Spectropia or Surprising Spectral Illusions Showing Ghosts Everywhere and of Every Colour. 1864, New York. James G. Gregory (Firm),publisher. Engravings by John Filmer
Boo.
From Archive.org
George Eliot. Scenes of Clerical Life. William Blackwood & Sons, 1857 — Source.
Baa.
From the Public Domain Review
Charles Lamb. A Masque of Days. London: Cassell and Co., 1901 — Source. Cover design by Walter Crane.
From the Public Domain Review
Walter Crane. A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden. London: Harper, 1899 — Source.
When I started this series I envisaged it as being about the art of book cover design, not about the art between the covers. The art between the covers of this book, though, is available on-line and it’s gorgeous so I thought I’d share a few interior plates. The book is a lighthearted look at the “personalities” of plants done in verse and gorgeous art nouveau design. [Read more…]
W. T. Horton. A Book of Images. London: The Unicorn Press, 1898 — Source.
I think this one looks like the yellow brick road to the moon.
From the Public Domain Review
I couldn’t make up my mind about the Alice in Wonderland books. I like several of the early edition covers and they’re all striking in very different ways. I just couldn’t choose one over the other so today I’m showcasing three cover designs for this classic book.
Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland – Through the Looking Glass. London, A. Wessels, Co.1900. –-source Blanche McManus
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were first published in 1899 as separate books. The cover pictured above is from the first edition of the combined stories. The attention to detail in the stitched cloth cover is amazing. I want to hold this one in my hand and let my fingers wander all over that gorgeous design.
Lewis Carroll. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. USA, Harper, 1901 –– source Peter Newell
This cover from 1901 might be my favourite. I love the small gilded Alice boldly pointing into a vast expanse of open space, ready to write her own adventure.
Lewis Carroll. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. Cassells, 1907. –source Charles Robinson
This Alice is full of whimsy and charm. She walks on a cobbled path that might be made of bubbles and she’s surrounded by stars and swirls and leaves made of lace. The overall design has an airy, magical quality to it. I also like the gold stitching on indigo cloth. It reminds me of fireworks against a night sky.
If you’re interested there are a few other early cover designs to see at the link below.
Friedrich Christian Accum. A Treatise on Adulteration of Food and Culinary Poisons. London, Longman, 1822 — Source
From: The Public Domain Review, The Art of Book Covers (1820 – 1914)
Joseph Jacobs, The most delectable history of Reynard the Fox (London: Macmillan and Co, 1895) –-source
C. Lockhart-Gordon. To the End. London: John F. Shaw and Co., 1898[?] — Source.
From: The Public Domain Review, The Art of Book Covers (1820 – 1914)
John Steinbeck. East of Eden: Penguin Books, 2012.Cover Art by Kathryn McNaughton
Kathryn McNaughton is a Canadian artist from Toronto. She was commissioned by Penguin Books, UK to design a series of covers for Steinbeck’s classic novels. This one is my favourite, but if you click the link below you’ll find the rest of the series.
From: ShitIheart
The Yellow Book. Volume III. October, 1894. London: John Lane. — Source. One of the many covers for the journal executed by Aubrey Beardsley
From: The Public Domain Review, The Art of Book Covers (1820 – 1914)
Charles Kingsley. The Water Babies. London: Macmillan and Co., 1886 — Source.
There are a lot of small details that make this one of my favourite vintage book covers; the blue leather etched to look like water, the brightly coloured flowers that float, bubbles and birds and flowing lines all adding up to the sense of being underwater.
From: The Public Domain Review, The Art of Book Covers (1820 – 1914)
