Design
The cover art to the novel ‘The Hours Before’ was created by Robert Stephen Parry in the manner of the Art Nouveau (Jugenstil) fashion in art and design that was popular during the period in which the novel takes place. It features a window frame through which we see a woman dressed in typical Belle Époque fashions of the 1900s, including an extravagant hat trimmed with swan’s feathers. Behind her is a clock, the face shown in reverse, suggesting that the reader might be viewing the cover image as if in a mirror. The title, sub-title and author’s name are all in art-nouveau-style fonts, and a series of elegant scrolls surround the frame.
Next ... a quick video showing how a slightly earlier version of the cover was put together. Music by Handel.
