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F Scott Fitzgerald anniversary editions

Books, Graphic Design, Illustration

Posted by Mark Sinclair, 19 August 2010, 10:20    Permalink    Comments (26)

Penguin Classics is set to publish a set of six new editions of F Scott Fitzgerald's work later this year, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith...

The new hardback editions will publish on 4 November, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the writer's death on 21 December 1940. Scott Fitzgerald died in Hollywood, California aged just 44.

Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, a senior cover designer at Penguin, the new editions aim to reflect, she says, "the elegance and glamour of the Art Deco period [and a] sense of ornate detail fused with the modernist aesthetic of mechanical repetition."

This is a particularly handsome series, complete with gold, silver and bronze-foiled Jazz Age patterns, and each book feels great in the hand. Bickford-Smith has also incorporated a detachable bookmark into each edition, on the inside-back of the dust jacket (above). The typeface used throughout is Penumbra Serif.

The six books in the series are The Beautiful and Damned; Flapper and Philosophers: The Collected Short Stories of F Scott Fitzgerald; The Great Gatsby; The Last Tycoon; Tender is the Night; and This Side of Paradise.

The new series is available to pre-order from penguin.co.uk.

26 Comments

beautiful.
caleb
2010-08-19 11:03:08

those are real pretty and would decorate any bookshelf very nicely!! Practical and pretty (=
Mei
2010-08-19 11:16:27

Anyone know the typeface?
Sandro
2010-08-19 11:56:25

@Sandro
I'll check with Coralie - good question.
CR Mark Sinclair
2010-08-19 12:10:35

These are fabulous editions and worth buying for the design alone. And if they encourage people to revisit Fitzgerald, even better. His best work is about the sadness beneath such a glamorous time, so the covers work brilliantly with the text too. I'm sure he'd have approved!
Johnny
2010-08-19 12:27:58

Typeface is Penumbra Serif (updated above)
CR Mark Sinclair
2010-08-19 12:28:01

Editions like this is why digital books will never really replace actual books.
nojackla
2010-08-19 12:58:09

wrapping novels in wallpaper is pretty similar to what we used to do with our school books
Ike
2010-08-19 15:50:39

But what's the text typeface?
Stefan Leszczuk
2010-08-19 16:36:36

I'd rather get a complete set of Fitzgerald in the Library of America, but I haven't bothered getting the first volume (1920--22) because LoA doesn't have a complete set yet. What's the copyright status at this point on Fitzgerald? Maybe these Penguin editions will prompt LoA to finish up Fitzgerald, especially if everything's becoming public domain.
Mike Ehling
2010-08-20 05:14:50

Who designed this? The Sales department or the Design Department. First rule of sales in publishing - If you need a sure seller, splash a bit of Gold, Silver or Bronze on the cover. It'll run out the shop door.
pete
2010-08-20 10:23:00

Pete, you're totally wrong, first rule of sales in publishing is spend as little as possible, sell as many as you can. The sales and marketing departments hate spending money on foils, embossing, etc...



JW
2010-08-20 11:48:00

What paper stock is used, a great cover and binding is all very well but if the text is printed on the usual uncoated stock, like some limited editions are, then you might as well order an ebook.
If publishers are going to compete with eBooks in the future then they need to think quality paper as well as quality binding. I would be happy to pay more for such a book.
C Peake
2010-08-20 12:53:07

Beautiful. Sophisticated. Good enough to eat.
Chris Hannah
2010-08-20 13:43:57

Excellent work as usual from Coralie Bickford-Smith.
James Hutcheson
2010-08-20 13:48:37

These are breathtakingly lovely. I take my hat off to Coralie!
Sarah Coleman
2010-08-20 14:04:28

JW is very correct. Pete I think your thinking to hard, I think they look really simple and very striking. Now I'm thinking too hard.
emily
2010-08-20 14:20:04

ok step one ... now let's move to the more exciting solutions?
giorgio
2010-08-20 14:38:57

I think these are delightful and anyone who doesn't needs their bumps feeling
alan herron
2010-08-20 14:41:06

Beautiful. Coralie's done it again.
mecob
2010-08-20 15:32:54

Beautifull stuff - That is all!
James Fenton
2010-08-20 16:51:00

Will they be available in the US? Some very lovely recent Penguin Classic editions are not unfortunately.
Fleetstreet
2010-08-20 17:58:47

Now this is nice.
Graphic Design Manchester
2010-08-30 10:23:47

I think the designs are okay but completely, and I mean completely, derivative. I read an interesting interview with Ian Brody in a friend's CR recently and this particular piece of work perfectly illustrates his view that there is no exciting or original work being created by today's designers.

I agree with Giorgios' comment "ok step one ... now let's move to the more exciting solutions".
Bob
2010-09-03 13:15:57

Derivative they may be, but I love the Tender is the Night cover greatly
pickle design
2010-12-01 11:01:53

I can't find these on http://us.penguingroup.com :(

Suggestions?
THE-LOUDMOUTH
2011-02-15 23:41:17

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