'SilverFin' Cover Art Variations
What will the UK cover art for SilverFin — the first ‘Young Bond’ novel by BBC comedy writer and thriller novelist Charlie Higson — look like when it’s released by Puffin Books on March 3, 2005? In recent weeks, that question has become harder to answer. Keen-eyed Bond fans (okay, obsessive nuts like me) are noticing slight variations of design on images currently making the rounds online.
IFP cover art ----- Amazon.uk cover art ----- Proof cover art
The first image, released by Ian Fleming Publications in August, shows the now familiar electric eels (or whatever those are?) blue pattern artwork, and features the name of author Higson in mixed case below the SilverFin title logo. This same cover art was featured in larger resolution on Amazon.co.uk when the book first appeared for pre-order in September.
But recently Amazon replaced this art with a curious variation. While we still have the blue pattern art, Higson’s name is now missing. Also missing is the part of the SilverFin logo that notes the book as A James Bond Adventure. Instead, a tagline has been added that reads: Meet Bond. James Bond. Seeing as this art not only drops author’s name, but also the publisher’s logo, it is almost certainly NOT the artwork we will see featured on the final book. Instead what we have here is a rare promotional variant which may never appear again (save to desktop).
The Amazon variant seems to be a stepping stone to what could very well be the official final art as seen on the uncorrected proof (revealed here for the very first time). Higson’s name is back, but this time it’s in all capital letters. Also back is the full A James Bond Adventure title logo. Maybe to make doubly certain readers identify this as a James Bond book, this version also features a tagline, but now it reads: My Names is Bond, James Bond.
Set in the 1930s, SilverFin sees a 14-year-old James Bond investigating mysterious goings-on in a remote Scottish castle where a wealthy American is conducting some very disturbing experiments.
There are a total of five books planned in the ‘Young Bond’ series.
Pre-order the UK edition of SilverFin (March 3, 2005)
Pre-order the U.S. edition of SilverFin (April 27, 2005)
Pre-order the SilverFin audio book (March 3, 2005)