Ricky Martin, Laura Bush: The 11 Worst Memoir Covers Ever (PHOTOS)

Earlier this year, we ruffled just a few feathers by asking if Laura Bush's autobiography cover was, "The scariest author photo ever?"

Responders came out in droves and it got us thinking: What are the other weirdest author photos out there?

You would think that the memoir cover is the easiest cover to do. All you have to do is slap up a picture of the writer, and that's probably enough to make sure the people who were going to buy the book actually buy the book. Little did you know how terribly wrong things could go ...

We found some covers to be scary, some weird and some funny, but all of them to be downright bad. Here are our 11 favorite memoir disasters ...

Remember: taste is subjective. Were we wrong about those we picked? Or did we leave any out?

1 of 11

Ricky Martin - "Me"

1 of 12

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Dickens' Corrections To 'Great Expectations' Manuscript (PHOTOS)

Books We Wish Were Musicals

Madonna Books: 5 Reasons To Love Madonna

Mitt Romney Books Answer Your Burning Questions About The GOP Candidate

Ulysses Anniversary: 6 Surprising Banned Books

Lev Grossman And Others Provide Writing Prompts To Inspire You

comments(105)

Total comments: 105 | Post a Comment

1 of 12

This Cover

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Beautiful Yikes!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Covers

loading...

Top 5 Covers

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[Daoine]

08:47 PM on 09/06/2010

I dunno. I think they all look pretty much like they always did/do. Did I miss something?

[KiAnnaFleur]

12:56 PM on 09/06/2010

"Subjectiv­e" is right. It seems the decider holds especial distaste for portraits of the subject on autobiogra­phy covers. Didn't tickle my brain in the least.

[vrndavan]

02:38 PM on 09/05/2010

I luvs me sum Ricky Martin.

[tploomis]

05:17 AM on 09/04/2010

Laura Bush looks like she wants to bite somebody's neck.

[vrndavan]

02:34 PM on 09/05/2010

I think she's succeeded.

[Bruce Forbes]

10:25 PM on 09/03/2010

I didn't see anything horrid about the John Denver cover.

[vrndavan]

02:34 PM on 09/05/2010

Well it's not so much the cover as it is him.

[robertsandimas]

03:25 PM on 09/06/2010

It may be the "Take me home." Some people use the word "home" as in "I'm headed home" after a fatal diagnosis. Same as "the other side." Just offering a possibilit­y.

[Tartfuel]

08:02 PM on 09/08/2010

Take me home is a reference to his famous song. I find nothing wrong with the cover of most of these books. I think HuffPo is reaching - and missing on this one.

[Middle Ground 1941]

07:18 PM on 09/03/2010

Hey come on! Some of these are good.

I'm a Democrat and never never voted for Bush, but WHAT is wrong with Laura Bush's cover????

I'm just curious. What could be possibly wrong with her cover??? Come ON ya'll !!!!!!

[HDR]

11:16 AM on 09/05/2010

For me it's the blank, dead stare. I've seen roadkill w/ more life in their eyes.

[vrndavan]

02:35 PM on 09/05/2010

Her.

[liberal123]

04:10 PM on 09/03/2010

Rick Springfiel­d looks like doe-eyed Jesus painted on velvet - I'm old enough to remember when he was a hottie.

[tploomis]

05:18 AM on 09/04/2010

I think he looks like Elizabeth Taylor with a mustache and goatee.

[liberal123]

07:16 AM on 09/04/2010

LOL

[vrndavan]

02:37 PM on 09/05/2010

Agree and went to the same plastic surgeon Michael Jackson went to.

[BebeLush]

04:04 PM on 09/03/2010

I remember the first time I saw Rodman's book cover. It made me throw up in my mouth. Years later, it still does.

[Carol Haywood]

11:23 AM on 09/03/2010

You have got to be joking!! Ricky Martin's cover is excellent and certainly not deserving of being in "The 11 Worst Memoir Covers Ever"!

[jusathot]

06:25 AM on 09/04/2010

Agreed..He is lovely/ Are you just looking for an argument?

[vrndavan]

02:39 PM on 09/05/2010

The man is beautiful.

[Stephen Louis Bock]

09:39 AM on 09/03/2010

Ok, the Ricky Martin cover, the term "mug shot" comes to mind.

[jusathot]

06:26 AM on 09/04/2010

Like you can talk.

[Lev Raphael]

08:48 AM on 09/03/2010

The Farr and the Rodman covers were the worst from a design standpoint­: too busy, badly laid out, and poor choice of colors and type font. The others were standard fare, selling the subject. But I do agree that the Bush photo was not attractive­. She would have looked better in a setting where she was more relaxed (and further from the camera) so she didn't look so stiff and artificial­.

[3daywkend]

09:19 PM on 09/02/2010

Jamie Farr should have called it "My Life so Farr".

[Craig 212]

08:32 PM on 09/02/2010

I think the Ricky Martin one looks fine, though I can't imagine ever wanting to read it.

Hasslehoff­'s are the worst, and why does he need TWO memoirs?

[jusathot]

06:41 AM on 09/04/2010

Somehow--y­ou give me the feeling you are not telling the truth about reading Ricky's book.

[vrndavan]

02:41 PM on 09/05/2010

Frankly I wouldn't read any of them. I don't even know who some of them are. But RM's pic...ooo.­.la la

[standish]

06:48 PM on 09/02/2010

Didn't Katharine Hepburn entitle her autobiogra­phy "Me"? And she didn't even need a picture of herself on the cover.

[Lev Raphael]

08:46 AM on 09/03/2010

And wasn't she the one who answered a question about alcohol by saying, "I don't drink. Cold sober, I find myself absolutely fascinatin­g."

[Tartfuel]

08:10 PM on 09/08/2010

That quote is not from Hepburn - who had cocktails regularly, and was very specific about how much ice must be put in the glass (filled to the very top).

[BillyClub]

06:11 PM on 09/02/2010

Did David Hasselhoff do his memoirs in crayons? Is so, they would have matched those ugly covers!