Reading Photographs

Anyone interested in more Eggleston covers should follow Ben Levine's tip and check out Karl Baden's Covering Photography, which lists eleven book covers by Eggleston.

Eye Trouble by Martha Ronk (1998)
featuring the photo Tears by Man Ray
Although eleven covers might seem like a lot it's far from the most. According to CP, Man Ray tops the list with forty-one noncommissioned covers including the one shown above. Below are the next ten. No real surprises but still interesting I think.

2. Dorothea Lange (36)
3. Andre Kertesz (30)
T4. Walker Evans (26)
T4. Bill Brandt (26)
6. Joel Meyerowitz (24)
7. Ralph Gibson (23)
8. Henri Cartier-Bresson (22)
9. Brassai (20)
T10. Bruce Davidson (18)
T10. Julia Margaret Cameron (18)

What about photographs? Which ones appear on the most book covers? I haven't found an easy way to check this other than sorting through covers individually. Some top candidates are Dorothea Lange's Tractored Out (4), Berenice Abbot's James Joyce (4), Andre Kertesz' Martinique (3), Bruce Davidson's Brooklyn Gang (3), Bill Brandt's Nude (3), and Rudy Burkhardt's Brooklyn Bridge (3). Can anyone out there find a photograph that appears on more than 4 book covers?

Covering Photography lists over 2,500 photographic covers, each with publication information, a cover shot, and often some supporting text. It's quite a site. After spending a few hours researching just a handful of Eggleston albums, I humbly give props to Baden's huge effort. Someone should create a similar site for album covers. Any volunteers?