The author and illustrator is much revered for his own weird and wonderful books, yet his 200-plus jacket designs are virtually ignored. Steven Heller celebrates his contribution to a unique era of publishingDeliciously and subversively cryptic, Edward St John Gorey’s books, plays, postcards, toys, stage sets and costumes – indeed an entire lifetime of utterly sublime, mockingly apprehensive artistry and authorship – are celebrated and critically acclaimed by everyone from cultural pundits to goth cultists. The rare front-page New York Times obituary, on 17 April 2000, is testament to Gorey’s eclectic narrative range. “In creating a large body of small work, he made an indelible imprint on noir fiction and on the psyche of his admirers,” Mel Gussow wrote.Yet, understandably, less attention is devoted today to the 200-plus illustrated paperback covers and hardcover jackets that Chicago-born, Harvard-educated Gorey (known to his friends as Ted) created while working as a staff artist, art director, editor and freelance illustrator at various American publishing houses for a large portion of his career. In two brief sentences, his obituary tossed aside this impressive output: “After graduation he remained in Boston, illustrating book jackets. Then he went to New York and worked in the art department at Doubleday, staying late in the office to create his own books.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On January 14, 1963, poet Sylvia Plath published her first novel in England under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas.” The book had a positive but relatively quiet reception; only a few weeks after its publication, on February 11, Plath would die by suicide. It wasn’t published in the US until 1971,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-14 09:50:32 UTC ]
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Last week, the Electric Lit team stayed glued to our phone screens as we tasked our social media followers with anointing the best book cover of 2021. The tournament was full of close calls determined by razor-thin margins (Mona at Sea prevailed over Black Girl Call Home by just five votes in... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Back by popular demand, Electric Literature is hosting our second annual “Best Book Cover of the Year” tournament, where readers determine which cover designs impressed in 2021. Just as the Italian Renaissance was born of the bubonic plague, will covid’s enduring grasp on society inspire... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-11-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of heated discourse surrounding a trend in book covers in which many new releases opt for variations of the same colorful abstractions: The Blob. Somehow deemed appropriate for everything from dystopian debuts to literary fiction bestsellers, these... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-11-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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What did the Book Review look like in 1896, in 1916, in 1962? Scroll down to see what it looked like — and how it changed — through the decades. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:11:48 UTC ]
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Do you know who translated your favorite foreign-language novel? Whoever did wants you to know—as soon as you pick up the book, in fact. That’s why translators are demanding that book publishers credit them on the front covers of the books they translate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Who says you shouldn't judge a book based on its cover? The cover has an important job: to capture your attention. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-24 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Hello, and welcome to the long-overdue (apologies!) round-up of the best UK book covers released in August. As is usual for these round-ups, a few designs were uncredited when this post went live (thankfully, now rectified).To that end, a quick pointer to a recent tweet by Ebyan Egal, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 10:42:04 UTC ]
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Durham's annual literary festival will be headlined by authors including Lemn Sissay, Richard Osman and Leïla Slimani, as the event pivots to a hybrid model following last year's fully digital experience. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-19 05:59:34 UTC ]
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Let's take a look at four recent hardcovers that got dramatic paperback makeovers. Which one wore it better? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-25 10:37:00 UTC ]
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Ten Speed Press and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, better known as the “d.school," are collaborating on a 12-book series focusing on creativity and design. The first title will be published this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Welcome to our highlights from the mailbag of books published in May. We're a little late to the party here, so we'll keep things brief. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-10 19:39:36 UTC ]
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As more and more books for middle grade and YA readers showcase ensemble casts, why do they lack visible disability representation? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-26 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Social media is now a vital platform to promote new titles. And that means jacket designs that hit you ‘hard and quick’Last week’s big literary event was not the publication of a new book, the million-pound signing of a celebrity author or the announcement of a prestigious prize. Instead, it was... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-18 09:00:04 UTC ]
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OnBuy.com, a U.K. marketplace similar to eBay or OfferUp, searched Instagram and determined that the book cover most often appearing on the social media site was Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' with 181,000 posts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Onto March, and with any luck, you'll soon be able to find some of the covers in our monthly round-up on the shelves of your local bookshop before too long. A fine treat it will be too, as there are plenty of lively illustrated children's jackets here, as well as a handful of lovely treatments... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 12:50:29 UTC ]
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Clara Villarosa, the founder of two iconic bookstores, the Hue-Man Experience in Denver and the Hue-Man Experience Bookstore & Cafe in New York City, will curate BIPOC books for the Tattered Cover Bookstore. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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When you look at your shelves, do you see a dominant color scheme? Dive into the world of book cover colors and what they may denote. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-09 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Experts from IDEO, Adobe, SVA, HOK, Designer Fund, and more share book recommendations for designers who want to expand their horizons in 2021 and beyond. Designers in 2021 face some of the biggest challenges of their careers as they help rebuild a society torn asunder by COVID-19, economic... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2021-01-22 06:00:37 UTC ]
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BBC Two's weekly book club series “Between the Covers”, hosted by Sara Cox, is returning for a second series this spring. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-18 14:17:16 UTC ]
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