Well, you can read the introductions, I guess. But no reading is necessary to enjoy these two books.
The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930 by Richard Minksy (George Braziller, 2010)
Richard Minsky has collected the best of the American book covers and compiled them here in a book that, fittingly, has a lovely cover of its own. In the past few years, we’ve seen more and more new books published with “retro” covers, but when you look at the variety and creativity of these early 20th century book covers, most of the new covers are just a pale imitation. As the author explains, the stamped cloth book cover was nearly extinct by the beginning of WWI, had a brief resurgence after the war, and was all but finished by the Great Depression as publishers shifted to the cheaper printed paper covers. Fortunately, some of the best examples have been preserved here.
One Hundred Portraits by Barry Moser (David R. Godine, 2010)
Susie has mentioned Barry Moser’s artwork before, but I thought it was worth revisiting the subject to mention this new collection of portraits. There are so many great books that feature Barry’s illustrations on the cover or interspersed throughout, but not many that allow you to enjoy his artwork uninterrupted, page after page. I took this book home on Thursday evening to have nearby while I wrote this post. I walked into the kitchen where my wife was preparing our dinner, with the intention of showing her one portrait I found particularly compelling. We stood there and flipped slowly backward through the entire book, pausing to comment on the expression on the face of Flannery O’Connor or note the dramatic stare from Edgar Allen Poe.
Comments are closed.