On the point, Nathan Haskell Dole (1895) - poster
The pattern
This still is filed under Lettered cover hook.
Define
The cover is the hook, and the hook is lettering: a title treated as an image.
Mechanism
Type as bait. The words are drawn so they stop the hand before the contents are known.
Verdict
A journal, book, or issue must sell itself on a rack or a feed
Why it works
Everything is reduced to three flat inks and a black contour, so the sheet reads as pattern first and picture second, which is what makes a small poster hold a window. Turning the figure away removes a face to react to and leaves only atmosphere, pushing the viewer to supply the story. Setting the title vertically converts the type into a structural edge of the design instead of a caption, and the publisher and author are demoted to equal-weight blocks at the foot, which signals art object rather than announcement.
Steal this when
Use this when the product is a mood or an experience and any literal depiction would shrink it. The vertical title rail is worth stealing whenever a headline has to fit a tall narrow format without stacking awkwardly.