What do you think?
Rate this book
Penguin 75: Designers, Authors, Commentary
A unique exploration into the subtle art of the book cover
High standards in art and design have always been part of Penguin's publishing program. Now, on the occasion of Penguin's 75th anniversary, longtime art director Paul Buckley has chosen seventy-five covers that represent the best of what Penguin has produced over the course of the last decade. Giving readers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the complex creation of a book's cover, Penguin 75 includes comments from authors, agents, and editors, as well as the designers and artists themselves. This witty and irreverent journey into the book world will appeal to lovers of art, design, and, of course, books.
With Contributions
Paul Auster * Tara McPherson * Daniel Clowes * David Byrne * Elizabeth Gilbert * Joe Sacco * Tana French * T.C. Boyle * Seth * Tom Gauld * William T. Vollmann * Art Spiegelman * Kim Edwards * Melissa Bank * Ruben Toledo * Tomer Hanuka * Jamie Keenan * Roz Chast * Garrison Keillor * Yoshihiro Tatsumi * Sam Weber * Paul Sahre * Tony Millionaire * Nicholas Blechman * Jon Gray and many others!
High standards in art and design have always been part of Penguin's publishing program. Now, on the occasion of Penguin's 75th anniversary, longtime art director Paul Buckley has chosen seventy-five covers that represent the best of what Penguin has produced over the course of the last decade. Giving readers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the complex creation of a book's cover, Penguin 75 includes comments from authors, agents, and editors, as well as the designers and artists themselves. This witty and irreverent journey into the book world will appeal to lovers of art, design, and, of course, books.
With Contributions
Paul Auster * Tara McPherson * Daniel Clowes * David Byrne * Elizabeth Gilbert * Joe Sacco * Tana French * T.C. Boyle * Seth * Tom Gauld * William T. Vollmann * Art Spiegelman * Kim Edwards * Melissa Bank * Ruben Toledo * Tomer Hanuka * Jamie Keenan * Roz Chast * Garrison Keillor * Yoshihiro Tatsumi * Sam Weber * Paul Sahre * Tony Millionaire * Nicholas Blechman * Jon Gray and many others!
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2010
3 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 20, 2010
Short version: As self-congratulatory, masturbatory coffee table art books go, I suppose this one is pretty good. (This statement available for blurbs, Penguin! You don't even have to ask!)
It was my birthday a few days ago, and I'm pretty sure my parents got me one of the new Kindles. The thrifty side of my personality (which is very large and insistent about its views on not wasting money) likes this because it means I can read anything in the public domain for free without having to sit in front of my computer (not that I won't continue to do thisat work when circumstances warrant).
But there's another part of my brain that revels in the senses, appreciates the visual (oh shiny!) and tactile (oh deckled edges are so fancy!) attributes of a well designed book. This is the part of my brain that subscribes to about six different book design blogs that I readat work when circumstances warrant.
I especially love Penguin, which has a fascinating design history, ranging from an iconic, simplistic look that brought classic lit to the masses decades ago to the more ambitious artistic experiments of today (and you can probably read about all of that in this here other self-congratulatory masturbatory coffee table art book). This one, however, focuses on the new, specifically the team of designers led by longtime Penguin art director Paul Buckley.
In addition to coverage (ha ha) of various current best- and not-so-best-sellers, Penguin 75 highlights the really interesting work Buckley's team has done on the Penguin Classics line, which is crucial because many of these are those aforementioned PD books, books that you can pretty much get for free without lifting a finger, so it's up to Paul to make you want to buy them, and it's something he is very good at.
I mean, check this out:
Doesn't that kind of make you want to read Candide? No rational person wants to read Candide, right? But look, it's like a funny comic! I want that on my shelf. Right next to this version of Little Women that apparently is very different from the one where there are long scenes of pretty much everyone getting along:
I wanted to read Penguin 75 because I appreciate How the Sausage Is Made, but that isn't really this book, which is very heavy on graphics (understandably) but very light on text (probably because it was admittedly thrown together very quickly). And while some of the commentary is fun, particularly from designers bitter because their work was changed or their best designs were trashed in favor of more "salable" versions and from the authors who hate their covers, it's hard to find a lot of insight in 100-word paragraphs that appear to have been emailed in on deadline.
Coverage is also a little odd, obviously skewed toward more recent concepts like the very cool Penguin Inks (doesn't this make you want to read Bridget Jones's Diary again?
), or best-sellers like Eat, Pray, Love and The Memory Keeper's Daughter, but there are a lot of obscure and not all that interesting inclusions too, like who cares what stupid cover they slap on Twitterature?
So, pretty much this book is just Paul Buckley cashing in on Penguin's 75th anniversary by showing off work his team has done on 75 covers, because there is next to nothing celebrating the company's legacy in here. But it's still neat if you like pretty books and feel compelled to buy them even though they are widely available for free.
WARNING: NEW COPIES OF THIS BOOK MAY GIVE OFF TOXIC INK-Y EXHAUST FUMES AND MAKE YOU NAUSEOUS WHILE READING I'M SERIOUS MY COPY STINKS I FELT ILL!
It was my birthday a few days ago, and I'm pretty sure my parents got me one of the new Kindles. The thrifty side of my personality (which is very large and insistent about its views on not wasting money) likes this because it means I can read anything in the public domain for free without having to sit in front of my computer (not that I won't continue to do this
But there's another part of my brain that revels in the senses, appreciates the visual (oh shiny!) and tactile (oh deckled edges are so fancy!) attributes of a well designed book. This is the part of my brain that subscribes to about six different book design blogs that I read
I especially love Penguin, which has a fascinating design history, ranging from an iconic, simplistic look that brought classic lit to the masses decades ago to the more ambitious artistic experiments of today (and you can probably read about all of that in this here other self-congratulatory masturbatory coffee table art book). This one, however, focuses on the new, specifically the team of designers led by longtime Penguin art director Paul Buckley.
In addition to coverage (ha ha) of various current best- and not-so-best-sellers, Penguin 75 highlights the really interesting work Buckley's team has done on the Penguin Classics line, which is crucial because many of these are those aforementioned PD books, books that you can pretty much get for free without lifting a finger, so it's up to Paul to make you want to buy them, and it's something he is very good at.
I mean, check this out:
Doesn't that kind of make you want to read Candide? No rational person wants to read Candide, right? But look, it's like a funny comic! I want that on my shelf. Right next to this version of Little Women that apparently is very different from the one where there are long scenes of pretty much everyone getting along:
I wanted to read Penguin 75 because I appreciate How the Sausage Is Made, but that isn't really this book, which is very heavy on graphics (understandably) but very light on text (probably because it was admittedly thrown together very quickly). And while some of the commentary is fun, particularly from designers bitter because their work was changed or their best designs were trashed in favor of more "salable" versions and from the authors who hate their covers, it's hard to find a lot of insight in 100-word paragraphs that appear to have been emailed in on deadline.
Coverage is also a little odd, obviously skewed toward more recent concepts like the very cool Penguin Inks (doesn't this make you want to read Bridget Jones's Diary again?
), or best-sellers like Eat, Pray, Love and The Memory Keeper's Daughter, but there are a lot of obscure and not all that interesting inclusions too, like who cares what stupid cover they slap on Twitterature?So, pretty much this book is just Paul Buckley cashing in on Penguin's 75th anniversary by showing off work his team has done on 75 covers, because there is next to nothing celebrating the company's legacy in here. But it's still neat if you like pretty books and feel compelled to buy them even though they are widely available for free.
WARNING: NEW COPIES OF THIS BOOK MAY GIVE OFF TOXIC INK-Y EXHAUST FUMES AND MAKE YOU NAUSEOUS WHILE READING I'M SERIOUS MY COPY STINKS I FELT ILL!
February 9, 2016
Quite morally dubious and corrupting of Penguin to make such a porny book about books for all us book sluts who sniff the print of each new book we buy and have to have at least one new font to fondle every day and wouldn't kindle an ipad if we were paid in naked 18 year olds. You don't have to ask, I loved it.
June 20, 2016
A pretty amazing collection of Penguin paperback book covers from quite a varied field of designers. The focus is definitely visual in this collection, so if you're looking for a lot of extra background on the creative process or the designers, you'll be disappointed. What you get is the front cover and then, typically, a paragraph from the author and a paragraph or two from the designer and/or the art director. Some of these background paragraphs were hilarious, some were insightful, a few were pretty boring, and a handful were negative (where the author didn't like the final cover or the designer didn't like what the author or publicity department requested). Every once in a while there's some earlier cut versions or an image of the entire cover (front, back, and coverflaps). But so many delightful covers.
Some of my favorites:
Some of my favorites:
June 5, 2011
Art director Paul Buckley's excellent Penguin 75 is a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Penguin Books—a collection of essays and art examples by designers and authors concerning the craft of creating book covers. The art reproductions are striking, but what makes Penguin 75 special is the insight and perspective of the designers about the process of creating a cover. It's far trickier than it seems.
In the design of a book, there are a variety of goals in play, any one of which a potential land mine that can blow the project to smithereens. First, the design has to effectively sell the book's central idea, especially when the idea is esoteric at best. The cover also has "internal" clients, namely, the author and publisher. It's rare that all the goals are satisfied in equal proportion.
Some of my favorite parts of Penguin 75 are the times when the authors are surprised and delighted by the designer's solution, or, on the flip side, appalled by it. It's in these moments that a view into the whims and obsessions of the publishing process is most apparent. As Buckley writes, "An author who dislikes his or her cover is often very not polite, and sometimes understandably so."
Gregg Kulick's cover for 100 Facts About Pandas (a humor book by David O'Doherty, Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern) is a case in point. The cover was offered to a designer who turned it down because she found it "ridiculous." Kulick, the replacement designer, liked the book and created a cover he loved, an image of a panda dressed as Napoleon. The authors (all three of them) hated it. After a few minor cosmetic changes, the art director passed the cover along to the marketing department, who liked it and said it would sell well, saying the cover was better than the book. Case closed. The cover stayed as is.
Some of the most interesting projects—of which there are many—are re-packagings of classic books such as Brian Cronin's elegant illustrations for a series of Graham Greene novels, Richie Fahey's pulp-fiction take of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, or Neil Powell's low-tech sketch cover for William S. Burroughs' Junkie. A number of artists whose work is more familiar in graphic novels are represented with startling, captivating results: Chris Ware's covers for Candide, Yoshihiro Tatsumi's Rashomon, Julie Doucet's Little Women, and many others.
This is a fun read for book lovers, especally ones that appreciate good design.
In the design of a book, there are a variety of goals in play, any one of which a potential land mine that can blow the project to smithereens. First, the design has to effectively sell the book's central idea, especially when the idea is esoteric at best. The cover also has "internal" clients, namely, the author and publisher. It's rare that all the goals are satisfied in equal proportion.
Some of my favorite parts of Penguin 75 are the times when the authors are surprised and delighted by the designer's solution, or, on the flip side, appalled by it. It's in these moments that a view into the whims and obsessions of the publishing process is most apparent. As Buckley writes, "An author who dislikes his or her cover is often very not polite, and sometimes understandably so."
Gregg Kulick's cover for 100 Facts About Pandas (a humor book by David O'Doherty, Claudia O'Doherty and Mike Ahern) is a case in point. The cover was offered to a designer who turned it down because she found it "ridiculous." Kulick, the replacement designer, liked the book and created a cover he loved, an image of a panda dressed as Napoleon. The authors (all three of them) hated it. After a few minor cosmetic changes, the art director passed the cover along to the marketing department, who liked it and said it would sell well, saying the cover was better than the book. Case closed. The cover stayed as is.
Some of the most interesting projects—of which there are many—are re-packagings of classic books such as Brian Cronin's elegant illustrations for a series of Graham Greene novels, Richie Fahey's pulp-fiction take of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, or Neil Powell's low-tech sketch cover for William S. Burroughs' Junkie. A number of artists whose work is more familiar in graphic novels are represented with startling, captivating results: Chris Ware's covers for Candide, Yoshihiro Tatsumi's Rashomon, Julie Doucet's Little Women, and many others.
This is a fun read for book lovers, especally ones that appreciate good design.
April 16, 2025
Drooling.
Book cover design is magic.
I miss Chip Kidd books. Sacrilege, I know, this is Penguin not Knopf, but still.
Book cover design is magic.
I miss Chip Kidd books. Sacrilege, I know, this is Penguin not Knopf, but still.
September 4, 2010
Paul Buckley has curated a list of 75 book covers/cover series from the Penguin ranks and invited some of the editors, designers, illustrators, and authors to comment (some enthusiastically, some not so much). A fun time that sheds a little light on the process of creating a great book cover (rejected ideas are sometimes included for comparison).
In addition, I want to own pretty much ALL the Penguin Graphic Classics (have you seen the cover for Philosophy in the Boudoir? amazing) and all the Penguin Deluxe editions.
In addition, I want to own pretty much ALL the Penguin Graphic Classics (have you seen the cover for Philosophy in the Boudoir? amazing) and all the Penguin Deluxe editions.
October 21, 2010
The good: Pure eye-candy.
The bad: Very little insight from the designers--with a few exceptions.
The funny: Some vitriol from the writers--with lots of exceptions.
The ugly: Crawling with typos, lack of punctuation, and disregard for the trusty spell-check.
Come on! "non sequitor"?! Really? Things like this just chap my designer ass.
The baseline: It does (somewhat) help dispel the myth that "designers don't read", and I will do what I can to reward any effort in this area.
Four stars for sheer beauty and the desire to own 90% of the books featured inside.
The bad: Very little insight from the designers--with a few exceptions.
The funny: Some vitriol from the writers--with lots of exceptions.
The ugly: Crawling with typos, lack of punctuation, and disregard for the trusty spell-check.
Come on! "non sequitor"?! Really? Things like this just chap my designer ass.
The baseline: It does (somewhat) help dispel the myth that "designers don't read", and I will do what I can to reward any effort in this area.
Four stars for sheer beauty and the desire to own 90% of the books featured inside.
October 9, 2017
Carpet Sweeper Tales
Homo Zapiens
How Does it Feel to Be a Problem
How I Became Stupid
I Love Dollars
Londonstani
Spent - Miller
Street Gang
There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby
Twitterature
Wolf Totem
Homo Zapiens
How Does it Feel to Be a Problem
How I Became Stupid
I Love Dollars
Londonstani
Spent - Miller
Street Gang
There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby
Twitterature
Wolf Totem
October 19, 2017
太好看了，借回来一晚上读完...排版清爽，文字witty，简直想开始收Penguin classics deluxe edition了....适合与王志弘作品集一同享用
May 10, 2025
As a graphic designer and avid reader this is the perfect book for me.
March 14, 2017
I love to read books about book cover design.
June 29, 2011
I just spilt tea on this book, which means quite a bit because I tend to beat up books I am completely enamored with. I remember my old Puffin edition of That Summer by Sarah Dessen, stained with Cheetos because I liked it so much.
The same thing happened here. This book is a bibliophile's delight, and encapsulated are several iconic covers and the stories behind them.
(Edit: Down one star because someone totally needed to copyedit this book, but still, the information and photographs are well worth it.)
The same thing happened here. This book is a bibliophile's delight, and encapsulated are several iconic covers and the stories behind them.
(Edit: Down one star because someone totally needed to copyedit this book, but still, the information and photographs are well worth it.)
October 10, 2013
A quick and fun read about the woes and joys behind designing book covers--a process many design students assume that could only mean play and fun. They're not completely wrong, but it's only one side of the coin. The content doesn't offer any in-depth insight into the creative process or the publishing business, just enough information to let us know that it often requires a complicated, or even messy, collaboration. My favorite part was when authors employ their literary skills to express their hatred for the design(s) they didn't agree with.
Check it out from the library if you can.
Check it out from the library if you can.
July 19, 2010
If you like design at all, you'll like this book. It's mostly just an excuse to reproduce amazing cover designs. There are short comments from folks involved (sometimes the art director, sometimes the author, illustrator or designer). Some of these are engaging, others not so much. Still, I love trying out a book based on the cover and I put about ten books on hold at the library before I finished this one.
May 15, 2011
I bought this title hoping for a gorgeous art book - and it is! Beautiful, full-color repros of book covers, some of which I'm sure are sitting on your shelves right now. BUT - it was also a fascinating read. Each cover is dissected by the art directors, designers, illustrators and in many cases, the authors themselves; some of whom were none too pleased by the finished product gracing their books' covers. A treat for bibliophiles interested in a look behind the scenes of publishing.
Read
July 28, 201110 Stars! I heave a contended sigh.What a perfect book, wonderfully explaining the career into which I'm determined to break. I wish books like these were written about all good design, especially more book covers. For the time being, I will simply sit here and pray that I will one day meet, and I daresay even work with Paul Buckley, at which point I could probably die because my life had reached the pinnacle of achievement.
February 6, 2013
Penguin Books es de mis editoriales favoritas y Paul Buckley un maravilloso director de arte, responsable, entre otros trabajos que admiro, de la reciente Drop Caps Collection ilustrada por Jessica Hische. Ver su selección de 75 portadas conmemorando la fundación de Penguin y conocer no solo sus comentarios al respecto si no el de otros involucrados aporta un vistazo a lo que los grandes de la industria del arte de las portadas buscan en un diseño.
August 21, 2010
An excellent photo book detailing a selection of book covers with authors, designers and illustrators talking about how and why the final version was chosen. My only complaint would be that I'd love even more detail of the intricacies of choosing a book cover, but this is above all a delightful book which was clearly lovingly put together.
January 11, 2012
The combination of design and books is what drew me to the Penguin 75. The book layout is wonderful, and includes commentary from both the designers and the authors. There are also full spreads on each book mentioned, and many contemporary favorites. Really enjoyed the backstory on the designs for books that were "eh" but covers that were amazing (and that led me to read it in the first place).
May 13, 2014
Oh, this was a marvelous gem. With inputs from authors, illustrators, designers, and art directors, the book reaches for (mostly) full disclosure, and the result is a fascinating and hilarious insight into the publishing industry. I honestly couldn't put it down until I had reached the last case study.
September 12, 2012
A big book of inspiration and pretty things that are book covers.
This book made me want to read Garrison Kellior's Love Me, just because I pity his cover and to see if he is as funny in the novel as he is in the commentary. I was very pleased to see Shadow of the Wind there, but not so happy to see The Piano Teacher (that stock photo of the lady is overused already!)
This book made me want to read Garrison Kellior's Love Me, just because I pity his cover and to see if he is as funny in the novel as he is in the commentary. I was very pleased to see Shadow of the Wind there, but not so happy to see The Piano Teacher (that stock photo of the lady is overused already!)
July 9, 2011
I loved the commentary from art directors, designers and authors about the book covers, and I enjoyed seeing rejected cover options, which showed how the cover concepts evolved and demonstrated what concepts were the strongest and why. The commentary was conversational, which made it great.
February 18, 2012
Penguin has always been one of my favorite publishers specifically for their strong cover designs. This collection of 75 contemporary books is beautifully printed and has commentary on each book from the designers, authors, and art directors. Judging a book by its cover has rarely been more fun.
December 6, 2010
fun and beautiful covers. tells of the book cover selection process which is sometimes fun other times tedious.
February 27, 2011
Super enjoyable.
August 19, 2011
A compilation and discussion of 75 Penquin book covers.
December 26, 2011
gawking at collisions between designers & authors. sometimes art survives.
January 4, 2016
I like a good story, and the histories behind these classic Penguin covers were filling.
January 19, 2016
Very interesting. More than a book about book cover design, is a testimony to the process and the relationship between all.
January 10, 2012
Lots of great covers. Lots of favorite illustrators. Lots of books added to the to-read shelf.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews