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mikewa14's review
5.0
beautiful images, interesting story - full review here
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/penguin-by-design-cover-story-1935-2005.html
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/penguin-by-design-cover-story-1935-2005.html
flappermyrtle's review
4.0
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.
krilves's review
informative
inspiring
5.0
I should’ve probably read this back when I was doing my masters in publishing but I’ve read it now. :p
Really excellent overview of penguin cover designs up to 2005, with plenty of reproductions inside to illustrate points made.
I admit I primarily bought this because I’ve got my hands on several metres of orange bookcloth strikingly similar to Penguin Orange, and I want to create some penguin mock-ups or homage covers with it, and I thought this book would have enough reproductions for me to be able to pull as references. It does! I’m very happy. And as a bonus there’s all these other covers too, to draw inspiration from.
Really excellent overview of penguin cover designs up to 2005, with plenty of reproductions inside to illustrate points made.
I admit I primarily bought this because I’ve got my hands on several metres of orange bookcloth strikingly similar to Penguin Orange, and I want to create some penguin mock-ups or homage covers with it, and I thought this book would have enough reproductions for me to be able to pull as references. It does! I’m very happy. And as a bonus there’s all these other covers too, to draw inspiration from.
dumblydore's review
5.0
Shows the development and evolution of the ubiquitous, timeless covers of Penguin books. A worthy addition to a designer's library.
nickc777's review
4.0
An interesting and detailed history of book design. Very informative but not at all dense, very engaging writing, short sub sections in chapters and extensive examples of cover design make it an enjoyable read.
alirowan's review
I think my favourite part of this book is all the politely derisive descriptions of the designs that came out of some of Penguin's more unfortunate years. I'm frankly a little surprised the phrase "The Dark Ages" never came into play.
Hilarity aside, this was a great overview of the history of Penguin's design, with a good balance between image and information. A slightly stricter chronological treatment could have made the progression a little clearer, but I think it serves well as both an introduction to the subject, and a source of interesting, anecdotal details for those with a general sense of Penguin's design development already.
Hilarity aside, this was a great overview of the history of Penguin's design, with a good balance between image and information. A slightly stricter chronological treatment could have made the progression a little clearer, but I think it serves well as both an introduction to the subject, and a source of interesting, anecdotal details for those with a general sense of Penguin's design development already.
livinginmyfantasy's review
3.0
You know what they say: "Never judge a book by it's cover."
But since we all do it anyway, here's a book of nothing but covers! This book is beautifully put together and gives you a nice look at how the covers of Penguin books have evolved over time. It was interesting and I liked being able to flip back and forth to look at all the changes.
But since we all do it anyway, here's a book of nothing but covers! This book is beautifully put together and gives you a nice look at how the covers of Penguin books have evolved over time. It was interesting and I liked being able to flip back and forth to look at all the changes.
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