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2nd out of 31 books
—
16 voters
Penguin by Design: A Cover Story 1935-2005
by
Phil Baines
"Ever-since the creation of the first Penguin paperbacks in 1935, their jackets have become a constantly evolving part of Britain's culture and design history." By looking back at seventy years of Penguin paperbacks, Phil Baines charts the development of British publishing, book-cover design and the role of artists and designers in creating and defining the Penguin look. C...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
March 28th 2006
by Penguin Books
(first published May 31st 2005)
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A pretty coffee table book covering the history of Penguin Books' cover designs. Penguin has a strong artistic tradition regarding its covers. The orange spines that adorn the covers of this book are readily recognizable to any reader. Over the years Penguin produced many gorgeous covers and a few clunkers, and author Phil Baines curates a collection that includes both.
The original three-panel Penguin covers and the subsequent minor variations are beautiful examples of design. Everything looks...more
The original three-panel Penguin covers and the subsequent minor variations are beautiful examples of design. Everything looks...more
Jan 08, 2010
trishtrash
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
books-about-books,
reference,
history,
art,
illustrated,
graphic-design,
favorites,
non-fiction
This is a gorgeous book… as a bookbinder, I try not to enthuse too much about cover-art since I know it’s the least relevant part of the book to most people (isn’t there some sort of saying…) but if ever there was a book to bring up the subject of looks, this is it. I don’t know if it was available in hardback, but the paperback cover version is lovely, with mock dust-cover flaps, striking, (there’s something about that ‘penguin orange’) and everything about it makes me want to pick it up and re...more
Awesome, awesome book about the history and development of Penguin Books, with specific focus on its evolving design aesthetic. The images of the old covers are to die for: several times, I think, I had to wipe away the drool. The later chapters are a little depressing, however, like seeing an aging actor and thinking, “Damn! He’s really let himself go!” Penguin Books: the Mickey Rourke of publishers.
Fortunately, as with Mr. Rourke, all is not lost: despite letting the general look of its overal...more
Fortunately, as with Mr. Rourke, all is not lost: despite letting the general look of its overal...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 05, 2009
Jamie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Graphic design enthusiasts
Shelves:
books-on-books
When I was thirteen I picked up a thin Puffin YA novel called That Summer and proceeded to fall madly in love with it. It was a perfect storm, combining the writing of Sarah Dessen and the featherlight, delightfully soft pages of the Puffin edition. Almost ten years later, the pages are yellowed and stained with Cheetos (I have the bad habit of reading books while eating them, it is HORRIBLE), and I still profess a love for the book.
This has everything to do with Penguin By Design, even though...more
This has everything to do with Penguin By Design, even though...more
Phil Baines concisely outlines Penguin's history from its founding by Allen Lane in 1935, to the Great Ideas series of 2004. From Edward Young's horizontal grid design, the introduction of the Pelican line (educational nonfiction for the masses), the beautiful Illustrated Classics with their woodcut covers -
King Penguins, Penguin Specials, Puffin Picture Books for children, the short-lived American Penguin, Penguin Modern Painters, the first Classic introduced in 1946, the designers Jan Tschicho...more
King Penguins, Penguin Specials, Puffin Picture Books for children, the short-lived American Penguin, Penguin Modern Painters, the first Classic introduced in 1946, the designers Jan Tschicho...more
2 likes · like · see review
A fascinating book. Penguins are a huge part of my life - we painted a chimney breast in our spare bedroom to look like a giant Penguin Book. This book is all about the design of the books, not the content or the typography, it's about the covers: from the horizontal orange and cream bands of the 1930s through the vertical orange and cream bands of the 50s (my favourite) and all those wonderful Pelicans, Modern Classics, Classics, Specials and Reference books. It doesn't cover the Puffins childr...more
I'm doing research on certain Penguin covers of Victorian novels, which is why I read this book. It proved to be much more interesting than I initially thought, analysing the rise of Penguin and explaining the aesthetic changes going with that. I really liked the material approach this book takes on covers, and the author uses very funny anecdotes, which makes the reading quite enjoyable.
A glorious book! Wonderful for anyone with an interest in book design, typography, publishing or a deep affection for Penguin books. Well written, informative and packed with illustrations (500 colour book covers). Perfect.
An excellent companion to read whilst browsing through Seven Hundred Penguins.
"The typographic planning of the early Penguins was an exercise in discipline, good manners and economic realism which would have reflected credit on the most mature designer."
I like Vintage paperback covers more, but they don't have a book about them yet. And this helped me spot a really old (valuable?) Penguin Paperback at the thrift shop today.
Jan 30, 2011
Dori
is currently reading it
A surprisingly fun romp through the Penguin cover archives, with just enough contextual information to make the book more, rather than less, engaging.
Fascinating look into the history of cover design for Penguin books. A must-read, or at least must-look-at for anyone in print design.
It's purty. Actually it's interesting, too. Penguin's had some of the best cover design in the world, and that's the part I remember; this book reminds me they've also had plenty of awful, tawdry covers. Illustration has not been Penguin's friend. The 70s were deeply unkind to Penguin -- even those paperbacks that should've looked classy, like the white-field type-only Graham Greene novels, just look cheap and...well, Brighton Rock suits them, and so do Muriel Spark's novels of corruption. Plain...more
Brilliant not only as a concise history of the Penguin brand, but also as a more general commentary on how corporate identity can evolve over a 75 year period. While it's easy to think in vague terms about how much a company values its own identity over the aesthetic independence of its products, the some 500 book covers reproduced in this book are visual absolutes, giving concrete proof to the vague notion of identity struggle. The only possible flaw I can see with the book is that it is alread...more
I love the fact that people are reading whole books about covers. You might not read every word of this book, but the pictures are lovely.
Thoroughly enjoyable! I love Penguin books even more after reading this.
Another book cover design book. The bad part is that it makes me want about 500 books that are in there.
first of all, this book is full of all the beautiful covers you can't find on this website without adding them manually. But it's also a fantastic history of the relationship between the company's design and subject matter and the British economy in war and peace, etc. I would bet a lot of money that Ray Davies looks at this on the toilet everyday or however often.
If you grew up spending hours sifting through old pocketbooks at shitty used bookstores like I did, this may have some resonance for you. Otherwise, if you like classic design and branding, it's worth spending some time with.
Shows the development and evolution of the ubiquitous, timeless covers of Penguin books. A worthy addition to a designer's library.
A great reference book that shows that advancement and concept in cover book design. Edited by my typography tutor.
mostly a picture book, but with interesting history on the design of penguin book covers. in my opinion, some of the best design.
Aug 31, 2007
Kathleen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people interested in graphic design and/or the publishing industry
A wonderful reference with tons of amazing Penguin book covers. The history of Penguin is really fascinating.
A book to be seen holding and reading in public.
May 20, 2013
Erwin Rustaman
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Rodney Ulyate
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Sarah
is currently reading it
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Jan 12, 2010 03:23am