Never, I have always thumbed through them and read the jacket liners or author notes.

I always atleast read the back, if it’s all boring jibber jabbish I gently put it down and walk/run away.

I have NOT bought a lot of books because of their covers. I wouldn’t buy a bodice ripper or a chick-lit with a picture of high heels on skinny legs standing on a beach or in front of a dress shop. If you/ve read one you’ve read them all.

If I am familiar with the author, I usually just buy it. I used to read the cover notes but these days I get books on my Kindle so I read Amazon notes

Yeah, sadly I do. Well I try not too, but if I’m just fishing through some random books, the one with the semi good story line and cover wins. Thats how I found Twilight a couple of years back. No one had heard of it, but I liked the cover and it turned out to be a really entertaining read. But if the book is like what galileogirl said a “bodice ripper”, I won’t buy it.

Only if it has an inverted pentagram embossed on dried human skin.

Yes. If it is pink, or has cartoon characters on it, a celebrity I hate or the word FEMALE on it I ignore it.

actually, I never have. I always go in the middle of the book, and read a few pages. If I like what I see, then I get it. It was the Gaurdian, by Nicholas Sparks. I am so glad that I got the book

Here’s how I rate it
Cool awesome art- totally buying it
Not so cool awesome art-Fucking ignoring it

I read th first page and the back to see if it’s worth reading.

I usually go by the title, look of the cover, page count, and the paragraph on the back. And by “usually” I mean the off chance that I feel like reading a book

I usually go by authors I have read first, read the back cover, then read the first couple of pages. I usually don’t even notice the art work on the front until I get it home.

Never. I don’t even think about the cover.

For all you back cover people, keep in mind that the copy on the back is part of the cover and was not written by the author.

I can’t answer for what might be going on on a sub-conscious level, but I never knowingly judge a book by its cover. Usually the reason I’m looking for a book is because someone recommended it to me, or I heard about it someplace else.

I once bought a book simply on curb appeal—Plainsong by Kent Haruf. What was odd was that about six months later I found out both my brother and sister had bought the same book, also without recommendation or having read a review.
It was an excellent read, some of it pretty dark.

Yep! it’s always something fun to do every so often. but i ususally read the back cover first….

I always judge a book by its cover, though by “cover” I mean also the little blurb, perhaps some reviews on the back page, the author’s name and title (if they ring a bell, and perhaps point me towards the genre and what to expect) and even the picture, which can often tell you a lot about what sort of book it is (unless they screwed up completely).

I’ve been attracted by a lot of book covers. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larssen was one that I was initially drawn to for the cover. Same with Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I enjoyed both books.

I haven’t bought one, but I would definitely pick one up or check one out from a library because of the cover. My book budget generally goes toward certain authors at this point or books that I know I’ll like.

Kind of yes! I bought a book because of it’s size. It was pretty big for a paper back. It was “The Stone of Tears” by Terry Goodkind. I reallly liked it and ended up buying the entire series!

it’s not my sole judgment, but when i’m looking for a book – just any book – the one that appeals to me appearance-wise is more likely to come home with me, simply because it caught my attention and made me want to find out if the inside is as nice as the outside.

When I was in 5th or 6th grade I picked up the first Harry Potter strictly for the cover. It was before it became popular. I remember saying to myself, “ooh I like the way this looks, I will get this instead of my next Narnia book.” ...Because yes I was that kid. A year later it was all the rage. So, apparently my visual perception is quite good.

@IBERnineD – the Harry Potter books were illustrated by an artist named Mary GrandPré who is actually from the area I live in (Twin Cities of MN), and many years back when the Potter books were first starting to become all the rage, my wife worked as the Office Manager at a local veterinary clinic, and Mary brought her pets to them. My wife had a few interesting conversations with her about the phenomenon that was becoming Harry Potter as they watched it unfold.

Satan Burger. I haven’t actually read it yet, though.

Sometimes.

I try not to but I have judged books by their covers for good and bad.

Does Hustler count as a book?

@dalepetrie The centerfold does not count as the “cover”.

If I know the author or the work, no.

If I don’t, the cover can sometimes drive me to look more closely at who the author is and what the work is about.

It depends on the author, contents whichever I am interested in or not.

@dalepetrie Oh that is awesome!

When browsing for a new book to read, I judge by the book name along with the cover. When I come across something that sounds interesting I pick it up to further my inspection and curiosity. It depends on your situation, I guess. Online book shopping is different. The cover is of little importance, because ratings and descriptions are easily available.