; consciously, that makes it a no-brainer, and sub-consciously that makes it the best means of communication.
kib

Middle: Best image, worst clarity of title (very hard to see/read). (Best for aesthetics)
Left: Very nice. (Second best aesthetics)
Right: Easiest to read/identify from afar. Jumps right out. (Best for sales)
Moe Hong

I think they’re all typographically pretty mediocre. Why not simply hire a graphic designer whose knowledge and skill you trust and admire and let the expert make the decision? Crowdsourcing something like this is very rarely a recipe for anything but abject failure.
scifijazznik

None of the above.
john cummings

middle by a country mile
Glippiglop

Although it’s the best, it’s like there’s a nod to goatse in the middle one! I shudder to think what would happen if those arms were animated.

The other two are really boring, just typography with no artistic value and the fonts are hideous.
ortolan

1. Middle
2. Left
3. Right

I actually like the “glitchy” type in the left one. I think the middle one is more engaging and visually appealing, though. The one on the right doesn’t feel like it has as much of a recognizable concept going on so I feel like it’s not as strong as the other two.
dnebdal

Left, middle right.
I rather like the stark, sort of 90s, look of the left one – and I think bright white is a classy color for a book cover.
As for the final one, I’ve never been a fan of screaming covers – it’s tacky, annoying, and (vain as I am) it makes it a bit less tempting to read it in public.
Adam Zawadzki

middle
benher

The middle one is king. It tells a story.

The left and right look like they were thought up by someone who doesn’t really have any game nostaliga, but wants to appeal to those who do.
http://BrianEaston.net/ Brian Easton

I prefer the middle one, but that might be because that’s the one I have. I can’t help but think that getting Olly Moss to do a cover would have been badass.
http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch

Middle one. The left one makes me feel ill. The right one just seems silly and pop.
andrew frye

ITS ALL ABOUT THE SPINE!!
3 (RED) all the way!
http://www.facebook.com/adam.philips Adam Philips

Center one is a great illustration but the title is too hard to read. Might work better with the title in white. One on the right is probably best overall – the videogame graphic of the center one might be a little off-putting to some.
- Hanglyman
  
  Admittedly I don’t know for sure what the book is about, but as the title is “Ready Player One”, I think people who would be put off by video game-style graphics are probably not the target market here.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NS5PLUJ2PVRME66VUECIGCZYGU Rick
    
    Silly you, expecting an internet commenter to engage their brain before shitting forth their opinion.
Moralix

Agh, my eyes!

Love the spine on the right, but would definitely choose middle. It attracts attention, not pleads for it!
Martin Defatte

the middle one. hands down.
John Stilley

1. Middle.
2. Left.
3. Right.
Brian Bailey

I love none of them, but the rightmost one I find hard to look at because of the colors.

1. Left
2. Middle
3. Right
Pend-O-Matic

It Is Agreed, “black, red, and white advance reader’s edition” is here forth the chosen cover. Let It Be Known post haste and without malice.
http://twitter.com/delsdog Derek Lawrie

It appears to be the middle one here in the UK (according to amazon anyway)
http://laroquodexperiment.com/hypo/0.1/ Paul Laroquod

I love bitmapped graphics and covers (the dude upthread who said he remembers 8-bit from his youth therefore he has no nostalgia for it, seems to misunderstand the meaning of the word ‘nostalgia’).

However, the examples above are particularly poor examples of 8-bit design. Therefore I would go with the one on the right.
http://twitter.com/IlhanKudeki Ilhan Kudeki

1. Middle
2. Neither
3. Neither
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-Burt/536453418 Brandon Burt

My eyes were drawn to the middle cover first. Interesting, because I think aesthetically, I prefer the one on the left. But for some reason, the middle one seems to be most eye-catching, and therefore probably the better marketing choice.
http://laroquodexperiment.com/hypo/0.1/ Paul Laroquod

I really hope the middle cover isn’t chosen. It looks awful, and hopelessly confused. What kind of game is that, exactly? It makes no sense. It reads as a pastiche done by someone who has vaguely glanced at 8-bit graphics but never played an 8-bit game.

The cover on the left is also poor because it seems to be saying, ‘Look. Jaggy letters. We have captured the essence of 8-bit.’ Um, no. Also, the tiny spots of other colours are too small to register as anything but a blemish, or dirt.

No, the design on the right is only one that won’t be embarrassing in the end: trust me on this.

EDIT: But if you really must go with the majority here and pick the middle cover, at least get rid of those silly arms. There is no game that looks like that. Plus they are crowding the red banner: it needs more room to breathe.

EDIT2: In my opinion, if you are going to do an 8-bit cover, then you should do something extra creative with it. Something like this (this is my work)…

http://laroquodexperiment.com/hypo/0.2_1/

…and I’ve released my comic book into the public domain, so you are free to steal this visual idea or just riff on it. Of course the raw material I remixed involves screenshots of real classic games like Lode Runner. But you could apply the same sorts of effects to the raw material you have in the middle cover there.

Paul.
Bryan Fear

I have the middle one, the Advance Reader’s Edition and admit I also prefer this cover of those three BUT…. That Norwegian one is probably the most interesting. ( Hey Ernie! Can we consider the “Norwegian cover” to be another 80′s reference? Maybe to John Carpenter’s The Thing? `:- Too much of a stretch? )