The cover:
author's cut

The very phrase "director's cut" tells us that directors do not have full control over their films. The same is true of authors and the covers for their books (and the design of the whole interior for that matter!). As in the film world, in the book world there are a number of people (financiers, marketers and editors) who heavily influence the final outcome of the book, for better and worse.

My "authors's cut" covers (bottom two images to the right) show what I would have chosen--covers that share the book's interior color pallete, its image treatments and its typography.

Maybe if you agree with me we can get Island Press to put one of the author's cut covers on the next printing...