Edward Gorey: cover star of book design

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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Latitude launches London Book Club

Latitude Festival is launching a monthly book club in London, with the first to be held today... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'Bring Up the Bodies' is a compelling re-creation

Hilary Mantel returns to the vicious world of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell's maneuverings.Bring Up the Bodies Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York books find foreign audience

TV shows and Hollywood blockbusters aren't America's only cultural exports. The book industry is also expanding overseas, according to a report released Friday by the Association of American Publishers that looks at book exports for the first time. Exports by U.S. publishers, which are dominated... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A bet on books' continuing pop-hop

At the new Pop-Hop Books & Print in Highland Park, a pair of print aficionados believes that others, like themselves, cling to the page in the age of ebooks.Like a bad love affair, they kept it a secret from their families as long as they could. Because in 2012, who can admit the thing they... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher Settles in E-book Price Fixing Case

Simon & Schuster becomes the latest publisher to settle an antitrust claim by a team of states, while Macmillan, Penguin, and Apple fight on. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collins & Brown snips up Mollie Makes books

Collins & Brown has acquired a series of titles in a partnership with craft magazine Mollie... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Five Puffin titles on IBW Book Awards shortlists

Andrew Miller's Costa-winning Pure (Sceptre) and five Puffin titles have been shortlisted for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Accent Press acquires celeb bake book

Accent Press is publishing a celebrity baking title, with a foreword by "Great British Bake... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'Second Person Singular' by Sayed Kashua

A lawyer and a caretaker with similar backgrounds follow different paths in contemporary Jerusalem with the same motivation: to leave their small-town Arab lives behind and be accepted for the new personas they have created.Early in the novel, "Second Person Singular," a main character known... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More Baking for BBC Books

BBC Books is adding to the roster of "Great British Bake Off" titles, with a new July... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book collusion case 'plausible', says judge

A US district judge has denied a motion to dismiss the civil suits filed against five publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chronicling Discovery: The Online Journals of Rare-Book Collectors

Curators of rare books are finding that blogging gives their discoveries greater exposure, an example of how virtual work can support even the most tactile of pursuits. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biography of Edward Grey to Biteback

Biteback Publishing has acquired a biography of Edwardian foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Does booze ruin book clubs?

Ana Sampson, co-author of The Book Club Bible, tells The World At One's Martha Kearney about the do's and dont's of literary circles. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Granddad's diaries inspire children's book winner

The  chance discovery of diaries depicting the horrors of war through the eyes of a boy soldier inspired the book that has won this year's highest honour for children's literature. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Allows Class-Action Lawsuit on E-Book Pricing to Go Ahead

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Apple and several major book publishers’ motions to dismiss a class-action lawsuit that accuses the companies of conspiring to control the price of ebooks. In denying the request, Judge Denise Cote of the ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morpurgo in book festival line-up

War Horse author Michael Morpurgo and journalist John Pilger are among the guests at this year's London Literature Festival. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How fast can they write? E-books push writer productivity

A dozen books a year? Some writers are accelerating the pace in this brave new world of ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple E-Book Lawsuit: Steve Jobs Swayed Publisher, Complaint Alleges

The complaint says that Jobs was enlisted to sell high-ranking officials in the publisher’s parent company on the wisdom of the proposed pricing scheme. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Flooved offers digital book subs

A start-up digital textbook platform has agreed terms with 12 publishers ahead of a 1st September... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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