About the Cover Illlustration

The figure on the cover of Single Page Web Applications is captioned “Gobenador de la Abisinia,” or the governor of Abyssinia, today called Ethiopia. The illustration is taken from a Spanish compendium of regional dress customs first published in Madrid in 1799. The book’s title page states:

Coleccion general de los Trages que usan actualmente todas las Nacionas del Mundo desubierto, dibujados y grabados con la mayor exactitud por R.M.V.A.R. Obra muy util y en special para los que tienen la del viajero universal.

Which we translate, as literally as possible, thus:

General collection of costumes currently used in the nations of the known world, designed and printed with great exactitude by R.M.V.A.R. This work is very useful especially for those who hold themselves to be universal travelers.

Although nothing is known of the designers, engravers, and workers who colored this illustration by hand, the “exactitude” of their execution is evident in this drawing. The “Gobenador de la Abisinia” is just one of many figures in this colorful collection. Their diversity speaks vividly of the uniqueness and individuality of costumes from different countries around the world just 200 years ago.

We at Manning celebrate the inventiveness, the initiative, and the fun of the computer business with book covers based on the rich diversity of life of two centuries ago brought back to life by the pictures from this collection.