Book Beat:Covers contain vital content clues

Most of us have heard the old saying that "You can't judge a book by its cover," but I heartily disagree.

Of course you can judge a book by its cover. In fact, publishers, publicists, authors and bookstores want you to do just that.

They go to a lot of trouble and expense to make sure you know exactly what to expect when you buy one of their volumes. They count on that expectation to attract you to it in the first place. They'll deploy any combination of graphics, typography, paper types and printing techniques (raised lettering, psychedelic colors) on the cover to grab your attention and signal the contents of the book...