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Published May 14, 2018

Book Covers of Note May 2018


America is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo; design by Gray318 (Atlantic Books / May 2018)

A great new entry in the books on book covers genre! 


Awayland by Ramona Ausubel; design by Alex Merto (Riverhead / March 2018)


Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende; design by Chris Bentham (Penguin Books / May 2018)

Related: I have a board of skull covers on Pinterest if that is your thing.


The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin; design by Rachel Willey (Henry Holt / April 2018)


Exactly by Simon Winchester; design by Julian Humphries (William Collins / May 2018)

For some reason this reminded me of a Peter Mendelsund’s 2009(!) cover design for Vintage’s Foucault list. In reality, they don’t actually look that a like at all:


The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan; design Julia Connolly (Harvill Secker / April 2018)


The Honey Farm by Harriet Alida Lye; design by Zoe Norvell (Liveright / May 2018)

This fits both the ‘centred big white type‘ trend and the ‘type and flora‘ trend, but I still like it. 


Invasion by Peadar O’Guilin; cover art by Jeffrey Alan Love (David Fickling Books / March 2018)

Jeffrey also did a cover for The Call, the first book in this series,


It Needs To Look Like We Tried by Todd Robert Petersen; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / May 2019)


The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah; design by Jack Smyth (Simon & Schuster / May 2018) 


A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley; design by Kyle G. Hunter (Graywolf / May 2018)

I have to confess that I’m including this partly because I recently had a conversation with a publisher about a street scene on a book cover. The publisher said the author insisted on using a specific photo, which always makes things difficult, but all the same, I felt the photo could be used more effectively. The cover for A Lucky Man isn’t fancy, but it does the job really well — while there is a sense of place and atmosphere (it may even be recognizable if you know the street?), there is also ambiguity that leaves it open to interpretation. The blue of the authors name echoes the blue of a sign in the photo, but it doesn’t over do it — it’s nicely understated. 


The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner; design by Peter Mendelsund; photograph by Nan Goldin (Scribner / May 2018)

Using a Nan Goldin photo feels like a bold choice — especially for one of the most anticipated books of the year. I don’t know… perhaps Goldin’s photos aren’t as controversial as they once were? It seems appropriate to me, but then I Goldin’s photography. I guess the cover of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihana used a photo by Peter Hujar…?

In any case, it’s quite different look from The Flamethrowers cover (designed by Charlotte Strick), and yet the compositions seem to echo each other (the horizontal bands of title — rectangular photo — author) when you place them side by side:

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson; design by Erin Fitzsimmons (Katherine Tegen Books / May 2018)


The National Debt by Martin Slater; design by Steve Leard (Hurst / May 2018)


On Gravity by A. Zee; design by Jason Alejandro (Princeton University Press / May 2018)


The Pisces by Melissa Broder; design by Rachel Willey (Bloomsbury / May 2018)


See What Can be Done by Lorrie Moore; design by Jonny Pelham (Faber & Faber / May 2019)

You can read about the process behind this cover on the Faber blog.


Sharp by Michelle Dean; design by Bekki Guyatt  (Little, Brown & Co. / April 2018)

The cover of the US edition published by Grove was designed by Gretchen Mergenthaler and Daniel Rembert, and features an illustration by Kathryn Rathke:


Tomb of the Unknown Racist by Blanche McCrary Boyd; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / May 2019)

Nicole’s recent covers for Counterpoint all work quite well together. It’s interesting that snaking curves — a worm, a road, an actual snake! — appears in the background of these three:

Tomb of the Unknown Racist by Blanche McCrary Boyd; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / May 2019)
It Needs To Look Like We Tried by Todd Robert Petersen; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / May 2019)
The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / March 2018)


Why We Fight by Mike Martin; design by Steve Leard (Hurst / May 2018)

Clearly I have a thing for black, white and red covers this month! 

The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah; design by Jack Smyth (Simon & Schuster / May 2018) 
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Published March 16, 2018

Book Covers of Note March 2018

Lots to see this month, including several YA covers (which I know will please some regular readers), some ‘big’ literary fiction, and a couple of confrontational nonfiction covers to round it out. Enjoy!    


Aetherial Worlds by Tatyana Tolstaya; design by Stephanie Ross (Knopf / March 2018)


Beneath the Water by Sarah Painter; design by Emma Rogers (Lake Union / February 2018)

Although it pains me a little to say it, I think Amazon’s ‘book club’ imprint Lake Union are doing an impressive job commissioning appealing covers for their intended market. I would be interested to hear about the process from designers who’ve worked with them.   


The Birth of the RAF 1918 by Richard Overy; design by Richard Green (Allen Lane / March 2018)

The type on this cover is ace. 


The Bleeds by Dimitri Nasrallah; design by David Drummond (Esplanade Books / February 2018) 


Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi; design Richard Deas (Henry Holt / March 2018)


Don’t Call Me Princess by Peggy Orenstein; design Robin Bilardello (Harper / February 2018)


Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi; design by Lizzy Bromley; illustration gg (Simon & Schuster / March 2018)


The End of American World Order by Amitav Acharya; design by David A. Gee (Polity / March 2018)

I feel like there are a lot of stars and stripes covers kicking around right now, but I like the ‘collapsing Venetian blind’ thing going on here.   


A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena; design by Elizabeth H. Clark (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / March 2018)


Graffiti Palace by A.G. Lombardo; design Rodrigo Corral Studio (FSG x MCD / March 2018)


Gun Love by Jennifer Clement; design by Michael Morris (Hogarth / March 2018)

I like this cover very much–especially the type. The illustration and colour combination remind me of Matt Dorfman’s 2011 cover for The Pyschopath Test by Jon Ronson (Riverhead):


The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman; design by Nicole Caputo (Counterpoint / March 2018)

I read The Gunners earlier this year and it’s very good. Recommended if you enjoyed The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.  


The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin; design Yeti Lambregts (Tinder / March 2018)

It’s interesting to see the UK publisher go in such a different direction from the US cover (designed and illustrated by Sandra Chiu) which, as I noted back in January, seems very on trend internationally to me.


In Every Moment We Are Still Alive by Tom Malmquist; design Marina Drukman (Melville House / January 2018)


In Full Flight by John Heminway; design by Janet Hansen (Knopf / February 2018)


The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman; design by Jaya Miceli (Viking / March 2018)

I felt like this cover might be a little too much when I first saw it online, but I bet it will look absolutely stunning in print and piled up on tables.    


I Wrote This Book Because I Love You by Tim Kreider; design by David Litman (Simon & Schuster / March 2018)

For reference, I have a pinboard of contemporary covers that make use of Lydian, the typeface used here. It was designed for American Type Founders by Warren Chappell in 1938, and it’s very distinctive (those ‘R’s!), so it’s interesting to me that it suddenly has this kind of cult popularity.   


The Largess of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson; design by Suzanne Dean (Jonathan Cape / February 2018)

The pencil shavings are delightful of course, but I did immediately think of Peter Mendelsund‘s covers for Leaving the Sea (2014) and The Flame Alphabet (2012) by Ben Marcus.  

The Largess of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson; design by Suzanne Dean (Jonathan Cape / February 2018)


The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo; design by Erin Fitzsimmons; illustration by Gabriel Moreno (Harper Teen / March 2018)

You can read about the design process for the Poet X cover on the Epic Reads blog.


Police: A Field Guide by David Correia and Tyler Wall; design by Matt Avery; illustration by Lauren Nassef (Verso / March 2018)

Can anyone tell me if there is a term for this kind of semi dust jacket? It seems like more than just a belly band. 

The upside-down ‘POLICE’ shield is an interesting decision. It gives the illustration a kind of authenticity (I assume it is based on an actual example), but it also subtly implies something about the contents of the book (as does the not so subtle decision to show a police officer in riot gear rather than more approachable attire!).      


The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst; design by Jenny Carrow (Knopf / March 2018)


Standpoints by Svend Brinkmann; design by David A. Gee (Polity / March 2018)

This is a bit like one Canadian designer called David doing an impression of the ‘other’ Canadian designer called David. Both of them are very idea-driven, and sometimes they do seem to think very alike! I believe they both worked in advertising before turning their attention to design. 


The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews; design by Steve Panton; illustration by Lizzy Stewart (Serpent’s Tail / February 2018)

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Published December 8, 2017

Notable Book Covers of 2017

Since 2010, I’ve posted an annual survey of the year in book covers. The post has expanded and developed over the past 7 years, but essentially it is a collection of the covers published in the previous 12 months that I found interesting or noteworthy in some way. As with the previous couple of years, the 2017 list is organized by covers (alphabetical by title), and by designer so that I can show a greater variety of work, and no one designer or studio dominates. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported the blog this year, and special thanks to all the designers, art directors, authors, publishers, and fellow design enthusiasts who have helped me with covers and design credits. My sincere apologies to the designers and publishers not on this year’s list and whose covers I have overlooked in the past 12 months. 

A post looking back on the YA covers of 2017 is to follow.    


Adult Fantasy by Briohny Doyle design by Laura Thomas (Scribe / July 2017)


Age of Anger by Pankaj Mishra; design by Matthew Young (Allen Lane / February 2017)


The Age of Perpetual Light by Josh Weil; design by Nick Misani (Grove Press / September 2017)


All We Saw by Anne Michaels; design by Janet Hansen; photograph by Jouke Bos (Knopf / October 2017)

Also designed by Janet Hansen:

Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo; design by Janet Hansen (Knopf / August 2017)
A Selfie As Big As the Ritz by Lara Williams; design by Janet Hansen; art by Nathan Manire (Flat Iron Books / October 2017)


Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller; design by Elena Giavaldi; art by Lee Price (Liveright / January 2017)

Also designed by Elena Giavaldi:

White Fur by Jardine Libarie; design by Elena Giavaldi (Hogarth / May 2017)
The Leavers by Lisa Ko; design by Elena Giavaldi (Algonquin / May 2017)


The Angry Chef by Anthony Warner; design by Steven Leard (Oneworld / June 2017)


Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou; design by Gray318 (Serpent’s Tail / April 2017)

Also designed by Gray318:

The Blot by Jonathan Lethem; design by Gray318 (Jonathan Cape / February 2017)
The Beast by Alexander Starritt; design by Gray318 (Head of Zeus / September 2017)
Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic; design by Gray318 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / April 2017)


The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa; design by Peter Mendelsund (New Directions / August 2017)

Also designed by Peter Mendelsund:

A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma; design Peter Mendelsund (W.W. Norton / July 2017)
Civil Wars by David Armitage; design by Peter Mendelsund (Yale University Press / February 2017)
White Tears by Hari Kunzru; design by Peter Mendelsund (Knopf / March 2017)


The Cutaway by Christina Kovac; design by Laywan Kwan (Atria / March 2017)

Also designed by Laywan Kwan:

Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent; design by Laywan Kwan (Scout Press / August 2017)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid; design by Laywan Kwan (Atria / June 2017)


Don’t Save Anything by Jame Salter; design by Zoe Norvell (Counterpoint / November 2017)


England Your England by George Orwell; design by David Pearson (Penguin Modern Classics / March 2017)

Also designed by David Pearson:

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell; design by David Pearson (Penguin / March 2017)
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; design David Pearson (Pluto Press / January 2017)
Black Skins, White Masks by Frantz Fanon; design by David Pearson (Pluto Press / May 2017)


English Uprising by Paul Stocker; design by Jamie Keenan (Melville House / September 2017)

Also designed by Jamie Keenan:

The Poems of Dylan Thomas; design by Jamie Keenan (New Directions / November 2017)
Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia; design Jamie Keenan (Atria / October 2017)
The Nothing by Hanif Kureishi; design by Jamie Keenan (Faber & Faber / May 2017)


The Experiment by Eric Lee; design by David A. Gee (Zed Books / September 2017)

Also designed by David Gee:

Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face by Timothy O’Leary; design by David A. Gee (Unsolicited Press / February 2017)
Storming Heaven by Steve Wright; design by David A. Gee (Pluto Press / July 2017)
I Am Not A Brain by Markus Gabriel; design by David A. Gee (Polity Press / September 2017)


The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo; design by Alison Forner (Simon & Schuster / March 2017)


The Futures by Anna Pitoniak; design by Lauren Harms (Lee Boudreaux Books / January 2017)

Also designed by Lauren Harms:

The Good People by Hannah Kent; design by Lauren Harms (Little, Brown & Co / September 2017)
The Futilitarians by Anne Gisleson; design by Lauren Harms (Little Brown & Co. / August 2017)


Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag; design by Luke Bird (Faber & Faber / April 2017)

Also designed by Luke Bird:

he Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico; design by Luke Bird (Faber & Faber / February 2017)
The Rise The Fall The Rise by Brix Smith Start; design by Luke Bird; photography by Kevin Cummins (Faber & Faber / march 2017)


The Good People by Hannah Kent; design by Rachel Vale (Picador / February 2017)


The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; art direction by Christopher Moisan; illustration by Patrik Svensson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / April 2017)

This HMH cover was my favourite of the new editions of The Handmaid’s Tales, but Noma Bar’s cover for Vintage UK was also nice.


The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler; design by Allison Saltzman (Ecco / March 2017)

Also designed by Allison Saltzman: 

Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen; design by Allison Saltzman (Ecco / October 2017)
Where the Past Begins by Amy Tan; design by Allison Saltzman (Ecco / October 2017)


Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly; design by Alex Merto; photograph by Gregory Reid (W.W. Norton / December 2017)

Also designed by Alex Merto:

The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen; design by Alex Merto (FSG / October 2017)
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott; design by Alex Merto (FSG / September 2017)
Safe by Ryan Gattis; design by Alex Merto (MCD / August 2017)


Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado; design by Kimberly Glyder (Graywolf / October 2017)

Also designed by Kimberly Glyder:

Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota; design by Kimberly Glyder (Viking / July 2017)
Wait Till You See Me Dance by Deb Olin Unferth; design by Kimberly Glyder (Graywolf / March 2017)
Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S J Sindu; design by Kimberly Glyder (Soho Press / June 2017)


Hollow by Owen Egerton; design by Matt Dorfman (Counterpoint / July 2017)

Also designed by Matt Dorfman:

Crossings by Jon Kerstetter; design by Matt Dorfman (Random House / September 2017)
The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore by Jared Yates Sexton; design by Matt Dorfman (Counterpoint / August 2017)
Selection Day by Aravind Adiga; design by Matt Dorfman (Scribner / January 2017)


How Will I Know You? by Jessic Treadway; design by Catherine Casalino; illustration by Henrietta Harris (Grand Central Publishing / August 2017)


I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell; design by Yeti Lambregts (Tinder Press / August 2017)

Also designed by Yeti Lambregts:

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed; design by Yeti Lambregts (Tinder Press / July 2017)
What it Means when a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah; design Yeti Lambregts; illustration: Willian Santiago (Tinder Press / August 2017)


The Idiot by Elif Batuman; design by Suzanne Dean; illustration by Aino-Maija Metsola (Jonathan Cape / June 2017)

Also designed by Suzanne Dean:

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami; design by Suzanne Dean (Harvill Secker / May 2017)
Once Upon a Time in the East by Xiaolu Guo; design Suzanne Dean; photograph by Robin Friend (Chatto & Windus / January 2017)
A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee; design by Suzanne Dean (Chatto & Windus / September 2017)


The Idiot by Elif Batuman; design by Oliver Munday (Penguin / March 2017)

Also designed by Oliver Munday:

I Am the Brother of XX by Fleur Jaeggy; design by Oliver Munday (New Directions / July 2017)
To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann; design by Oliver Munday (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / August 2017)
Shark Drunk by Morten Strøksnes; design by Oliver Munday (Knopf / June 2017)


Insomniac Dreams: Experiments with Time by Vladimir Nabokov compiled and edited by Gennady Barabtarlo; design by Chris Ferrante (Princeton University Press / December 2017)

Also designed by Chris Ferrante:

The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine; design by Chris Ferrante; illustration by Francesco Bongiorni (Princeton University Press / August 2017)
Decolonization: A Short History by Jan C. Jansen & Jürgen Osterhammel; design by Chris Ferrante (Princeton University Press / February 2017)


Jerusalem Ablaze by Orlando Ortega-Medina; design by La Boca (Cloud Lodge Books / January 2017)

Also designed by La Boca: 

The Lawn Job by Chuck Caruso; design by La Boca (Cloud Lodge Books / July 2017)
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez; design La Boca (Granta / April 2017)


Jerzy by Jerome Charyn; design by Alban Fischer (Bellevue Literary Press / March 2017)


Little Deaths by Emma Flint; design by Justine Anweiler (Picador / January 2017)

Also designed by Justine Anweiler:

Pages For You by Sylvia Brownrigg; design by Justine Anweiler (Picador / June 2017)
Pages For Her by Sylvia Brownrigg; design by Justine Anweiler (Picador / June 2017)


Lotus by Lijia Zhang; design by Adly Elewa (Henry Holt / January 2017)


Manly Health and Training by Walt Whitman; design by Richard Ljoenes (Regan Arts / February 2017)


Midlife: A Philosophical Guide by Kieran Setiya; design by Amanda Weiss (Princeton University Press / October 2017)


Narcissism for Beginners by Martine McDonagh; design by Tree Abraham (Unbound / March 2017)


Nicotine by Gregor Hens; design by John Gall (Other Press / January 2017)


One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul; design by C.S. Richardson (Doubleday Canada / March 2017)

Scott was also responsible for my favourite of the (many) Ninety Eighty-Four redesigns this season. 


The Parcel by Anosh Irani; design by Allison Colpoys (Scribe / September 2017)

Also designed by Allison Colpoys:

Things That Helped by Jessica Friedman; design by Allison Colpoys (Scribe / April 2017)
What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz; design Allison Colpoys (Scribe / November 2017)
The Quantum Astrologers Handbook by Michael Brooks; design by Allison Colpoys (Scribe / October 2017)


Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood; design by Rachel Willey (Riverhead / May 2017)

Also designed by Rachel Willey:

New People by Danzy Senna; design by Rachel Willey (Riverhead / August 2017)
X by Chuck Klosterman; design by Rachel Willey (Blue Rider Press / May 2017)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid; design by Rachel Willey (Riverhead / March 2017)


A Separation by Katie Kitamura; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / February 2017)

Also designed by Jaya Miceli:

Next Year for Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson; design by Jaya Miceli; cover art by Jarek Puczel (Scribner / March 2017)
Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta; design by Jaya Miceli (Scribner / August 2017)
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / August 2017)


Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz; design by Kelly Winton (Counterpoint / July 2017)

Strange Heart Beating by Eli Goldstone; design by Jo Walker (Granta / May 2017)

Also designed by Jo Walker:

Bolshoi Confidential by Simon Morrison; design by Jo Walker (Fourth Estate / August 2017)
The Ice by Laline Paull; design by Jo Walker (Fourth Estate / April 2017)
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent; design Jo Walker


Swimmer Among the Stars by Kanishk Tharoor; design by Tyler Comrie (Farrar, Straus and Giroux / March 2017)

Also designed by Tyler Comrie:

The River at Night by Erica Ferencik; design by Tyler Comrie (Scout Press / January 2017)
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan; design by Tyler Comrie (Scribner / June 2017)


The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See; design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Scribner / March 2017)

Also designed by Lauren Peters-Collaer:

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman; design Lauren Peters-Collaer (Simon & Schuster / October 2017)
Why Time Flies by Alan Burdick; design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Simon & Schuster / Janurary 2017)


Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Eka Kurniawan; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / August 2017)

Also designed by Erik Carter:

The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / April 2017)
Locus Solus by Raymond Roussel; design by Erik Carter (New Directions /March 2017)
Is That Kafka? by Reiner Stach; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / February 2017)


Virgin and Other Stories by April Ayers Lawson; design by James Paul Jones (Granta / January 2017)

Also designed by James Paul Jones: 

Democracy and Its Crisis by A.C. Grayling design James Paul Jones (Oneworld / September 2017)
Kompromat by Stanley Johnson; design by James Paul Jones (Oneworld / July 2017)
We Will Not Be Silenced edited by William I. Robinson & Maryam S. Griffin; design by James Paul Jones (Pluto Press / January 2017)


We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Viking / August 2017)

Also designed by Jennifer Griffiths:

The Dead Husband Project by Sarah Meehan Sirk; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Anchor Canada / August 2017)
The Change Room by Karen Connelly; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Random House Canada / April 2017)
Lost in September by Kathleen Winter; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Knopf Canada / September 2017)


Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / June 2017)

Also designed by Greg Heinimann:

Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down by Allan Jones; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / August 2017)
Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / May 2017)
Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / August 2017)


Why Poetry by Matthew Zapruder; design by Sara Wood (Ecco / August 2017)

Also designed by Sara Wood:

Twelve Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson; design Sara Wood (Ecco / September 2017)
A Wife of Noble Character by Yvonne Georgina Puig; design by Sara Wood (St. Martin’s Griffin / August 2017)
No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Watts; design Sara Wood; embroidery by Stephanie Kelly Clark (Ecco / April 2017)


Would Everybody Please Stop? by Jenny Allen; design by Na Kim (Sarah Crichton Books / June 2017)

Also designed by Na Kim:

Knots by Gunnhild Øyehaug; design Na Kim (FSG / July 2017)
Isadora by Amelia Gray; design by Na Kim (FSG / May 2017)


The World Goes On by László Krasznahorkai; design by Paul Sahre (New Directions / November 2017)

The cover of Sahre’s “graphic memoir” Two Dimensional Man is also great. 


Writing Not Writing by Tom Fisher; design by  Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (University of Iowa Press / July 2017)(University of Iowa Press / July 2017)

Also designed by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein:

Evolving Images edited by Nora Glickman &‎ Ariana Huberman; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (University of Texas Press / December 2017)
Limits of Whiteness by Neda Maghbouleh; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Standford University Press / September 2017)
Humankind by Timothy Morton; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Verso / August 2017)


The Zoo of the New edited by Nick Laird & Don Paterson; design by Richard Green (Particular Books / March 2017)

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Published September 19, 2017

Book Covers of Note, September 2017

Here are September’s cover selections with a few extra covers from earlier in the year, just for good measure…


The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by David Ferry; design by Matt Avery (University of Chicago Press / September 2017)


The Age of Perpetual Light by Josh Weil; design by Nick Misani (Grove Press / September 2017)


And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy by Adrian Shirk; design by Jarrod Taylor (Counterpoint / September 2017)


The Beast by Alexander Starritt; design by Gray318 (Head of Zeus / September 2017)


A Book of Untruths by Miranda Doyle; design by Donna Payne (Faber & Faber / June 2017)

I really must do a post on crossings out on covers….


Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down by Allan Jones; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / August 2017)


The Change Room by Karen Connelly; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Random House Canada / April 2017)


Curry by Naben Ruthnum; illustration by Chloe Cushman; series design Ingrid Paulson (Coach House Books / August 2017)


Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackeman; design by Kelly Blair (Knopf / January 2017)


Democracy and Its Crisis by A.C. Grayling design James Paul Jones (Oneworld / September 2017)


Do Not Bring Him Water by Caitlin Scarano; design by Zoe Norvell (Write Bloody / September 2017)


The Dying Detective by Leif GW Persson; design by Oliver Munday (Pantheon / May 2017)


English Uprising by Paul Stocker; design by Jamie Keenan (Melville House / September 2017)


Every Third Thought by Robert McCrum; design by Stuart Wilson; illustration Andrew Davidson (Picador / August 2017)


The Experiment by Eric Lee; design by David A. Gee (Zed Books / September 2017)


I Am Not A Brain by Markus Gabriel; design by David A. Gee (Polity Press / September 2017)


The Last London by Iain Sinclair; design by James Paul Jones (Oneworld / September 2017)


Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta; design by Jaya Miceli (Scribner / August 2017)


My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent; design by Jo Walker (Fourth Estate / August 2017)

The cover of the US edition, published by Riverhead, was designed by Jaya Miceli:

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / August 2017)
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent; design Jo Walker


New People by Danzy Senna; design by Rachel Willey (Riverhead / August 2017)


The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore by Jared Yates Sexton; design by Matt Dorfman (Counterpoint / August 2017)


Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher; design by Jack Smyth (Simon & Schuster / September 2017)


Ruth and Martin’s Album Club by Martin Fitzgerald; design by Dan Mogford (Unbound / September 2017)


Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez; design Oliver McPartlin; photograph Matthew Henry (Arsenal Pulp Press / May 2017)


The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard; design Marina Drukman (Melville House / August 2017)


To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann; design by Oliver Munday (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / August 2017)


We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx; design by Jennifer Griffiths (Viking / August 2017)


You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann; design by Peter Mendelsund (Pantheon / June 2017)

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Published August 4, 2017

Book Covers of Note August 2017

Oh hey, August.


Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson; design by Milan Bozic (Amistad / May 2017)

Robin Billardello‘s cover design for the hardcover of Another Brooklyn, released last year, is also great. 


Bolshoi Confidential by Simon Morrison; design by Jo Walker (Fourth Estate / August 2017)

They’re not really the same, but the cover of Bolshoi Confidential reminded me of La Boca‘s excellent cover design for The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman from a few years ago… 

Bolshoi Confidential by Simon Morrison; design by Jo Walker (Fourth Estate / August 2017)


The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa; design by Peter Mendelsund (New Directions / August 2017)


Everybody Hurts by Joanna Nadin & Anthony McGowan; design by Leo Nickolls (Atom / August 2017)


The Futilitarians by Anne Gisleson; design by Lauren Harms (Little Brown & Co. / August 2017)


The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine; design by Chris Ferrante; illustration by Francesco Bongiorni (Princeton University Press / August 2017)


Humankind by Timothy Morton; design by  Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Verso / August 2017)


I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell; design by Yeti Lambregts (Tinder Press / August 2017)

This is just the latest in a series of great covers for Maggie O’Farrell’s books designed by Yeti. 


I Am the Wolf by Mark Lanegan; design by Alex Camlin (Da Capo / August 2017)


A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma; design by Alex Kirby (Faber & Faber / August 2017)

The cover of the US edition designed by Peter Mendelsund was featured in last month’s post. 

A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma; design Peter Mendelsund (W.W. Norton / July 2017)


Lovers & Strangers by Clair Wills; design by Tom Etherington (Allen Lane / August 2017)


A Man of Shadows by Jeff Noon; design by Will Staehle (Angry Robot / August 2017)


Often I Am Happy by Jens Christian Grøndahl; design by Justine Anweiler (Picador / August 2017)


Safe by Ryan Gattis; design by Alex Merto (MCD / August 2017)


Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz; design by Kelly Winton (Counterpoint / July 2017)


Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo; design by Janet Hansen (Knopf / August 2017)

  
The Story of John Nightly by Tot Taylor; design by Bob & Roberta Smith (Unbound / July 2017)


Such Small Hands by Andres Barba; design by Dan Mogford (Portobello Books / August 2017)


Turf by Elizabeth Crane; design by Kelly Winton (Soft Skull Press / June 2017)


Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Eka Kurniawan; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / August 2017)

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Published July 18, 2017

Book Covers of Note July 2017

Something… something… vacation… something… jetlag…. something… inbox… something… Oh look! It’s July’s book covers!1


Album for the Young (and Old) by Vera Pavlova; design by Janet Hansen (Knopf / April 2017)


Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota; design by Kimberly Glyder (Viking / July 2017)


City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson; design by Steven Leard (Oneworld / July 2017)


The Conference of Birds by Attar, translated by Sholeh Wolpé; design by Jaya Miceli (W. W. Norton / April 2017)


Equipment for Living on Poetry and Pop Music by Michael Robbins; design by Thomas Colligan (Simon & Schuster / July 2017)


Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma; design by Lauren Peters-Collaer (Scribner / June 2017)


Fly Me by Daniel Riley; design by Lucy Kim (Little, Brown & Co. / June 2017)


Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed; design by Yeti Lambregts (Tinder Press / July 2017)


Goodnight Boy by Nikki Sheehan; design by Edward Bettison (Oneworld / July 2017)


The Graybar Hotel by Curtis Dawkins; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / July 2017)

The cover of the US edition, designed by the aforementioned Thomas Colligan for Scribner, is an interesting compare and contrast:


Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave; design by Jennifer Heuer (Simon & Schuster / July 2017)


Hollow by Owen Egerton; design by Matt Dorfman (Counterpoint / July 2017)


I Must Belong Somewhere by Jonathan Dean; design by Dan Mogford (Weidenfeld & Nicolson / May 2017)

(This would be a nice addition to this old list of maps on book covers)


Investigations of a Dog by Franz Kafka, translated by Michael Hofmann; design by John Gall (New Directions / May 2017)


Kompromat by Stanley Johnson; design by James Paul Jones (Oneworld / July 2017)


The Lawn Job by Chuck Caruso; design by La Boca (Cloud Lodge Books / July 2017)


A Life of Adventure and Delight by Akhil Sharma; design Peter Mendelsund (W.W. Norton / July 2017)


The Little Buddhist Monk & The Proof by César Aira; design by Rodrigo Corral; lettering by June Park (New Directions / June 2017)

And as this is two stories in one, you get a fancy back cover too…. 

The covers of the UK editions of César Aira’s books The Little Buddhist Monk, The Proof, and The Seamstress and the Wind, published separately by And Other Stories, were designed by Edward Bettison:


Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz; design by Will Staehle (Harper / June 2017)


Shark Drunk by Morten Strøksnes; design by Oliver Munday (Knopf / June 2017)

(Much as I love Oliver’s cover — particularly his choice of type — it immediately reminded me Tom Lenartowicz’s minimalist Jaws design)


Smoke by Dan Vyleta; design Mark Abrams; illustration by Alejandro García Restrepo (Anchor / June 2017)

Mark Swan‘s design for the UK hardcover, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, was one of my favourite covers of last year (I liked the book a lot too!)… 


Storming Heaven by Steve Wright; design by David A. Gee (Pluto Press / July 2017)


The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman; design Helen Crawford-White (Ebury Press / June 2017)


Things To Do When You’re a Goth in the Country by Chavisa Woods; design by Adam Lewis Greene (Seven Stories Press / May 2017)


Under the Skin by Michel Faber; design by Rafi Romaya; illustration Yehrin Tong (Canongate / July 2017)


What It Means When A Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / April 2017)


Writing Not Writing by Tom Fisher; design by  Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (University of Iowa Press / July 2017)

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Published February 13, 2017

Book Covers of Note February 2017

A little later than usual — between one thing and the apocalypse — but there are some great covers out this month, including at least one contender for cover of the year:


The Bear and the Serpent by Adrian Tschaikovsky; design by Neil Lang (Pan Macmillan / February 2017)

The cover for the previous book in the series, The Tiger and the Wolf, was also designed by Neil: 


Birds Art Life Death by Kyo Maclear; design by Jonny Pelham; illustration by Kyo Maclear (Fourth Estate / February 2017)

The cover of the US edition published by Scribner, which also features illustrations by Kyo Maclear, was designed by Lauren Peters-Collaer:

design by Lauren Peters-Collaer; illustration Kyo Maclear
design by Jonathan Pelham; illustration by Kyo Maclear


The Blot by Jonathan Lethem; design by Gray318 (Jonathan Cape / February 2017)


The Brand New Catastrophe by Mike Scalise; design by Oliver Munday (Sarabande Books / January 2017)


Civil Wars by David Armitage; design by Peter Mendelsund (Yale University Press / February 2017)


Darke by Rick Gekoski; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate Press / February 2017)


Emergency Admissions by Kit Wharton; design by Jonny Pelham (Fourth Estate / February 2017)


Is That Kafka? by Reiner Stach; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / February 2017)

Erik’s design for the hardcover was included in my June post last year:

Is That Kafka? by Reiner Stach; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / February 2017)

 


It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis; design Jim Stoddart (Penguin / January 2017)


The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico; design by Luke Bird (Faber & Faber / February 2017)


Manly Health and Training by Walt Whitman; design by Richard Ljoenes (Regan Arts / February 2017)

The Memory Book by Lara Avery; design by Sinem Erkas (Quercus / January 2017)


Never Enough by Barney Hoskyns; design by Jamie Keenan (Constable / January 2017)


Nicotine by Nell Zink; design by Julian Humphries (Fourth Estate / October 2016)

Had I seen this cover last year when the book was published, it would undoubtedly made my end of the year list.

And on the topic of covers of the year, here’s that early contender for 2017:


A Separation by Katie Kitamura; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / February 2017)

And from the sublime to the hilarious…


Spurt by Chris Miles; design by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Simon & Schuster / February 2017)


A Simple Story by Leila Guerriero; design by Oliver Munday (New Directions / February 2017)


This is the Ritual by Rob Doyle; design by Greg Heinimann (Bloomsbury / January 2017)

Greg’s design for the hardcover of This Is The Ritual, also published by Bloomsbury, was included in my January post last year:


Who Lost Russia by Peter Conradi; design by Mark Ecob (Oneworld / February 2017)

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Published December 14, 2016

Series Design 2016

Some of the most interesting and innovative book covers in the last few years have been designed as part of a series — designers and art directors seem to have more leeway with backlist titles (especially so if the author is no longer in the picture!) — and 2016 was no exception. Here are some of my favourite series designs from past year…

watchers-design-jason-booher

The Angelus Trilogy by John Steele; designed by Jason Booher (Blue Rider Press / 2016)

Inspector Littlejohn Mysteries by George Bellairs; design Stuart Bache (IPSO Books / 2016)

The Birds and the Bees; cover art by Timorous Beasties (Vintage / 2016)

Read more about the series on the Creative Review blog.

birds-design-keenan

The Breaking Point by Daphne Du Maurier; design by Neil Gower (Virago / 2016)
Doll by Daphne Du Maurier; design by design Gray318 (Virago 2016)
The Rendezvous by Daphne Du Maurier; design by Nico Taylor (Virago / 2016)

Virago Modern Classics Daphne Du Maurier; designs by Jamie Keenan, Neil Gower, Gray318, and Nico Taylor (Virago / 2016)

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot; cover art by Zeva Oelbaum (Vintage / 2016)
Adam Bede by George Eliot; cover art by Zeva Oelbaum (Vintage / 2016)

Vintage Eliot; cover art by Zeva Oelbaum (Vintage /2016)

Read more about the series on CMYK, Vintage book design tumblr.

on_corpulence-design_david_pearson_illus_joe_mclaren

Found on the Shelves / The London Library; design by David Pearson; illustration by Joe McLaren (Pushkin Press / 2016)

Read more about the design of the series at The Bookseller. 

neuromancer-cover-art-daniel-brown

Gollancz William Gibson ‘Sprawl Trilogy’ and Burning Chrome; design by Sinem Erkas; cover art by Daniel Brown (Gollancz / 2016-2017)

Read more about the books and the design on the Gollancz blog.

Patrick Hamilton reissues; design by Jack Smyth (Abacus 2016- 2017)

Sonya Harnett reissues; design by Marina Messiha; cover art by Maxim Shkret (Penguin Teen Australia / 2016)

New Directions Roger Lewinter; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / 2016)

Macmillan Classics; design by Neil Lang (Macmillan India / 2016) 

This is just a fraction of the covers designed by Neil and he is working on even more to complete the series.

Beck and Mal Peet reissues; design by Jack Noel; illustration by Telegramme (Walker Books / 2016)

Pelican Shakespeare; design by Manuja Waldia (Penguin US / 2016)

Mortal Engines by Stanislaw Lem (Modern Classics); series design by Jim Stoddart; cover art by Haley Warnham (Penguin / 2016)

great-science-fiction-art-evan-hecox

The Great Science Fiction by H.G. Wells (Modern Classics); series design by Jim Stoddart; cover art by Evan Hecox (Penguin / September 2016) 

akestralforaknave-kyler-martz 

Embers by Sandor Marai; design by Gray318 (Penguin / August 2016)
How Many Miles to Babylon by Jennifer Johnston; design David Foldvari (Penguin / 2016)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John LeCarre; design Julian House (Penguin / 2016)

Penguin Essentials; designs by Kyler Martz, Gray318, David Foldavi, Julian House (Penguin / 2-16)

See more of the series at Design Week.

dune design Alex Trochut

Penguin Galaxy series; design by Alex Trochut (Penguin /2016)

No Man’s Land Trilogy by Andy Remic; design by Christine Foltzer; illustration by Jeffrey Alan Love (Tor / 2016)

Read more about Jeffrey Alan Love’s work on the series on Tor.com.

rings-of-saturn-design-mendelsund

New Directions W.G. Sebald; design by Peter Mendelsund (New Directions / 2016)

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Published November 28, 2016

Notable Book Covers of 2016

It is that wonderful/awful time of year. Wonderful because we get to look back at some of the amazing work people have done over the past 12 months. Awful because lists are arbitrary and someone always misses out.

I’m not going to say these are the ‘best’ covers of year. I don’t think it’s fair, and I don’t feel qualified to make that kind of judgement. This post is more an attempt to reflect the year in covers as I saw it — the covers I liked; the covers I thought were well done; the covers I thought were interesting; the covers that I thought were a bit different. 

Like last year, I’ve clustered my selections around designers. Not only does this allow me to post more covers, it means I can show a greater diversity of work.

I am truly sorry to all the hardworking and talented designers (and art directors) whose work I have overlooked this year. I do my best. It is not enough. Bring on 2017.

Addlands design Jenny Grigg
Addlands by Tom Bullough; design by Jenny Grigg (Granta / June 2016)

Also designed by Jenny Grigg:

Cove by Cynan Jones; design Jenny Grigg (Granta / November 2016)
The Winterlings by Cristina Sánchez-Andrad; design by Jenny Grigg (Scribe / August 2016)

All Things Cease design Mario Hugo
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage; design by Mario Hugo (Knopf / March 2016)

Association-Small-Bombs design Matt Vee
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan; design by Matt Vee (Viking / March 2016)

Barkskins design by Anna Morrison
Barkskins by Annie Proulx; design Anna Morrison (Fourth Estate / June 2016)

Also designed by Anna Morrison:

Beautiful Pictures of the Lost Homeland by Mia Gallagher; design by Anna Morrison (New Island Books / August 2016)
All at Sea by Decca Aitkenhead; design Anna Morrison (HarperCollins / April 2016)

Beast design Mark Ecob
Beast by Paul Kingsnorth; design Mark Ecob; illustration Alan Rogerson (Faber & Faber / July 2016)

9781770899421
The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall; design by Alysia Shewchuck (House of Anansi / August 2016)

A burglar's guide_cvr_revised.indd
A Burglar’s Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh; design by Nayon Cho (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / April 2016)

But What if We're Wrong design Paul Sahre
But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman; design by Paul Sahre (Blue Rider Press / June 2016)

Also designed by Paul Sahre:

The Strange Case of Rachel K design by Paul Sahre (New Directions / September 2016)
Little Labors by Rivka Galchen; design by Paul Sahre (New Directions / July 2016)

cannibal-artwork-wangechi-mutu
Cannibal by Safiya Sinclair; design by Nathan Putens; artwork by Wangechi Mutu (University of Nebraska Press / September 2016)

Cannibals in Love design Na Kim
Cannibals in Love by Mike Roberts; design by Na Kim (FSG Original / September 2016)

Also designed by Na Kim:

The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward; design by Na Kim (Scribner / August 2016)
The Moravian Night by Pete Handke (FSG / December 2016)

Childrens Home design Jaya Micelli; Art by Valerie Hegarty
The Children’s Home by Charles Lambert; design by Jaya Miceli (Scribner / January 2016)

Also designed by Jaya Miceli

Barkskins by Annie Proulx; design Jaya Miceli (Scribner / June 2016)
Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee; design by Jaya Miceli (Scribner / May 2016)
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue; design by Jaya Miceli (Random House / August 2016)
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien; design Jaya Miceli (W.W. Norton / October 2016)
The After Party by Anton DiSclafani; design by Jaya Miceli (Riverhead / May 2016)

Comet Seekers design Chloe Giordano
The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick; design by Chloe Giordano (Harvill Secker / August 2016)

congratulations on everything design Gary Taxali
Congratulations on Everything by Nathan Whitlock; cover art by Gary Taxali (ECW / May 2016)

dark-flood-design-rafi-romaya-illustration-timorous-beasties
The Dark Flood Rises by Margaret Drabble; design Rafi Romaya; cover illustration by Timorous Beasties (Canongate / November 2016)

Also designed by Rafi Romaya:

Some Rain Must Fall and Other Stories by Michel Faber; design by Rafi Romaya; art by Yehrin Tong (Canongate / July 2016)
Undying by Michel Faber; design by Rafi Romaya; art by Yehrin Tong (Canongate / July 2016)

Dialogue design Catherine Casaline
Dialogue by Robert McKee; design by Catherine Casalino (Twelve Books / July 2016)

Also designed by Catherine Casalino:

Listen to Me by Hannah Pittard; design by Catherine Casalino (HMH / July 2016)
Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao; design by Catherine Casalino (Portfolio / August 2016)

don’t i know you? design Phil Pascuzzo
Don’t I Know You? by Marni Jackson; design by Phil Pascuzzo (Flatiron / September 2016)

Also designed by Phil Pascuzzo:

Clearing the Air by Gregory Wood; design by Phil Pascuzzo (Cornell University Press / November 2016)
Champion of the World by Chad Dundas; design Phil Pascuzzo (Putnam / July 2016)

The Encounter design David Pearson
The Encounter: Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu; design by David Pearson (Pushkin Press / February 2016)

Also designed by David Pearson:

The Tempest by William Shakespeare; design by David Pearson (Penguin / April 2016)
The Boss of Bethnal Green by Julian Woodford; design by David Pearson ((Spitalfields Life Books / November 2016)
The Chaplin Machine by Owen Hatherley; design by David Pearson (Pluto Press / June 2016)

Essex Serpent design Peter Dyer
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry; design Peter Dyer (Serpent’s Tail / June 2016)

design Zoe Norvell
Faithful by Alice Hoffman; design by Zoe Norvell (Simon & Schuster / November 2016)

Also designed by Zoe Norvell:

And Again by Jessica Chiarella; design by Na Kam (Simon & Schuster / February 2016)
Black Bread by Emili Teixidor ; design by Zoe Norvell (Biblioasis / August 2016)

gamblers-anatomy-design-gray318
A Gambler’s Anatomy by Jonathan Lethem; design by Gray318 (Doubleday / October 2016)

Also designed by Gray318:

School of Velocity by Eric Beck Rubin; design Gray318 (Pushkin Press / November 2016)
What Language Do I Dream In by Elena Lappin; design by Gray318 (Virago / June 2016)
Colonel Lagrimas by Carlos M. Fonseca; design by Gray318 (Restless Books / October 2016)
Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer; design Gray318 (FSG / September 2016)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith; design by Gray318 (Hamish Hamilton / November 2016)

Girls on Fire US design Robin Bilardello
Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman; design by Robin Bilardello (Harper / May 2016)

Also designed by Robin Bilardello:

The Mother by Yvvette Edwards; design by Robin Bilardello (Amistad / May 2016)
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett; design by Robin Bilardello (Harper / September 2016)
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson; design Robin Bilardello (Amistad / August 2016)

The Good Immigrant design James Paul Jones
The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla; design by James Paul Jones (Unbound / September 2016)

Also designed by James Paul Jones:

All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan; design by James Paul Jones (Transworld / September 2016)
The Panama Papers by Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier; design by James Paul Jones (Oneworld / June 2016)

guineveres-design-lauren-harms
The Guineveres by Sarah Domet; design by Lauren Harms (Flatiron Books / October 2016)

Also designed by Lauren Harms:

Invincible Summer by Alice Adams; design by Lauren Harms (Little, Brown & Co. / June 2016)
As Close to Us as Breathing by Elizabeth Poliner; design by Lauren Harms (Lee Boudreaux Books / March 2016)

the-hatching-9781501125041_hr
The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone; design by Chelsea McGuckin; art by David Wu (Atria Books / July 2016)

 How Propaganda Works design Chris Ferrante
How Propaganda Works by Jason Stanley; design by Chris Ferrante (Princeton University Press / May 2016)

Also designed by Chris Ferrante:

The Essential Goethe edited by Matthew Bell; design by Chris Ferrante (Princeton University Press / January 2016)
Welcome to the Universe by Neil Degrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, J. Richard Gott; design by Chris Ferrante (Princeton University Press / September 2016)

How To See design Peter Mendelsund
How to See by David Salle; design by Peter Mendelsund (W.W. Norton / October 2016)

Also designed by Peter Mendelsund:

The Girls by Emma Cline; design Peter Mendelsund; lettering by Jenny Pouech (Random House / June 2016)
Time Travel by James Gleick; design by Peter Mendelsund (Pantheon / September 2016)
A Cop’s Eyes by Gaku Yakumaru; design by Peter Mendelsund (Vertical / May 2016)

Imagine Me Gone design Keith Hayes
Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett; design by Keith Hayes (Little, Brown & Co. / May 2016)

Also designed by Keith Hayes:

Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien; design by Keith Hayes (Little, Brown & Co. / April 2016)
Perfect Days by Raphael Montes; design Keith Hayes (Penguin / February 2016)

Is That Kafka design Erik Carter
Is That Kafka? 99 Finds by Reiner Stach; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / April 2016)

Also designed by Erik Carter:

Now the Cats with Jeweled Claws & Other One-Act Plays by Tennessee Williams; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / August 2016)
The Hideous Hidden by Sylvia Legris; design by Erik Carter (New Directions / September 2016)
Once and for All by Delmore Schwartz; design Erik Carter (New Directions / May 2016)

Knockout design by Matt Dorfman
Knockout by John Jodzio; design by Matt Dorfman (Soft Skull / March 2016)

Legoland design by Justine Anweiler illo Axel Bizon
Legoland by Gerard Woodward; design by Justine Anweiler; illustration by Axel Bizon and Lena Sarrault (Picador / February 2016)

Also designed by Justine Anweiler:

What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell; design by Justine Anweiler (Picador / April 2016)
We’ll Always Have Paris by Emma Beddington; design by Justine Anweiler; lettering by Cocorrina (Macmillan / April 2016)

Little Nothing by Marisa Silver; design by Rachel Willey (Blue Rider Press / September 2016)
Little Nothing by Marisa Silver; design by Rachel Willey (Blue Rider Press / September 2016)

Also designed by Rachel Willey:

Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue; design by Rachel Willey (Riverhead / March 2016)
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley; design Rachel Willey (Riverhead / May 2016)
The Mothers by Brit Bennett; design by Rachel Wiley (Riverhead / October 2016)

Lonely City
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing; design Henry Sene Yee; photograph by Jerome Liebling (Picador USA / March 2016)


Looking for the Stranger by Alice Kaplan; design by Isaac Tobin (University of Chicago Press / September 2016)

Also designed by Isaac Tobin:

Windows into the Soul by Gary T. Marx; design by Isaac Tobin (University of Chicago Press / July 2016)
That Perfectly Useless Concentration by Alan Shapiro; design by Isaac Tobin

Lost Time Accidents design Pete Adlington
The Lost Time Accidents by John Wray; design by Peter Adlington (Canongate / June 2016)

Also designed by Pete Adlington:

Gold from the Stone by Lemn Sissay; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / August 2016)
Himself by Jess Kidd; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / October 2016)
Timekeepers by Simon Garfield; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / September 2016)

Ministry of Nostalgia design Andy Pressman
The Ministry of Nostalgia by Owen Hatherley; design by Andy Pressman (Verso / January 2016)

moonglow-design-adalis-martinez
Moonglow by Michael Chabon; design by Adalis Martinez (Harper / November 2016)

The Muse design Ami Smithson cover art Lisa Perrin
The Muse by Jessie Burton; design by Ami Smithson, cover art by Lisa Perrin (Picador / June 2016)

Also designed by Ami Smithson:

The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler; design by Ami Smithson (Picador / May 2016)

museum_of_modern_love_design_sandy_cull
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose; design by Sandy Cull (Allen & Unwin / August 2016)

My Father the Pornographer-design by Jamie Keenan
My Father the Pornographer by Chris Offutt; design by Jamie Keenan (Atria / February 2016)

Also designed by Jamie Keenan:

Superabundance by Heinz Helle; design by Jamie Keenan (Profile / February 2016)
The Ecliptic by Benjamin Wood; design Jamie Keenan (Penguin Press / May 2016)

The Nix by Nathan Hill; design by Oliver Munday (Knopf / August 2016)
The Nix by Nathan Hill; design by Oliver Munday (Knopf / August 2016)

Also designed by Oliver Munday:

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; design by Oliver Munday (Doubleday / August 2016)
Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters; design by Oliver Munday (Mulholland Books / July 2016)
Dr. Knox by Peter Spiegelman; design by Oliver Munday (Knopf / July 2016)
Black Water by Louise Doughty; design by Oliver Munday (Sarah Crichton Books / September 2016)
The Assault by Harry Mulisch; design by Oliver Munday (Pantheon / April 2016)

permanent_resident_design_alissa_dinallo
Permanent Resident by Roanna Gonsalves; design Alissa Dinallo (UWA Publishing / November 2016)

pond design by Alex Merto
Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett; design by Alex Merto;  cover art: detail from ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ Margriet Smulders (Riverhead / July 2016)

Also designed by Alex Merto:

Cambodia Noir by Nick Seeley; design by Alex Merto (Simon & Schuster / March 2016)
Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vásquez; design by Alex Merto (Riverhead / September 2016)

pull-me-under-design-rodrigo-corral-illustration-june-park
Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce; design by June Park (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / November 2016)

Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / October 2016)
Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / October 2016)

Also designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith:

Empire of Things by Frank Trentmann; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / January 2016)
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Penguin / May 2016)
The Night Manager by John Le Carre; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Penguin / September 2016)

Sex and Death design Luke Bird
Sex and Death edited by Sarah Hall and Peter Hobbs; design by Luke Bird (Faber & Faber / September 2016)

Smoke
Smoke by Dan Vyleta; design by Mark Swan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson / July 2016)

start-of-something-collage-by-marion-de-man-design-by-suzanne-dean
The Start of Something by Stuart Dybek; design Suzanne Dean; cover art by Marion de Man (Jonathan Cape / November 2016) 

Also designed by Suzanne Dean:

Fen by Daisy Johnson; design Suzanne Dean (Vintage / June 2016)
All That Man Is by David Szalay; design by Suzanne Dean; illustration by Nick White (Jonathan Cape / May 2016)
You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris; design by Suzanne Dean (Harvill Secker / October 2016)

story-of-reason-in-islam-design-anne-jordan
The Story of Reason in Islam by Sari Nusseibeh; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Stanford University Press / November 2016)

Also designed by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein:

Making Literature Now by Amy Hungerford; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Stanford University Press / August 2016)
Dada Presentism by Maria Stavrinaki; design by Anne Jordan & Mitch Goldstein (Stanford University Press / April 2016)

c9781925321302
The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel; design by Allison Colpoys (Scribe / August 2016)

Also designed by Allison Colpoys:

The Hate Race by Maxime Beneba Clarke; design by Allison Colpoys (Hachette Australia / August 2016)
So Sad Today by Melissa Broder; design by Allison Colpoys (Scribe / May 2016)

13-ways-design-by-ploy-siripant-lettering-joel-holland
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad; design by Ploy Siripant; lettering by Joel Holland (Penguin / February 2016)

Also designed by Ploy Siripant:

The Morning They Came for Us by Janine di Giovanni; design Ploy Siripant (Liveright / May 2016)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington; design by Ploy Siripant; illustration Joel Holland (Algonquin / April 2016)

Trees design David Mann
The Trees by Ali Shaw; design by David Mann (Bloomsbury / March 2016)

version-control-design-janet-hansen
Version Control by Dexter Palmer; design Janet Hansen (Pantheon / February 2016)

Also designed by Janet Hansen:

Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space by Janna Levin; design by Janet Hansen(Knopf / March 2016)
Lost Time Accidents by John Wray; design by Janet Hansen (FSG / February 2016)
The Bed Moved by Rebecca Schiff; design by Janet Hansen (Knopf / April 2016)

where-the-bird-sings-best-design-Richard-Ljoenes
Where the Bird Sings Best by Alejandro Jodorowsky; design by Richard Ljoenes (Restless Books / April 2016)

Wonder US design Kimberly Glyder
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue design by Kimberly Glyder (Little, Brown & Co. / September 2016)

Also designed by Kimberly Glyder:

The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang; design by Kimberly Glyder (Houghton Mifflin / October 2016)
Riverine by Angela Palm; design by Kimberly Glyder (Graywolf / August 2016)
Compartment N0. 6 by Rosa Liksom; design by Kimberly Glyder (Graywolf Press / August 2016)

Wonder UK
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue design by Jo Thompson (Picador / September 2016)

XX design Sara Wood
XX: Poems for the Twentieth Century by Campbell McGrath; design Sara Wood (Ecco / March 2016)

Also designed by Sara Wood:

The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman; design by Sara Wood (St. Martin’s Press / March 2016)
The Nest by Cynthia D’aprix Sweeney; design by Sara Wood with Allison Saltzman (Ecco / March 2016)

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Published November 7, 2016

Book Covers of Note November 2016

I’m not sure anyone is paying too much attention to book design this week, but if you’re looking for a few minutes diversion from the awfulness of almost everything, here’s this month’s selection of quirky, beautiful, and otherwise interesting book covers…

black-water-design-oliver-munday
Black Water by Louise Doughty; design by Oliver Munday (Sarah Crichton Books / September 2016)

briefhistoryofeveryone-design-andy-allen
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford; design by Andy Allen (Orion / September 2016)

britishraildesigned_design-theo-inglis
British Rail Designed 1944-1997 by David Lawrence; design by Theo Inglis (Ian Allan Publishing / November 2016)

clearing-the-air-design-phil-pascuzzo
Clearing the Air by Gregory Wood; design by Phil Pascuzzo (Cornell University Press / November 2016)

cold-skin-design-chris-gale
Cold Skin Albert Sánchez Piñol; design by Christopher Gale (Canongate / October 2016)

dark-flood-design-rafi-romaya-illustration-timorous-beasties
The Dark Flood Rises by Margaret Drabble; design Rafi Romaya; cover illustration by Timorous Beasties (Canongate / November 2016)

defender-design-mark-swan
Defender by G X Todd; design by Mark Swan (Headline / December 20161)

do-not-say-we-have-nothing-design-jaya-miceli
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien; design Jaya Miceli (W.W. Norton / October 2016)

dying-design-pete-adlington
Dying by Cory Taylor; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / November 2016)

faithful-design-zoe-norvell
Faithful by Alice Hoffman; design by Zoe Norvell (Simon & Schuster / November 2016)

Is this a new (old) thing…?

design Zoe Norvell

guy-design-by-michel-vrana-pink
Guy by Jowita Bydlowska; design by Michel Vrana (Wolsak & Wynn / November 2016)

I like that this was a split run of coral and blue:

knives-and-ink
Knives & Ink by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton; design Katya Mezhibovskaya; cover art Wendy MacNaughton (Bloomsbury / October 2016)

This is a nice partner to 2014’s Pen & Ink which also featured cover art by MacNaughton:

london_lies_beneath_ad_nico_taylor_illus_joe_mclaren
London Lies Beneath by Stella Duffy; Art direction by Nico Taylor; illustration by Joe McLaren (Little, Brown / October 2016)

midwinter_illus_raquel_leis_allion
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose; Art Direction by Bekki Guyatt; illustration by Raquel Leis Allion (Little, Brown / November 2016)

moonglow-design-adalis-martinez
Moonglow by Michael Chabon; design by Adalis Martinez (Harper / November 2016)

music-for-life-design-by-alex-kirby
Music For Life by Fiona Maddocks; design by Alex Kirby (Faber & Faber / October 2016)

one-with-the-tiger
One with the Tiger by Steven Church; design by Faceout Studio (Soft Skull / November 2016)

pull-me-under-design-rodrigo-corral-illustration-june-park
Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce; design Rodrigo Corral; cover art by June Park (Farrar, Straus & Giroux / November 2016)

revengeofanalog_design-pete-garceau
The Revenge of Analog by David Sax; design Pete Garceau (Public Affairs / November 2016)

sick-bag-song-illus-nick-cave-ad-brian-moore
Sick Bag Song by Nick Cave; illustration by Nick Cave; art direction by Brian Moore (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / November 2016)

start-of-something-collage-by-marion-de-man-design-by-suzanne-dean
The Start of Something by Stuart Dybek; design Suzanne Dean; cover art by Marion de Man (Jonathan Cape / November 2016) 

(You can read more about the process of making this cover at the Creative Review blog)

story-of-reason-in-islam-design-anne-jordan
The Story of Reason in Islam by Sari Nusseibeh; design by Anne Jordan and Mitch Goldstein (Stanford University Press / November 2016)

swing-time-design-gray318
Swing Time by Zadie Smith; design by Gray318 (Hamish Hamilton / November 2016)

This goes rather nicely with Gray318’s earlier design for The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith:

Swing Time by Zadie Smith; design by Gray318 (Hamish Hamilton / November 2016)

thus-bad-begins-design-by-peter-mendelsund
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías; design by Peter Mendelsund (Knopf / November 2016)

unmistakable-design-catherine-casalino
Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao; design by Catherine Casalino (Portfolio / August 2016)

violence-design-by-scott-levine
Violence as Generative Force by Max Bergholz; design by Scott Levine (Cornell University Press / November 2016)

whateverhappened_highres
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love by Kathleen Collins; design by Allison Saltzman; cover art by Lorna Simpson (Ecco / November 2016)

writing-to-save-a-life-design-eric-white
Writing to Save a Life by John Edgar Wideman; design by Eric White (Scribner / November 2016)

you-will-not-have-my-hate-design-suzanne-dean
You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris; design by Suzanne Dean (Harvill Secker / October 2016)

The US cover for You Will Not Have My Hate, designed by Darren Haggar (Penguin Press, October 2016), provides an interesting contrast in styles:

you-will-not-have-my-hate-design-by-darren-haggar

You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris; design by Suzanne Dean (Harvill Secker / October 2016)

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Published October 18, 2016

New Directions Sebald Designs by Peter Mendelsund

rings-of-saturn-design-mendelsund

Peter Mendelsund‘s covers for the new New Directions editions of W.G. Sebald’s classic novels The Emigrants, The Rings of Saturn, and Vertigo, are rather special. The books will be published November and are available individually and as a set.

vertigo-design-mendelsund

emigrants-design-mendelsund

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Published October 13, 2016

Book Covers of Note October 2016

Busy, busy October… here are this month’s book covers of note…

aluta-illustration-shonagh-rae-ad-michael-solomon
Aluta by Adwoa Badoe; design Michael Solomon; cover art Shonagh Rae (Groundwood / September 2016)

American Ulysses design Eric White
American Ulysses by Ronald C. White; design Eric White; photograph © Colorized History, colorized by Mads Madsen (Random House / October 2016)

architecture-of-neoliberalism-design-daniel-b-gray
The Architecture of Neoliberalism by Douglas Spencer; design Daniel Benneworth-Gray (Bloomsbury / October 2016)

best-american-comics-cover-art-marc-bell
The Best American Comics 2016 edited by Roz Chast; illustration by Marc Bell; design by Christopher Moisan (Mariner / October 2016)

best-american-nonrequired-reading-cover-art-jillian-tamaki
Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016 edited by Rache Kushner; illustration and lettering by Jillian Tamaki; design by Mark Robinson (Mariner / October 2016)

birds-design-keenan
The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier; design Jamie Keenan (Virago / October 2016)

Virago’s other new du Maurier reissues are also really nice:

The Breaking Point by Daphne Du Maurier; design by Neil Gower (Virago / 2016)
Doll by Daphne Du Maurier; design by design Gray318 (Virago 2016)
The Rendezvous by Daphne Du Maurier; design by Nico Taylor (Virago / 2016)

I wrote about the series last year.

chance-in-evolution-design-jenny-volvovski
Chance in Evolution edited by Grant Ramsey & Charles H. Pence; design by Jenny Volvovski (University of Chicago Press / October 2016)

dark-town-design-craig-fraser
Darktown by Thomas Mullen; design by Craig Fraser (Little, Brown / September 2016)

Another entry for the sideways covers collection (although this is not a first for Mullen’s books — the US paperback edition of The Last Town on Earth, published by Random House in 2007, also has a sideways photograph on the cover).1

Oh, and the cover of the US edition of Darktown (published by Atria in September) was designed by Laywan Kwan.

design Laywan Kwan
design Craig Fraser

don’t i know you? comp18.eps
Don’t I Know You? by Marni Jackson; design by Phil Pascuzzo (Flatiron / September 2016)

gamblers-anatomy-design-gray318
A Gambler’s Anatomy by Jonathan Lethem; design by Gray318 (Doubleday / October 2016)

ghostland-cover-art-jon-contino
Ghostland by Colin Dickey; cover art by Jon Contino (Viking / October 2016)

himself-design-pete-adlington
Himself by Jess Kidd; design by Pete Adlington (Canongate / October 2016)

How To See design Peter Mendelsund
How to See by David Salle; design by Peter Mendelsund (W.W. Norton / October 2016)

known-and-strange-things-design-alex-merto-photography-teju-cole
Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole; design by Alex Merto; photograph Teju Cole (Random House / August 2016)

magictoyshop
The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; design by Jack Smyth; illustration Pietari Posti (Virago / October 2016)

mothers-design-rachel-willey
The Mothers by Brit Bennett; design by Rachel Wiley (Riverhead / October 2016)

multiple-choice-design-j-pelham
Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra; design Jonathan Pelham (Granta / October 2016)

Nayon Cho’s design for the US edition of Multiple Choice, published by Penguin US, was featured in July’s covers post.

Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra; design Jonathan Pelham (Granta / October 2016)

reality-is-not-what-it-seems-design-coralie-bickford-smith
Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / October 2016)

This goes rather nicely with Coralie’s design for Rovelli’s previous book Seven Brief Lessons in Physics:

Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / October 2016)
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli; design by Coralie Bickford-Smith (Allen Lane / September 2015)

results-may-vary-design-misa-erder
Results May Vary by Bethany Chase; design by Misa Erder (Ballantine / August 2016)

sirius-cover-art-pascal-blanchet
Sirius by Jonathan Crown; cover art by Pascal Blanchet (Scribner / October 2016)

concentration-design-isaac-tobin
That Self-Forgetful Perfectly Useless Concentration by Alan Shapiro; design by Isaac Tobin (University of Chicago Press / October 2016)

wangs-vs-the-world-design-kimberly-glyder
The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang; design by Kimberly Glyder (Houghton Mifflin / October 2016)

wealth-of-humans-design-tom-etherington
The Wealth of Humans by Ryan Avent; design by Tom Etherington (Allen Lane / September 2016)

who-killed-piet-barol-design-sinem-erkas
Who Killed Piet Barol? by Richard Mason; design Sinem Erkas (Weidenfeld & Nicolson / September 2016)

wrecked-design-liz-casal
Wrecked by Maria Padian; design by Liz Casal (Algonquin Young Readers / October 2016)

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