Monday 27 July 2009

Great Ideas 4: All 20 Covers

I finally have high-quality scans of all 20 covers for the next round of Penguin's Great Ideas. They are the work of David Pearson (art directing and designing), Phil Baines, Catherine Dixon and Alistair Hall. And they're gorgeous. I especially like this witty cover for Robert Louis Stevenson's An Apology for Idlers...


..but they're all ace. As usual, part of the joy of these books will be found when holding them as physical objects, with all of the embossing, debossing and other such tricks making an encounter with these little books a sensous, tactile, three-dimensional experience (at least for a book tragic like myself).

Click each cover for a big high-resolution version.





















My only complaint, as before with this series, is that many of these are extracts from bigger works, which seems to go against the whole founding ethos of Penguin Books ('COMPLETE UNABRIDGED' as the first Penguin covers had it).

15 comments:

Ricky Lee Grove said...

These covers are lovely. Thanks for the high-res downloads.

JRSM said...

Cunningly designed to make me want to buy the ones I already have in much less attractive covers!

Ian Koviak said...

all beautiful and perfect as with the previous series. Pearson and Banes are king...

John Self said...

Just lovely, some of the best in the whole run of Great Ideas here (plus a few uninspired rehashes). I like the advertising slogan on the Orwell: "Does you Double Good"!

JRSM said...

I was reading all of the tiny type hoping for more gags, but I think that's the only one.

umlaut said...

Stunning stunning stunning.

Christopher Tobias said...

Jaw dropping.

denaedae said...

So impressive. I love the use of quotes on covers. I would try to pick a favorite, but I don't think I can.

Joseph said...

Gorgeous. Thanks for posting these!

JRSM said...

Thanks, all. As John says, this fourth set is the best of the lot.

Phoebe said...

hi jrsm-- how does one email you?

p

JRSM said...

Hi, Phoebe: Try jrsmorrison AT yahoo DOT com DOT au

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I'm here via P_D Smith on twitter. These covers are lovely. Thank you for the preview.

JRSM said...

Welshcakes: My pleasure--they are beautiful books, aren't they?

Anonymous said...

I do like these, and the designer has admittedly been open about his inspiration.
Including Maciej Zbikowski's 1967 design for John Huston movie on Freud
for the design for The Gettysburg Address.
Still, doesn't quite fit with a concept of "Great Ideas" for me though.