Stepback Covers Part II: The History of the Stepback

In the second part of our series, we discuss the history of stepback covers. Also known as “tip-ins,” we explore this design in the context of different genres and publishers during the 20th century.

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The Stepback’s History: The “Tip-In“

The history of stepback covers goes back to the early or mid-20th century. Stepback covers are also known as “tip-ins.” That is what industry types call pages inserted into a book after it is initially bound.

Tip-ins can be placed anywhere among the pages of the book, after the front cover, or at the end. These inserts are usually glued in. The paper is usually of a different stock and texture than the rest of the pages.

“Tipped-in” sheets” were used first in hardbacks. These pages were for special additions such as the author’s autograph, offset prints, photographic images, maps, etc.

Tipped-in Pages in a 20th-Century Hardcover Book: Duel in the Sun

Example of a “tip-in” in Duel in the Sun:

Here is another example of a “tip-in” from Duel the Sun. This page is made of a different type of paper than the book’s usual pages and is glued in.

Here is yet another example of a “tip-in” from Duel In the Sun. See how the page is glued in, not bound to the spine?

And finally, below is an image of the first regular page of this hardcover book that follows the “tip-ins.”

Notice how the page is sewn to the spine and not glued in.

Early 1970s Stepback for The Terminal Man

In the early 1970s, these covers were popular in pulpy genres like science fiction and horror.

I have yet to determine what the first mass-market paperback published with a stepback cover is. Fortunately, I have come upon an early example from 1974. Surprisingly, it’s one book, Michael Crichton’s The Terminal Man, with two versions, both with keyhole designs.

Special thanks to @arkhamlibrarian on Twitter for these images. I highly recommend following her account if you’re even the slightest bit of a bibliophile.

The American paperback version is simple, revealing the only artwork on the page, a floating head connected to wires. When opened, there is no illustration, just the blurb.

Front cover and interior page of The Terminal Man, Michael Crichton, Bantam, 1973, artist unknown

And here is the British Corgi edition of The Terminal Man, which also has a stepback cover.

Stepback of The Terminal Man, Michael Crichton, Corgi, 1974, artist unknown

1976, The Stepback Cover and Horror Fiction

By 1976, paperback publishers—particularly in the horror genre—were using the stepback cover, at least as a gimmick.

The die-cut or cut-away was standard with the stepback. This was to entice the potential buyer by promising a hidden image beneath the cover.

Horror author Graham Masterson had a few memorable diecut/keyhole covers.

The cover for Graham Masterson’s The Manitou,originally published by Pinnacle in 1975 and then republished in 1976, opens up to a sensual yet horrifying image.

Ballantine Books’ The Sentinel by Jeffrey Kovitz is another horror paperback book with a keyhole stepback treatment from 1976.

Artist Lou Feck and the Stepback Cover

1976 would see several stepback covers in various genres with artwork created by talented artist Lou Feck.

First, it was the cover for the Bantam published Burt Hirschfeld potboiler, Aspen. Feck created a tawdry clinch on the front. Inside was a sketch showing an assortment of faces. The image stretched from the edge of the cover to the end of the attached page.

Aspen, Burt Hirshfeld, Bantam, 1976, Lou Feck cover art

Then, later that year, Warner Books’ paperback reprint of Thea Alexander’s “macro-philosophy bestseller” 2150 included a die-cut keyhole cover showing the faces of a man and woman. It reveals a head floating in an outer-space background and a couple who look right out of Logan’s Run when it opened.

Pocket Books, V.C. Andrews and the Keyhole Cover

In 1977, Pocket Books created a stepback with a design similar to what Warner had used for 2150. It, too, had an inner page of artwork and an exterior with a die-cut/keyhole opening. This famous cover was for the bestselling Young Adult/Gothic Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews.

This style became so successful for the publisher and the author that the term “keyhole stepback cover” is now synonymous with Pocket Books and V.C. Andrews.

Staring through a red-shuttered window was the face of the heroine, Cathy Dollanganger. When you opened the cover, it revealed an image of Cathy and her haunted-looking family with their creepy-looking old grandmother looming above them. The artist is Gillian Hills.

Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews, Pocket Books, 1977, Gillian Hills cover art

The Stepback: A Sign of Status and Respectability

In 1977, Avery Corman wrote the riveting social drama Kramer Versus Kramer about a family broken by divorce. The novel was an instant hit, resonating with audiences of the 1970s.

Hollywood adapted it to the big screen into an Academy awrard winning film starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Kramer Versus Kramer has had dozens of reprints over the past 45 years.

The Random House original hardcover edition with an illustration by Paul Davis was standard fare for its time.

However, the original 1977 stepback paperback release was something special. The cover itself was plain and solid shimmering gold with swirling typepace.

The outer cover opened up to reveal sensational artwork by the legendary Morgan Kane, with the faces of each member of the Kramer family conveying a complicated range of emotions.

With Kramer Versus Kramer, the stepback cover ceased to be a mere gimmick for genre fiction. It became a symbol of respectability, indicating that the publisher valued the book’s quality. In order to entice readers, they were willing to invest in enhancing the book’s visual appeal, and a stepback cover undeniably possessed appeal.

The History of the Stepback in Romance Novels

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss‘ Shanna was an exception to the lack of stepbacks in 1970s romance—sort of. This hefty romance had a map insert that you could unfold that showed the Caribbean island of Los Camellos. The fictional island was where Shanna’s family had their plantation.

My original 1977 tradeback copy didn’t include the map, so it must have appeared in a later edition.

However, as nice as the map is to look at, it doesn’t count as artwork. The history of the stepback in romance begins not with Avon but with another publisher.

Your Opinion

The 1970s expansion of the stepback into genre fiction was simply the beginning. Which paperback romance novel was the first to employ a stepback cover? We’ll let you know in the following article!

Where do you stand on romance cover art? Do you like stepback covers? Do you prefer them to regular clinches? Does the modern cartoon illustration style that’s being used today appeal to you more? Or does cover art not concern you that much, thanks to e-readers?

Whatever is on your mind, we’d love to hear what you think. Please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.

• Part I: Stepbacks Are Back!
• Stepback Covers Part II: The History of the Stepback
• Stepback Covers Part III: The First Stepback in Romance
• Part IV: 1980s Stepbacks
• Stepback Covers Part V: 1990s Stepbacks
• Stepback Covers Part VI: Stepback Saturday
• Part VII: Stepback & Modern Romance Novels

Links

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