posted on 03 Jan 2016

Penguin Designer Classics

Back in 2006 Penguin Books commissioned five leading contemporary designers to produce new covers for classic titles. Paul Smith took on Lady Chatterley's Lover; Sam Taylor-Wood reimagined the cover of Tender Is The Night; Monolo Blahnik designed a new Madame Bovary; Fuel (Stephen Sorrell and Damon Murray) did Crime and Punishment; and,Ron Arad took on The Idiot.

All the books were in hardcover, limited to 1000 and encased in a slip box of transparent perspex. What a fabulous little set and now very hard to get hold of. They weren't cheap either - £100 each. I decided then to splash out on three of these - Smith, Taylor-Wood and Blahnik. I now wish I'd actually gone the extra mile and purchased all five but I guess being 'careful' got the better of me at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really do love these special limited editions - there's something deliberately luxurious about them. Ok you don't strictly need to have these - there's nothing different about this text and a paperback that you might buy for a couple of quid - but what we're talking about here is just why a book can be such an object of desire. Paul Smith has produced a beautiful bit of embroidery on a wrap-around cloth book cover that completely changes the tactile nature of the book in your hand.

Blahnik, a shoe designer, has demonstrated his fabulous eye for colour and a dashing pen when it comes to fashion design. The cover is full of brio and provides a beautiful front and back to the Flaubert. Sam Taylor-Wood has gone for photography, producing a mellow and thoughtful image that helps set the tone for the book itself.

Maybe its time I started looking for the two I'm missing from this set......

 

Terry Potter

January 2016