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The Perfect FoolRejected Covers Gallery

Rejected Cover #1
Rejected Cover #1

Rejected Cover #1

TailfinThis was the 1st suggestion from 4th Estate.Look at it closely my internet friend. My experience of 12 years as a stand-up is that you can present apparently tasteless material sensitively as long as you don't appear to delight in it.For this reason, I was anxious that the animal-sex material should not be mentioned even in press releases.At first I liked the picture. Then I looked at the tail fin... "I'm not sure about the nun-pig cartoon", I said to the marketing man. "You're right," he said, "she should be blonde and have bigger tits." Hmm, that wasn't really what I meant.

Rejected Cover #2
Rejected Cover #2

Rejected Cover #2

What was our reliable independently contracted designer, Jon Carnall, thinking here? He assures me he did this for a laugh knowing I would panic. I did.

Rejected Cover #3
Rejected Cover #3

Rejected Cover #3

After the pig sex debacle of cover 1, 4th Estate asked me for suggestions. I tried to pluck an image out of the book and settled on the mouse being shot out of the reservation on a firework. I liked this, but I don't know if I'd buy it.

Rejected Cover #4
Rejected Cover #4

Rejected Cover #4

This was better. Though there were worries that it looked like a Science Fiction book. I like Science Fiction (Ray Bradbury, Dick, Vonnegut) and wasn't bothered, but SF is considered a shameful thing in the world of publishing. I think I'll hang this up in my toilet all the same.

Rejected Cover #5
Rejected Cover #5

Rejected Cover #5

I'll hang this up next to it. My toilet has this orange/blue thing going on and they'll complement each other nicely. Even if the book stiffs I'll get some nice stuff to hang up.

Rejected Cover #6
Rejected Cover #6

Rejected Cover #6

Cool. An empty space suit. Who's meant to be in it? What's going on? I am intrigued and so is the consumer. Pedants will point out that it makes no sense for the name ARY Lewis to be written on the suit as he wasn't given that name until he returned from space, to which I say 'Oh, I expect you'd rather have had a cartoon of a blonde nun with huge breasts then!"

Rejected Cover #7
Rejected Cover #7

Rejected Cover #7

Same as above, but on white. Thus, no good for my toilet.

Rejected Cover #8
Rejected Cover #8

Rejected Cover #8

Same as above, but black. How much more black could it get? The answer is... none more black.

Rejected Cover #9
Rejected Cover #9

Rejected Cover #9

Yeah yeah. They pay you for this? You could have just told us it would be red and we could have imagined it.

First Edition Cover
First Edition Cover

First Edition Cover

The first version of the cover that has become familiar to millions of readers of pretentious lowbrow fiction the world over.

Paperback Cover
Paperback Cover

Paperback Cover

The paperback edition (now available at only £6.99) was released in late 2002. Click here to buy The Perfect Fool on Amazon.


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