We were recently honored with a cover submission from AceJet 170. Instead of taking his jewel of a suggestion and running with it, we thought it’d be nice to have him review the book himself:
Unfortunately, the flat, rather sanitized Amazon (.co.uk) image of this cover does little to do justice to what has clearly been designed as a three dimensional object.
The cover within a cover – designed by David Pearson and illustrated by Clare Skeats, and based on Derek Birdsall’s now classic design for the 1965 Penguin edition of To Kill a Mockingbird – is applied to the front, spine and back cover respectively, of this two inch thick volume. This gives the impression of a slim vintage Penguin impossibly encased/suspended within a white block.
I’m a sucker for a bit of vintage Penguin, which means I’m easily pleased with this, but I do think Pearson’s solution is beautifully simple and elegant.
As for the content: it’s a cover-per-page mish-mash of “classics and oddities”: some beautiful and timeless, some ugly but typical of their era, and others just downright clever. Fascinating stuff. The loafer in me would have liked each page to be captioned with credits rather than numbered, referencing a list at the back, and there’s not much to be read but I guess other recent publications have covered anything needed to be said about Penguin history.
I don’t believe it’s currently available in the US so some might have to wait to get their hands on the book and really appreciate it but there’s a couple of images here that might help.
I just ordered this from the UK as well as the pocket penguin collection (arrived today). Chances are that it will not make it to our grand country. As often is the case.
Seems like Pearson is primarily hired by Penguin to do repackages of classics and series and the like. He does an amazing job, so Bravo to that, but I would love to see some of his “non-penguin” work too.
One thing that is fun about all this stuff is that it is really playing off the past but it still works today. A tip of the hat to the Penguin design business model and methodology.
I wish I had fancy kid like handwriting as is featured in this cover. Not sure why they chose this approach for the book cover. BUT IT FUCKIN” WORKS!!!
For those who want a smaller dose of the goods, there is Penguin by Designer and Penguin by Design. I think both are Pearson designs. Nice post.
Ian –
You have probably found this by now but it looks like it is referencing this:
http://acejet170.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/penguinfiction01.jpg
Hey good one Kathy, I knew I’d seen it somewheres before. Makes mental note to learn how to write properly so he can use his handwriting in the future as a design feature
In Penguin by Designers, Derek Birdsall tells the following story about the To Kill a Mockingbird cover, which Kathy notes is the inspiration for 700 Hundred Penguins:
“The cover for To Kill a Mockingbird is derived from the Penguin marketing brief. They were so hot about this cover…’You’ve got to do us a hot popular selling cover.’ So they wrote this all out in a brief. I just copied the brief in a childlike handwriting because the story is told by a child.”
ok. so he’s just playing off the kill a mocking bird cover. Interesting. It probably woked the best as a concept ince most of the covers featured would have had specific images and or treatments pertaining to the books. This did not, yet gave the old tip of the hat to the subject at hand. Cool.
It was not clear from your post that this cover was based on an old “To Kill A mocking Bird” cover. If you had posted the original cover this was based on it would have helped to put all the stuff you were talking about in context. So post it amigo. Please.
Yeah, that paragraph took me for a spin ben. But don’t fret, it’s just me. Or 3/4ths of the folks who visit the site. It makes sense now, so thanks for clarifying. At a glance, the wording was odd… to me. Great post though!
http://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Hundred-Penguins-Penguin/dp/0141031883/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/701-7332353-6049158?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190414925&sr=8-1
Canada! Out on the 25th.
just go it. As fun as it is to own it. The covers within are far from good. It’s just a massive schmorgusborg of covers. Why seven hundred, I have not read yet, but even if it was a million it would not make a difference. There seems to be no logical refinement to it all… yet. But. it is fun to have and just look at for inspirations… of what not to do;)
My lovely girlfriend just surprised me with this little gem last night. Yes, it is fun to sift through, but don’t “read” through it expecting brilliance after brilliance. Most of my fav’s weren’t even in it. But it is what is says: 700 Penguins.
The great thing about the book cover is that the design works just as well in theory as it does in real life. I was expecting the “book within a book jacket” to appear a little forced but it works great and adds a humorous touch to the slew of penguin covers.
We were recently honored with a cover submission from AceJet 170. Instead of taking his jewel of a suggestion and running with it, we thought it’d be nice to have him review the book himself:
Unfortunately, the flat, rather sanitized Amazon (.co.uk) image of this cover does little to do justice to what has clearly been designed as a three dimensional object.
The cover within a cover – designed by David Pearson and illustrated by Clare Skeats, and based on Derek Birdsall’s now classic design for the 1965 Penguin edition of To Kill a Mockingbird – is applied to the front, spine and back cover respectively, of this two inch thick volume. This gives the impression of a slim vintage Penguin impossibly encased/suspended within a white block.
I’m a sucker for a bit of vintage Penguin, which means I’m easily pleased with this, but I do think Pearson’s solution is beautifully simple and elegant.
As for the content: it’s a cover-per-page mish-mash of “classics and oddities”: some beautiful and timeless, some ugly but typical of their era, and others just downright clever. Fascinating stuff. The loafer in me would have liked each page to be captioned with credits rather than numbered, referencing a list at the back, and there’s not much to be read but I guess other recent publications have covered anything needed to be said about Penguin history.
I don’t believe it’s currently available in the US so some might have to wait to get their hands on the book and really appreciate it but there’s a couple of images here that might help.
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-09-13 15:19:00
I just want to know when the hell this is coming out in the US.
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-09-13 15:34:00
I just ordered this from the UK as well as the pocket penguin collection (arrived today). Chances are that it will not make it to our grand country. As often is the case.
Seems like Pearson is primarily hired by Penguin to do repackages of classics and series and the like. He does an amazing job, so Bravo to that, but I would love to see some of his “non-penguin” work too.
One thing that is fun about all this stuff is that it is really playing off the past but it still works today. A tip of the hat to the Penguin design business model and methodology.
I wish I had fancy kid like handwriting as is featured in this cover. Not sure why they chose this approach for the book cover. BUT IT FUCKIN” WORKS!!!
For those who want a smaller dose of the goods, there is Penguin by Designer and Penguin by Design. I think both are Pearson designs. Nice post.
— Ian S., 2007-09-13 15:58:00
Ian –
You have probably found this by now but it looks like it is referencing this:
http://acejet170.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/penguinfiction01.jpg
— Kathy, 2007-09-13 19:09:00
Hey good one Kathy, I knew I’d seen it somewheres before. Makes mental note to learn how to write properly so he can use his handwriting in the future as a design feature
— Nick, 2007-09-13 20:00:00
Thanks, Kathy. Similar idea of book within a book in the book Penguin Special:
http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Special-Founder-Changed-Publishing/dp/0141024615/ref=pd_sim_b_4_img/102-1438411-4270541?ie=UTF8&qid=1189740537&sr=1-1
— Tal, 2007-09-13 20:31:00
In Penguin by Designers, Derek Birdsall tells the following story about the To Kill a Mockingbird cover, which Kathy notes is the inspiration for 700 Hundred Penguins:
“The cover for To Kill a Mockingbird is derived from the Penguin marketing brief. They were so hot about this cover…’You’ve got to do us a hot popular selling cover.’ So they wrote this all out in a brief. I just copied the brief in a childlike handwriting because the story is told by a child.”
— Joseph, 2007-09-13 21:45:00
I don’t really get this cover… I guess I’m missing something. It wouldn’t be the first time.
It’s not aesthetically pleasing when you get down to it… unlike almost all Penguin covers. Strange that this one would seem so awkward and boring.
— C-Dog, 2007-09-13 22:27:00
ok. so he’s just playing off the kill a mocking bird cover. Interesting. It probably woked the best as a concept ince most of the covers featured would have had specific images and or treatments pertaining to the books. This did not, yet gave the old tip of the hat to the subject at hand. Cool.
— Ian S., 2007-09-13 22:39:00
I am sure the Amazon.uk server is burning up right now. I just ordered it.
I had actually never seen that edition of Mocking Bird before. Was that the U.S. edition?
— david, 2007-09-14 05:15:00
I swear 3/4ths of the people who visit this site never actually read anything that is being written about the covers.
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-09-14 07:11:00
It was not clear from your post that this cover was based on an old “To Kill A mocking Bird” cover. If you had posted the original cover this was based on it would have helped to put all the stuff you were talking about in context. So post it amigo. Please.
— Ian S., 2007-09-14 07:40:00
The spine kills me.
— dave, 2007-09-14 08:25:00
It was not clear from your post that this cover was based on an old “To Kill A mocking Bird” cover.
vs.
...and based on Derek Birdsall’s now classic design for the 1965 Penguin edition of To Kill a Mockingbird
— Ben Pieratt, 2007-09-14 08:51:00
Today i’m proud to be English :)
— Luke Tonge, 2007-09-14 11:36:00
Yeah, that paragraph took me for a spin ben. But don’t fret, it’s just me. Or 3/4ths of the folks who visit the site. It makes sense now, so thanks for clarifying. At a glance, the wording was odd… to me. Great post though!
— Ian S., 2007-09-14 11:43:00
I’m sure someone mentioned it, but this one is so much better…
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YEvgoOcwL.SS500.jpg
— C-Dog, 2007-09-14 19:37:00
true dat.
— 456, 2007-09-15 14:43:00
Where online can I find this book to purchase, me thinks it’s one to have (I apologize if someone has already posted a link).
— Bert, 2007-09-17 08:28:00
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Hundred-Penguins-Art-Design/dp/0141031883
— Ian S., 2007-09-17 08:49:00
it might be cheaper to get it from amazon.ca
— ss, 2007-09-17 16:52:00
http://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Hundred-Penguins-Penguin/dp/0141031883/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/701-7332353-6049158?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190414925&sr=8-1
Canada! Out on the 25th.
— Five, 2007-09-21 15:50:00
just go it. As fun as it is to own it. The covers within are far from good. It’s just a massive schmorgusborg of covers. Why seven hundred, I have not read yet, but even if it was a million it would not make a difference. There seems to be no logical refinement to it all… yet. But. it is fun to have and just look at for inspirations… of what not to do;)
— Ian S., 2007-09-24 17:56:00
My lovely girlfriend just surprised me with this little gem last night. Yes, it is fun to sift through, but don’t “read” through it expecting brilliance after brilliance. Most of my fav’s weren’t even in it. But it is what is says: 700 Penguins.
The great thing about the book cover is that the design works just as well in theory as it does in real life. I was expecting the “book within a book jacket” to appear a little forced but it works great and adds a humorous touch to the slew of penguin covers.
— Tyler, 2007-10-11 10:02:00
Sad that Penguin would use the word “impactful” on a book cover. Not a good word, even if it were to be found in the dictionary, which it isn’t.
— Carson Dyle, 2007-10-17 15:04:00
I’ve met Derek Birdsall..he’s fab
— kij, 2007-10-18 12:54:00