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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Dutch book chain Selexyz files for bankruptcy

Book chain Selexyz, not long ago the dominant force in Dutch high street bookselling, is on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Duddle wins Waterstones Children's Book Prize

Jonny Duddle, a concept artist for the new Aardman Animation film "The Pirates! In An... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hardie Grant signs cookery blog book

Hardie Grant UK has signed a vegetarian cookery title based on the blog Green Kitchen Stories.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Star Wars' novels: still on bestseller lists

The newest 'Star Wars' novel, 'Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse,' holds the No. 8 slot on the New York Times bestseller list. Success has become the norm for the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling's Website Starts Selling Harry Potter E-Books

It didn't take a Hogwarts magician to know this day would eventually come. The bookstore feature of J.K. Rowling's Pottermore website went live Tuesday, enabling English-language readers to buy the digital editions of all seven Harry Potter novels—and the audiobook editions—from anywhere in the... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What To Read On Your New iPad: Fast Company's Retina-Optimized Mark Zuckerberg Cover Story!

The April 2012 issue of Fast Company is now available on the iTunes Store, and it's optimized for reading on the new iPad. The image below shows how much sharper the type looks when viewed on the new iPad with the Retina display. The images are in high definition, too, rasterized at four times... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter E-Books Finally Arrive on J.K. Rowling's Pottermore

Pottermore was due to go live in October, but it missed its launch. The is expected to open to the public early next month. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvel Offers Digital Extras for Comic Book Fans

Next month, Marvel Comics will release a new application to add content enhanced with augmented reality to some of its comic books. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trust Buster Takes Hard Line As E-Book Probe Continues

The Justice Department's top antitrust official says she won't stand by quietly if companies make agreements with rivals on price, signaling a stern stance as the department conducts a high-profile probe into electronic-book publishing. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'The New Republic' by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver deftly handles terrorism, politics and satire in 'The New Republic.'It takes guts to write a satire about terrorism — and Lionel Shriver has guts. She has already published biting novels about the failings of the U.S. healthcare system ("So Much for That") and a school shooter... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'The Idea Factory' by Jon Gertner

A look at AT&T's Bell Labs documents what in its heyday was truly a marvelous innovation machine and focuses on a handful of compelling narratives.For generations of industry research executives, AT&T's Bell Telephone Laboratories served as an inspiration: a warren of youthful scientists... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'The Stranger Within Sarah Stein'

Thane Rosenbaum skillfully mixes fantasy and tragedy in 'The Stranger Within Sarah Stein,' whose heroine weathers her parents' divorce with pluck and defiance.Young adult novelists are increasingly tackling darker subjects: kidnappings, drugs, rape. But few have delved into so many dark subjects... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OUP grows picture book list

Oxford University Press has appointed a new commissioning editor with a view to expanding its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Schnittman leaves Bloomsbury for Hachette Book Group

Hachette Book Group has appointed Evan Schnittman to the role of executive vice  president,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'These Dreams of You' by Steve Erickson

In 'These Dreams of You,' Steve Erickson writes incisively and movingly about issues of family and race, but the novel goes off the rails with tangents.Zan Nordhoc's unhappy family is certainly unhappy in its own ways in Steve Erickson's new novel "These Dreams of You." For instance, in a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'The Escape Artists' by Noam Scheiber and 'Confidence Men' by Ron Suskind

In 'The Escape Artists' by Noam Scheiber and 'Confidence Men' by Ron Suskind, President Obama's economic recovery plan and his advisors are in the spotlight, but the books' analyses are off the mark in places.On Oct. 28 and 29, 1929, when the great crash devastated the stock market, Herbert... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier imprint to publish scented books

Bonnier-owned Autumn Publishing Group is to launch Smellessence, a division which will use new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA calls for nominations for IBW Book Award

The Booksellers Association is calling for publishers to nominate titles for the Independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: Row over China

The London Book Fair is criticised by a leading Chinese dissident for inviting only writers approved by the Chinese communist authorities. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stranger Than Fiction: Oprah Was Bad for Book Sales

By encouraging readers to tackle longer, more sophisticated novels, the queen of daytime TV may have hurt overall fiction sales. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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