When I completed my story collection, Long Time Ago Good, the publisher generously allowed me to have a lot of input of the design and look of the book, including the cover. When he asked for suggestions, I looked around my favorite photo archives, searching for Texas photos, and I found several shots I liked at the Library of Congress/NARA site, including the photo to the left.
It’s an aerial shot of the Lakeway resort development west of Austin, on the shores of Lake Travis, as it looked when under construction. Taken around 1971, the photo shows paths that have been bulldozed through the cedars, paths that would become streets.
I thought—think—it a wonderful photograph that fits with the overall tone of the book, especially the Hemingway epigraph, “Long time ago good. Now no good.”
The publisher didn’t think so. “Nobody will know what that is,” he said.
I pointed out that it also sort of looked like a computer chip. That’s pretty cool, right?
The publisher still didn’t like it.
So I went to cover photo number two, which came from the same series of Texas photos. Showing an unfortunate armadillo under attack by a dog, it also visually depicts the theme of the book.
It’s an aerial shot of the Lakeway resort development west of Austin, on the shores of Lake Travis, as it looked when under construction. Taken around 1971, the photo shows paths that have been bulldozed through the cedars, paths that would become streets.
I thought—think—it a wonderful photograph that fits with the overall tone of the book, especially the Hemingway epigraph, “Long time ago good. Now no good.”
The publisher didn’t think so. “Nobody will know what that is,” he said.
I pointed out that it also sort of looked like a computer chip. That’s pretty cool, right?
The publisher still didn’t like it.
So I went to cover photo number two, which came from the same series of Texas photos. Showing an unfortunate armadillo under attack by a dog, it also visually depicts the theme of the book.
The armadillo was the symbol of old Austin. Old Austin is gone, torn to pieces and gone elsewhere, and transformed into something…new….
I cropped the photo down to make the cover, of course. Here’s the original shot:
I cropped the photo down to make the cover, of course. Here’s the original shot:
Omitting the guy holding the armadillo makes a difference. The photo itself is violent; showing the guy expands the violence to include cruelty. But perhaps that would have been more thematically appropriate? Don’t know. The dillo, dog, and guy are all certainly dead by now, and the old city is gone, but they all still make me think.
Coming soon: the forgotten photographer who made these images…..
Coming soon: the forgotten photographer who made these images…..
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