“Book Covers Matter -
Book Covers Matter”
The above is the age-old Mantra of
publishers, book designers, and authors alike.
Then there’s the Secondary Mantra for
Historical Novels!
“Historical Accuracy is
a Must- Historical Accuracy is a Must”
~
And one would suppose that in the sphere of Historical Romance the Accuracy Mantra would be essential to
depict accurately a Genre, Period in History, and Theme.
Not so, Not so... Anything goes!
Sadly, Historical Romance novels have
transitioned across the years from the early days of elegant covers with
inanimate objects or sensual painted pose.
to the Bodice-Ripper era
to the Headless or semi-headless Heroine era
to the now Fantasy era of women bare-backed/half stripped, and those models in modern shirts.
Ahhhhhhhhh The shirt is all Wrong!
Effectively covers have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous
with supposed Historical Heroines depicted wearing modern Prom dresses or Fancy Dress
Disneyesque frocks instead of Period
Perfect Gowns. If that wasn’t enough to have officiandos of Historical accuracy
cringing as they peruse book lists at Amazon, the mens' shirts can cause outrage amidst re-enactor communities and
the Period Specific nerds, the latter of which I am one of many!
A shirtless hero is by far preferable to one wearing incorrect
attire for the period depicted within the pages of the novel.
Nap-Shirt
Lace Jabot
And it should be
remembered button-through shirts
didn’t exist prior to the 18th and throughout the Georgian period as
a whole - inclusive the Regency period. But true enough, during the late Victorian
era button-through shirts gradually came to fruition. So do not have your hero or
heroine unbuttoning his shirt, unless you are writing a late-Victorian/Edwardian
era novel. And remember smock shirts were still customary wear for the average
Joe, as were nightshirts. It may also surprise readers and authors to learn ready-made
attachments, such as frilled cuffs and a jabot - the former affixed with looped-through
ties and the latter with back-buttons.
Button-Through Victorian Dress shirt!
Don't you just love that moustache... Tickle me, do...
