Designing classics

A couple of months ago, I interviewed Penguin designer Coralie Bickford-Smith in a video about her covers for the Gothic horror series. This last week we had another conversation, this time by email. I'd send her an image file with a question at the top, and then she'd fill the rest of the picture with anything she wanted and send it back, and then I'd send her another one.

This is the conversation, and that's me in the Helvetica:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hardback classics are exclusively available at Waterstone's and through the Waterstone's website. Here's the full list, with a link to an image of each book:

Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
Cranford – Elizabeth Gaskell
Tess of the d'Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

Coralie is too modest to say so, but she also just won an award for best 'Brand or Series Identity' at the British Book Design and Production Awards. She won for the Classic Boys' Adventures series, which you can buy as a complete set with an exclusive poster right here. (Is this not the greatest cover ever?)

And she designed this luxurious three-volume giftset of our new translation of The Arabian Nights (published at the end of the month), which are perhaps the most handsome books I have ever touched:

(Note for possible future misery memoir: Coralie designs books so nice that touching them makes me feel inferior.)

I suppose what I am getting at is that if you were to follow Coralie around and buy every book she designed, you would have a very beautiful library. No doubt her ability to make books so desirable will turn her into a figure of hate during this economic downturn, as she renders people unable to resist buying elegant hardback books, when they should really be eating instead. I am hungry, Coralie! Please stop this! My infant child needs shoes! Coralie, I ate his shoes!

Still, good work.

Alan
Copywriter

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Comments

[Katharine]

What a visually delightful post!

[Robert Burdock]

Highly entertaining post Alan - both for your wit and Coralie's mouth-watering artwork
Rob

[Frances]

Are these available in the US? Files of these images available? Would love to post about them as holiday gifts. Gorgeous!

[Claire]

I want to be Coralie when I grow up...sure I'm 27 already, but hey!

[Alvin]

Lovely!

[sachxn]

Awesome, entertaining and very useful post to be bookmarked and lo I bookmarked it.

[JonathanM]

@Frances, available in the US? They are hardly available in the UK.

[Alan]

Hi Frances,

I'll check and get back to you if I hear otherwise, but I don't think there are plans for them to be sold in the US - but the Waterstone's website will ship there. If you would like pictures, just click the individual title names or check the Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26408069@N05/sets/72157609349507225/

The Arabian Nights set will be sold through Amazon UK and Amazon Canada

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arabian-Nights-Tales-1001-Giftset/dp/0140911669/
http://www.amazon.ca/Arabian-Nights-3-Malcolm-Lyons/dp/0140911669/

Hope that's helpful.

[p01ak]

hi alan,
you didn't get your first link right. great blog, by the way.
best,
p

[Alan]

Thanks p01ak, fixed now.

[Alison]

Fine books from Penguin! This is design that can still my beating heart.

[Frances]

Very helpful, Alan. Thank you very much.

[Aleksander]

I just purchased Crime and Punishment from Waterstones (just hope delivery to Norway doesn't take to long) and I have to say, I love these hardbacks and intend to get my hands on all of them once I can afford to.

I just recently got back into reading classics. Last I read a classic was at school, which is also were I learned to hate them. Now that I've been away from school for about 6 months I've started reading a few of them again and I'm really enjoying them. Having to analyse every word at school really took the fun out of it for me, but now that I'm alowed to read purely for pleasure, I'm really enjoying it.

The thing is though, I don't just want a good read. It's also a bonus if the books look good in the bookshelf, which is why I love these hardbacks. Great works of litterature, and they also look good. I was therefore wondering if Coralie Bickford-Smith has a website where I can see what other books she has designed.

Incidently, if I was in charge of chosing which books to include in this collection I would also have included The Master and Margarita which I think is absolutely brilliant and I recommend that anyone who hasn't already read it to do so.

Thanks for a great blog. I'm currently using it to decide what books to read, and you guys never dissapoint.

[Annie]

This is adorable. Love it.

[Aleksander]

I was wondering if the Arabian Nights collection is a complete collection or not. I've often wanted to aquire this collection, but the books that I've seen in the shops so far have only been a small selection.

[Andy]

Beautiful books. Why on earth doesn't Waterstone's have a store in Tokyo? It's not fair, I tell you, not fair at all!

[Alan]

Hi Aleksander,

The Arabian Nights is indeed a complete edition. (Apparently it's the first time since the 19th century the whole of the Arabian Nights has been translated from the Arabic into English.)

I've also just noticed that the boxset is available from the Book Depository with free worldwide delivery:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=0140911669

Hope that helps.

[Chris]

I already have P&P, S&S, Jane Eyre and The Picture of Dorian Grey :] Now I'm in search of the other six, though I have spotted Great Expectations at a local bookstore.
These books are so beautiful, I was surprised to see how little money they were being sold for. Amazing

[Zana]

Both the visual email interview & Coralie's work are so lovely!

[Angelica]

Hi! Is this available in Australia at all? I've gone to the Waterstone website but they didn't have the whole collection? Has it already sold out?

[Lauren]

I can't seem to find these on the Waterstones site any more - have they been withdrawn?!

[Eva]

Hi! Beautiful amazing covers, congrats!
I tried to go on the Waterstones website to buy them following your link, but it didn't work. I looked all over the website and nothing. Are they sold out? Is there anywhere else where I can buy them?

Thanks!!

[Jane]

Hello, will the Hardback Classics be available again? What is the status? You have so many fans who would like a copy of these beautiful books.

[Michelle Calligaro]

Can we order these from Penguin and if so, what are the ISBNs?

thanks,
Michelle

[Alison]

I'd like to second the question about if and when these will be available again as they are no longer on the Waterstones website. Will they be released on general sale? If not, where might I find them? I neeed them!! Thank you!

[coralie]

Hello,

Thank you for all the lovely comments! I think that the books are going to be reprinted later on in the year and will be available in most bookshops. I will come back with a update as soon as I have more definite information.

Best wishes, Coralie

[Coralie]

Hello,

Sorry for the wait for a response.

These titles will hopefully be available in September this year.

I will leave a list of ISBNs here as soon as its confirmed.

Best, Coralie

[Julia]

I noticed that Amazon had the Cranford edition for pre-order to be released 3 Sep 2009. Is it true that they will be released again?

[carly Atkinson]

I have just completed the full collection of these fab books :)
They look delightfull on my book shelf.

[Meg]

I had not seen this series in Australia but noticed them in suburban Sydney in Borders yesterday.

[John]

These books are attractively designed and may look nice in promotional photographs, but if you examine them closely (as I did in a bookshop) the quality of the paper and binding leaves something to be desires.

Can somebody authoritatively inform us if these books are printed on acid-free paper? If they are not, they will yellow within a few years like other UK-printed penguins. Do they have sewn bindings or are they, like most UK hardcovers, simply glued? If they are glued the spines will crack within in a few years of solid use.

UK-printed books have substantially declined in quality since the sixties. I generally avoid them. I can't understand how the English reader puts up with them, especially considering their inflated prices, especially considering the vastly superior quality of almost every corresponding US hardcover.

[Julian Lockhart]

Very well done!
This post has open a new world of possibility in terms of presenting my blog.

[Coralie]

The clothbound classics have been printed using acid free paper. The second set is to be available from Waterstone's in the UK from October.

[Amelia]

Wondering if you are going to make any more?
The Mayor of Casterbridge?
Love the books!
:)

[kefalonia holidays]

I love the designs on penguin covers. They are always at the front of my book case for all to see.

[Joseph Lira]

wow, that is a pile of pretty books, it is good to be reminded of some of those classics, havent heard about them in a while, I will bookmark your site for future reference, when I am looking for good ideas of books to read.

[Alex]

Lovely books, is the one at the top of the pile Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë?

[Larry]

I just recently got back into reading classics. Last I read a classic was at school, which is also were I learned to hate them. Now that I've been away from school for about 6 months I've started reading a few of them again and I'm really enjoying them. Having to analyse every word at school really took the fun out of it for me, but now that I'm alowed to read purely for pleasure, I'm really enjoying it. http://www.fileclown.com

[Theo Soma]

The amount of times I've wanted to buy these editions instead of old tatty ones for my course but alas I am but a poor student. If I ever have money I'll be sure to purchase the set.

[buchgestaltung]

This is out of one of those best things which I've seen this year! I totally loved it, as it is great for creative inspirations!