Inspiring Older Readers

posted on 08 Nov 2016

Classic Penguin: Cover To Cover  edited by Paul Buckley

Penguin Books have been at the cutting edge of paperback design since their inception. One of their most impressive characteristics has been their ability to rethink and reinvent the jackets for different generations without compromising their essentially iconic status. I personally grew up with the black classics, the grey modern masters and the orange fiction – all illustrated by famous contemporary artists or featuring artworks from the great collections in galleries and museums. Their instinct for the perfect cover only rarely failed them in my experience.

This new book takes us on a tour of the latest generation of Penguin design in the company of the creative director who has masterminded the new covers – Paul Buckley.  What we get here is really knockout stuff – beautiful detailed photographs of the cover art with insights from the illustrators who produced the goods and designers who commissioned the work and it’s all presented in a daring format that mixes fonts and graphics in a dynamic way. To be fair, it took me a little while to discover the best way of looking at the book – what seems a bit confusing at first resolves itself into an fabulous entertainment if you concentrate rather than graze over the pages.

In the age of digital downloads publishers are hitting back with designs that are simply magnificent – I genuinely believe we’re in an age of high art when it comes to contemporary book design. Paperbacks as well as hardbacks are now objects of real desire and this has become an art form that showcases some of the best of British, European and US contemporary design. What Penguin have done is to go for high quality illustration, risky layouts and bold colour – and it works a treat. What they are calling ‘classic’ is essentially the kind of books that would have been part of the ‘modern masters’ portfolio in the past but which are now standards that could easily become wallpaper or background if they weren’t repackaged and invigorated by this new approach.

There’s way too much great stuff for me to be able to show you here but the few examples I’ve picked out might give you a feel for how this book positively throbs with wonderful book jackets. The text really enhances the experience too – the insights from the illustrators about how they interpreted what they had in front of them really helps cast a light on the book’s content as well as its shelf identity.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough if you love Penguins and love to have beautiful books in your hands. It’s new out – just go and get a copy. Now.

 

Terry Potter

November 2016

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