diff --git a/fanficfare/adapters/base_adapter.py b/fanficfare/adapters/base_adapter.py
index e7ae20b..0b6fe23 100644
--- a/fanficfare/adapters/base_adapter.py
+++ b/fanficfare/adapters/base_adapter.py
@@ -379,10 +379,12 @@ class BaseSiteAdapter(Configurable):
                                                                self.getConfig('allow_unsafe_filename')),
                                      self._fetchUrlRaw,
                                      cover=True)
+                self.story.setMetadata('cover_image','default')
 
             # no new cover, set old cover, if there is one.
             if not self.story.cover and self.oldcover:
                 self.story.oldcover = self.oldcover
+                self.story.setMetadata('cover_image','old')
                 
             # cheesy way to carry calibre bookmark file forward across update.
             if self.calibrebookmark:
diff --git a/fanficfare/configurable.py b/fanficfare/configurable.py
index d0bb323..6cb9646 100644
--- a/fanficfare/configurable.py
+++ b/fanficfare/configurable.py
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ def get_valid_scalar_entries():
                  'seriesHTML',
                  'langcode',
                  'output_css',
+                 'cover_image',
                  ])
 
 def get_valid_entries():
diff --git a/fanficfare/story.py b/fanficfare/story.py
index 9d78fd8..5d4853d 100644
--- a/fanficfare/story.py
+++ b/fanficfare/story.py
@@ -874,6 +874,7 @@ class Story(Configurable):
                 self.imgurls.insert(0,imgurl)
                 newsrc = "images/cover.%s"%ext
                 self.cover=newsrc
+                self.setMetadata('cover_image','specific')
                 self.imgtuples.insert(0,{'newsrc':newsrc,'mime':mime,'data':data})
             else:
                 self.imgurls.append(imgurl)
@@ -888,6 +889,7 @@ class Story(Configurable):
                         not (coverexclusion and re.search(coverexclusion,imgurl)):
                     newsrc = "images/cover.%s"%ext
                     self.cover=newsrc
+                    self.setMetadata('cover_image','first')
                     self.imgtuples.append({'newsrc':newsrc,'mime':mime,'data':data})
                     self.imgurls.append(imgurl)