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From: davidl@teklds.UUCP (David Levine)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Back cover blurbs
Message-ID: <1536@teklds.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 22-Jan-86 13:04:52 EST
Article-I.D.: teklds.1536
Posted: Wed Jan 22 13:04:52 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jan-86 11:17:16 EST
References: <493@anasazi.UUCP>
Reply-To: davidl@teklds.UUCP (David Levine)
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 24

Anne McCaffrey said it best:  "Back cover blurb writers have only two goals 
in life.  The first is to give everything away.  The second is to get it all 
wrong!"  This statement pretty much sums up my opinion of back cover blurbs.  
I generally try to avoid reading the back cover until after I've finished the 
book; I rely on reviews (especially reviews in net.sf-lovers and net.books) 
for information about books I'm considering purchasing.

That's why I'm disappointed and chagrined to find several recent reviews in
net.sf-lovers that begin with the back cover blurb, verbatim.  I could
understand it if the reviewer feels that the blurb sums up the book better 
than he or she could, but in some of these the reviewer follows the quote of 
the blurb with something like "As usual, the jacket description is rather 
overblown and misleading."  If this is the case, why include the blurb as the
first screen or more of the review?

I don't recall whether it's one particular reviewer that's doing this, or
several different ones.  I just wish {he,she,they} would stop.  Just review 
the book, please, and if we want to read the back cover we can do it in the
bookstore or library.

I hope that this doesn't lead to any flames.  Help keep sf-lovers civil!

David D. Levine (...{decvax,ihnp4,hplabs}!tektronix!teklds!davidl) [UUCP]
                (davidl%teklds%tektronix@csnet-relay.arpa)         [ARPA]