Other reviewers are right that this feels a little misnamed. Most of the featured covers are ones that did make it all the way to the published edition. Still, I really liked getting to see some of the rough sketches for those, as well as the ones that didn't make it in. It's neat to get a little peak into the decisions that go on behind the scenes. Wish there'd been more could've-beens though, and also wish there'd been a little more detail around some of the ones that got passed over. Often there was just a sentence explanation for why something was passed on. ( )

The rejected covers in this book are sometimes fascinating and sometimes baffling, but the stories behind them are what is most fascinating about this book. It's also amazing how differently people view the same piece of art. ( )

The stories behind New Yorker covers that did or didn't make the final cut, for various reasons. Enjoyable but not terrific. I probably shouldn’t have bought this and am not sure if I’ll keep it. ( )

From the front flap:
{New Yorker covers} attempt, every single week, to capture the aspects of our culture that are just beyond conscious grasp.

I enjoyed The Rejection Collection (the first in New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff’s books of rejected cartoon submissions) and was happy to see this coffee-table treatment of rejected covers by New Yorker art editor Mouly (who is btw married to artist/memoirist Art Spiegelman).

And there are a couple hundred covers here, in all stages of conception and finalization, well-reproduced and mostly in full color, organized into sections on Race/Ethnicity; Sex; Religion; Politics; Celebrities; Wars/Disasters; Taboos; and accompanied by commentary from Mouly and the artists about how time sensitivities (the news cycle), cultural sensitivities, and the right combo of clarity/subtlety combine to yay or nay a cover.

It's very good, my only quibble being that, contrary to the title and subtitle, it’s actually as much about controversial covers that were published as about “blown” covers, and thus feels a little short. ( )