diff --git a/resources/images/cover_texture.png b/resources/images/cover_texture.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3fbc804ea8
Binary files /dev/null and b/resources/images/cover_texture.png differ
diff --git a/session.vim b/session.vim
index fbb573e27e..ae2c55bf06 100644
--- a/session.vim
+++ b/session.vim
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ let g:syntastic_cpp_include_dirs = [
             \'/usr/include/qt4/QtGui', 
             \'/usr/include/qt4',
             \'src/qtcurve/common', 'src/qtcurve',
+            \'/usr/include/ImageMagick',
             \]
 let g:syntastic_c_include_dirs = g:syntastic_cpp_include_dirs
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/__init__.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/__init__.py
index 09cc2fbaaf..7a61c7cd96 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/__init__.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/__init__.py
@@ -187,7 +187,9 @@ def calibre_cover(title, author_string, series_string=None,
         lines.append(TextLine(series_string, author_size))
     if logo_path is None:
         logo_path = I('library.png')
-    return create_cover_page(lines, logo_path, output_format='jpg')
+    return create_cover_page(lines, logo_path, output_format='jpg',
+            texture_opacity=0.3, texture_data=I('cover_texture.png',
+                data=True))
 
 UNIT_RE = re.compile(r'^(-*[0-9]*[.]?[0-9]*)\s*(%|em|ex|en|px|mm|cm|in|pt|pc)$')
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/magick/draw.py b/src/calibre/utils/magick/draw.py
index 0bfc806d42..046d0d5224 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/magick/draw.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/magick/draw.py
@@ -245,12 +245,18 @@ class TextLine(object):
 
 
 def create_cover_page(top_lines, logo_path, width=590, height=750,
-        bgcolor='#ffffff', output_format='jpg'):
+        bgcolor='#ffffff', output_format='jpg', texture_data=None,
+        texture_opacity=1.0):
     '''
     Create the standard calibre cover page and return it as a byte string in
     the specified output_format.
     '''
     canvas = create_canvas(width, height, bgcolor)
+    if texture_data and hasattr(canvas, 'texture'):
+        texture = Image()
+        texture.load(texture_data)
+        texture.set_opacity(texture_opacity)
+        canvas.texture(texture)
 
     bottom = 10
     for line in top_lines:
@@ -263,7 +269,7 @@ def create_cover_page(top_lines, logo_path, width=590, height=750,
     if not foot_font:
         foot_font = P('fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Regular.ttf')
     vanity = create_text_arc(__appname__ + ' ' + __version__, 24,
-            font=foot_font)
+            font=foot_font, bgcolor='#00000000')
     lwidth, lheight = vanity.size
     left = int(max(0, (width - lwidth)/2.))
     top  = height - lheight - 10
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/magick/magick.c b/src/calibre/utils/magick/magick.c
index e14c966282..4b336a2531 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/magick/magick.c
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/magick/magick.c
@@ -495,6 +495,7 @@ typedef struct {
 // Method declarations {{{
 static PyObject* magick_Image_compose(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs);
 static PyObject* magick_Image_copy(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs);
+static PyObject* magick_Image_texture(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs);
 // }}}
 
 static void
@@ -926,7 +927,6 @@ magick_Image_flip(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
 }
 // }}}
 
-
 // Image.set_page {{{
 
 static PyObject *
@@ -1114,6 +1114,22 @@ magick_Image_destroy(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
 }
 // }}}
 
+// Image.set_opacity {{{
+
+static PyObject *
+magick_Image_set_opacity(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
+    double opacity;
+    NULL_CHECK(NULL)
+
+   
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "d", &opacity)) return NULL;
+
+    if (!MagickSetImageOpacity(self->wand, opacity)) return magick_set_exception(self->wand);
+
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+// }}}
+
 // Image attr list {{{
 static PyMethodDef magick_Image_methods[] = {
     {"destroy", (PyCFunction)magick_Image_destroy, METH_VARARGS,
@@ -1145,6 +1161,14 @@ static PyMethodDef magick_Image_methods[] = {
      "compose(img, left, top, op) \n\n Compose img using operation op at (left, top)"
     },
 
+    {"texture", (PyCFunction)magick_Image_texture, METH_VARARGS,
+     "texture(img)) \n\n Repeatedly tile img across and down the canvas."
+    },
+
+    {"set_opacity", (PyCFunction)magick_Image_set_opacity, METH_VARARGS,
+     "set_opacity(opacity)) \n\n Set the opacity of this image (between 0.0 - transparent and 1.0 - opaque)"
+    },
+
     {"copy", (PyCFunction)magick_Image_copy, METH_VARARGS,
      "copy(img) \n\n Copy img to self."
     },
@@ -1335,6 +1359,23 @@ magick_Image_copy(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 }
 // }}}
 
+// Image.texture {{{
+static PyObject *
+magick_Image_texture(magick_Image *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
+    PyObject *img;
+    magick_Image *texture;
+
+    NULL_CHECK(NULL)
+
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O!", &magick_ImageType, &img)) return NULL;
+    texture = (magick_Image*)img;
+    if (!IsMagickWand(texture->wand)) {PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, "Not a valid ImageMagick wand"); return NULL;}
+
+    self->wand = MagickTextureImage(self->wand, texture->wand);
+
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
 // }}}
 
 // Module functions {{{