The purpose of cover art is to sell books. Whether browsing the shelves of a bookstore or the catalog of an online dealer, when you come across a really striking image, you’re going to want to pick it up and find out what the book is all about. Unfortunately, sometimes the contents of the book don’t match up to what’s promised on the cover. Whether it’s because of tight deadlines and no time to commission a better cover, or deliberate deception on the part of the marketing department, it’s happened many a time. I’d say it occurs much more rarely today, because big publishers don’t bother putting anything interesting on their covers any more, but in the past, it was almost common practice. Here are a few examples from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.

The Shadow People by Margaret St. Clair (Dell Publishing, 1969)
One look at Jeff Jones’ painting of a shirtless barbarian wielding a massive sword would lead you to believe you’re getting a sword-and-sorcery novel in the Howardian style. Truthfully, The Shadow People begins in present-day Berkeley, California when the main character discovers the existence of “The Underearth,” which is populated by dark elves with ill intentions for the people above. While The Shadow People is a tale of strange adventure, it's not one of blood and thunder, and no mightily-thewed barbarians appear within its pages.

The Wanderer’s Necklace by H. Rider Haggard (Zebra Books, 1978)
If there’s any doubt as to how popular sword-and-sorcery was in the late ‘70s, Zebra’s decisions in packaging this Haggard novel should be evidence enough. Not only does it sport an army of menacing undead warriors (painted by Ken Barr), it’s even labeled “Sword & Sorcery” on the spine! Considering The Wanderer’s Necklace was published in 1914, a decade and a half before Robert E. Howard’s “The Shadow Kingdom,” calling it S&S is a stretch. Categorizing it as “Heroic Fantasy,” as Zebra did with their reprint of Eric Brighteyes, would have been more accurate.

Eric Brighteyes by H. Rider Haggard (Zebra Books, 1982)
Zebra may have gotten the genre right for Haggard’s classic viking saga Eric Brighteyes, but not the cover for the 1982 edition. A dude with a laser blaster in one hand and a scantily-clad space princess in the other? I don’t even know what to say. Were they trying to lure in Star Wars fans? Even more perplexing, this replaced the art for Zebra’s ’78 edition, which had a serviceable, if not wholly accurate, cover of a warrior with a sword battling a dragon.

The Little People by John Christopher (Avon Books, 1968)
When I found this book in a bargain bin, there was no way I could pass it up. Whip-wielding Nazi leprechauns for only a buck? How could I go wrong? The cover looked trashy, pulpy, ridiculous, and fun. The book was none of those. The Little People is a very dull psychological drama with some science fiction elements, and the “pure terror” and “carefully laid-on horror” the cover blurb promised was limited to the penultimate chapter. Alas, I’m still searching for the great Nazi leprechaun novel…

D.M. Ritzlin founded DMR Books in 2015 with the aim of revitalizing sword-and-sorcery literature. DMR’s publications include reprints of classic material by authors such as Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as brand-new collections and anthologies by some of the finest fantasy writers active today. A collection of his own stories, Necromancy in Nilztiria, was released in October 2020. Nilztiria is a strange world of adventure, peopled by lusty heroes and callous villains. The thirteen sword-and-sorcery stories presented in Necromancy in Nilztiria place the emphasis on sorcery and mix in a touch of gallows humor. Click the cover for more information. Unlike the other books shown in this article, Necromancy in Nilztiria delivers on what its cover promises!