New jackets

      Cover design crops up occasionally here, sometimes because we are being very critical of a particularly inappropriate or unsuccessful cover, but also when I want to point out something that has been produced with real style or a feel for the material. Back in March I asked if you'd read any W. Somerset Maugham, and I got a great response. Despite all your strong recommendations I have still to read him, but on a superficial level his books are now even more appealing as they have been re-jacketed: click on the picture above to enlarge it and visit Bridgeman to learn about the designs.

  

     More quite beautiful covers, this time by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin, and there is much to swoon over on her site (including that most striking jacket for Anne Fadiman's At Large and at Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist - I happen to like the hardback colour better than that of the paperback). In terms of drawing the potential reader, Coralie's books would grab me!

     You may also be interested to read The Casual Optimist's interview with Coralie and to see what she says about the design process.

Comments

[Rob]

At first I didn't like the new Maugham designs at all - I preferred the old, black and white photographs from the previous covers. I'm coming around to them, though.

[Kirsty]

The only Maugham I've read is 'The Painted Veil', but I highly recommend it.

[Simon T]

I have been coveting those designs in your second picture, but haven't been able to justify it to myself... yet...

[Margaret Powling]

Love all those covers mentioned and agree the hardback dustwrap of the Anne Fadiman is better than the puce-coloured one! I think all this demonstrates that books are not just reading matter, they are also works of art. But similarly we must not forget that the most gorgeous first edition or fancy cover has exactly the same words as the bog-standard paperback. Not that any of these could be considered bog-standard!

[Audrey]

This is something that I haven't thought about very much, but without consciously thinking about it, I'm sure I'm drawn to a beautifully designed book. I'm sure I'll pay closer attention from now on...I have seen the Penguin books and liked them very much.

[Simon (Savidge Reads)]

I love the Maugham covers in fact I have three of them 'Theatre', 'The Magician' and 'Of Human Bondage' and have yet to read any of them. Oops!