Spotlight | Persephone Books

Today I’m shining the spotlight on one of my favourite book editions to collect, and the fantastic publisher that releases them.

My modest collection of Persephone books as it stands.

Persephone is a publishing house that specialises in forgotten classics written (mostly) by women that had previously gone out of print. The design of their books is simple but very aesthetically pleasing. Elegant grey covers belie the gorgeous endpapers hiding within, with each book featuring its own distinct pattern, often dating back to the era that the book in question was first released. They also come with a protective dust jacket, and a bookmark that matches the endpapers of your chosen read. As well as these editions, they have created a ‘Classics’ range; their 12 bestselling books, reissued with full colour artwork on the cover. I currently own 5 of their standard editions, and 5 of their ‘Classics’.

Gift wrapping is available when ordering online, and the first 1000 copies of one of the books seen above, Despised and Rejected, came packaged in a facsimile of a newspaper spread from the time of the book’s initial release, featuring an article about the scandal it caused. It’s attention to detail like this that really sets Persephone apart. Also seen above are copies of their biannual magazine, and a few examples of the bookmarks that come with the books, each one matching the endpapers inside.

Everything about Persephone speaks of quality; from the standard of the literature they release, to the thick, sturdy paper they print on; from the variety of subscriptions, gift cards, and packages they offer, to the friendly, personal touches in their service. Their books are stocked in many bookshops, and can be ordered direct from their website. They also have their own shop in London (where the press itself is based), in which they stock all of their published works. I’m yet to have the chance to visit the shop in person myself, but it’s definitely on my bookish bucket list.

A look at the Persephone catalogue, which details all of their releases thus far. When you receive a gift card, you will also be sent a free copy of this to help you choose which books to order, alongside a personalised notecard, and the most recent Persephone biannual, mentioned above.

There’s not much else to say, other than how much I’m looking forward to expanding my collection of Persephone books.

Do you have any Persephone books?

Spotlight | Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan and a selection of his books.

Shaun Tan is an Australian artist and writer. He is, in fact, one of my favourite artists, hence why I had to include him and his work in my spotlight series – in which I highlight my favourite things from the bookish world.

Tan’s work often sits on the boundary between this world and the fantastical, with elements of nature, technology and fairy tales serving as clear inspiration. He writes and illustrates original works, serves as an illustrator and cover designer for others, and also crafts ‘silent graphic novels’, which are stories told entirely through pictures, with no words whatsoever.

Some examples of Tan’s beautiful art, taken from various works.

In his art, Tan creates ethereal worlds, populated by captivating scenery and dreamlike creatures, but often uses these seemingly bizarre creations to make commentary on contemporary, real world issues (like The Arrival focussing on the immigrant experience, and The Red Tree exploring the feeling of depression). As such, I think he will appeal to those who enjoy surrealist art, but like stories that retain a grounding in our own world.

Some more examples of Tan’s artwork.

He works in a number of different mediums, and has even adapted his art into an Academy Award winning short film. He is also a skilled sculptor. One of my favourites amongst his books, in fact, is The Singing Bones, which comprises a series of sculptures depicting tableaus of classic tales and characters from the works of the Brothers Grimm.

Fairy tale inspired sculptures from The Singing Bones.

As with any artist, there’s not much else that needs to be said, other than to let his work speak for itself.

Spotlight | H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells, and some of his best-known works.

The latest bookish figure I’ve decided to highlight is H.G. Wells, an author who has quietly snuck up on me to become one of my favourite writers without me even realising it. That might sound an odd thing to say, so let me try and explain.

I haven’t yet read what could be described as a ‘wow’ book by Wells; one that totally blew me away, became an instant five-star favourite, and compelled me to rush out and devour his full bibliography as fast as possible. I have, however, read four novels by him (the ones pictured above), all of which I thoroughly enjoyed, was highly impressed by, and gave a solid four-star rating. In addition to that, I’ve read five of his short stories (courtesy of a couple of the Penguin Little Black Classics), which I also really liked (one in particular which I thought was fantastic). So, whilst there may not necessarily have been an obvious standout read, he has been easily one of the most consistently enjoyable and thought-provoking authors I’ve read, with the sum total of those various great reads putting him right up there amongst my favourite authors overall.

One of the main reasons I thought Wells was worth highlighting is how great an author he would be for anyone looking to get into classics, but who perhaps feels a little daunted, worrying they’ll find them too dense, slow or archaic. The predominant reaction I had whilst reading all of Wells’ work thus far has been, ‘I can’t believe this was written in the 1800s…’. His prose is so readable, his plots and themes scarily prescient in today’s society (often exploring human nature and the danger of pushing modern science too far), and his novels are often comparatively brief amongst the work of his contemporaries. They are the kind of books that have deeper moral and thematic ideas that can be picked at and explored if you wish, but also just feature intriguing and at times compulsively exciting stories, with his fantastic concepts incredibly well realised.

Some more of Wells’ extensive bibliography that I’m keen to explore.

When discussing Wells, I think it’s also worth pointing out that he didn’t just write science-fiction, and that he was in fact far more varied in style than many perhaps realise or give him credit for. Though sci-fi was clearly his greatest literary calling, he did indeed dabble in many other genres, including war, romance, politics, fantasy, social commentary, and literary fiction. I, for one, am certainly excited to continue to explore his work.

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Have you read any H.G. Wells? What is your favourite of his works?

Spotlight | Little Black Classics

My modest but growing collection of Little Black Classics.

In my spotlight series, I like to share the love for some fantastic bookish things, and today it’s the turn of one of my favourite book editions to collect, the Little Black Classics from Penguin. These pocket-sized classics were first released to mark the 80^th anniversary of the publisher: 80 books to celebrate their 80^th birthday, each one costing just 80p. Clever, huh? The series proved so popular that they’ve since expanded the collection considerably, meaning there’s all the more to hunt out and collect.

There are lots of reasons why I love them. Firstly, there’s the simple but effective design, and how well they complement each other when lined up on a shelf. We’re all suckers for a pretty bookshelf, after all. Secondly, there’s the great value for money, with each of the books costing either 80p, £1 or £2, depending on its length, meaning they offer a great little bang for your buck (and that they would make perfect stocking stuffers for the festive season).

Thirdly, there’s the fact that their compact nature makes them an excellent way to try out a classic author’s style before you dive into one of their epic, 500-page tomes, with a fantastic mix of both iconic writers (Austen, Wells, Brontë, Dickens, etc.) and lesser-known, hidden gems featured. Last but not least, there’s the wonderfully eclectic mix of forms and genres that can be found, including short stories, novellas, letters, diary extracts, essays and poetry, amongst others, meaning there’s hopefully something for everyone.

So far, I have 31 Little Black Classics in my collection, which I’ve listed below, but I certainly plan to keep adding to it over time.

The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
Matilda by Mary Shelley
Daphnis and Chloe by Longus
The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann
The Suffragettes by Various
The Sea Raiders by H.G. Wells
The World is Full of Foolish Men by Jean de la Fontaine
A Slip Under the Microscope by H.G. Wells
Come Close by Sappho
The Fall of Icarus by Ovid
Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield
The Robber Bridegroom by Brothers Grimm
A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin
The Night is Darkening Round Me by Emily Brontë
Lips Too Chilled by Matsuo Bashō
How Much Land Does a Man Need by Leo Tolstoy
Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti
The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James
The Reckoning by Edith Wharton
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Beautiful Cassandra by Jane Austen
A Hippo Banquet by Mary Kingsley
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
The Terrors of the Night by Thomas Nashe
The Tinder Box by Hans Christian Anderson
Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson
Woman Much Missed by Thomas Hardy
How to Use Your Enemies by Baltasar Gracián
A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Kenkō
Wailing Ghosts by Pu Songling
The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue by Anonymous

Some more pictures of my LBC collection as it stands, because you can’t have enough pictures of books.

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Do you have any Little Black Classics? Which have been your favourites so far?

Spotlight | Dieter Braun

Dieter Braun

Today in my series all about sharing bookish love, I’m shining the spotlight on Dieter Braun, a German illustrator who has released two companion books, Wild Animals of the North and Wild Animals of the South. Each celebrates the variety of species native to its respective hemisphere, with the animals depicted in Braun’s gorgeously vibrant and expressive art style that has an almost geometric inspired quality to it, making it a unique and instantly recognisable style that I love. I could open either of his books on pretty much any random page and would happily have it framed on my wall.

The pictures are accompanied by simple but fun facts about the animals’ characteristics, habitats and suchlike, like how a single humpback whale can weigh as much as six adult African elephants; giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans; and macaws can live for up to 60 years and mate for life. These add an extra layer to the books and make them suitable for all ages, which I also really appreciate. In fact, I think they would make particularly wonderful gifts for any lover of nature or art.

Aside from that, there’s not much else to say, so I’ll just let his work speak for itself.

Some examples of Braun’s beautiful artwork, taken from his two books.

Spotlight | Kirsty Logan

Kirsty Logan and the four works she has published thus far.

Today I’m shining the bookish spotlight on one of my favourite authors, Kirsty Logan. Hailing from Scotland, much of her work has the lifeblood of Celtic folklore and fairy tales running through it, with enchanting characters, absorbing plots and worlds, lyrical prose, and a whimsical tone that is right up my street.

To date, she has released a novel, The Gracekeepers; two short story collections, The Rental Heart and other Fairy Tales, and A Portable Shelter; and a flash fiction chapbook, The Psychology of Animals Swallowed Alive.

One of my favourites amongst these is The Gracekeepers, the story of a largely flooded world in which society is split into those who live on the small pockets of remaining land, and those who live aboard ships on the open water. We follow dual perspectives of a young woman with a dangerous secret who lives aboard a travelling circus boat, performing with her beloved bear, and an eponymous Gracekeeper; a person who is tasked with performing burials at sea. The story’s eclectic cast of lovable characters and striking imagery stole my heart. Here is an excerpt from one of my favourite passages:

“When people are cruel it’s often said that they have no heart, only a cold space or lump of ice in their chest. This was never true of Avalon. She had no heart, everyone knew, but there was nothing cold about her. In her chest burned an enormous coal, white-hot, brighter than the North Star. North knew the truth about Avalon: she was made of fire, and she would burn them all.”

My other favourite is A Portable Shelter, a series of interconnected short stories that read like fairy tales, with an ongoing narrative in between which sees two women awaiting the birth of their first child, taking turns to tell their unborn baby stories which mask truths about the world, having both vowed to never tell the child a lie. It’s a beautifully executed book all about the power and importance of storytelling.

I eagerly await whatever Logan shares with us next, and urge any of you at all interested in her work to give it a go.

Spotlight | Robert Ingpen

Robert Ingpen

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an instalment in my spotlight series, in which I highlight a person, place or thing from the bookish world that I love. Today is the turn of Robert Ingpen, an illustrator and writer from Australia who is probably best known for his beautiful artistic interpretation of several children’s classics, including the likes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Wendy, The Jungle Book and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, to name just a few. Many of these are available in lovely unabridged hardback editions from Templar Publishing, which are my favourite editions to collect with regards to Ingpen’s work.

His style is warm, colourful, enchanting, and expressive yet detailed; perfectly suited to the charm and whimsy of timeless tales such as those mentioned above. I think he has a particular flair for depicting animals, which form some of my favourite pieces by him.

Some examples of Ingpen’s animal portraits

There’s not much else that needs to be said, really. Instead, I think I’ll just let his work speak for itself and urge you all to check him out if you haven’t already.

Some more of my favourite pieces by Ingpen

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Do you have any books illustrated by Ingpen? Which is your favourite?

Spotlight | Penguin English Library

My collection of Penguin English Library editions

Recently, I decided to start shining the spotlight on some of the people, places and things from the bookish world that I love. Today, it’s the turn of a specific edition that is one of my favourites to collect: Penguin English Library.

There are several reasons why I love these particular editions so much, and first and foremost is simply how gorgeous they are. Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, the covers (and spines, which line up together beautifully) are an easy way to add a hit of colour to your bookshelves.

Close-ups on a few of my favourite cover designs

The colourful spines are equally pretty

The second reason I like them so much is that the selection on offer is pretty much a curated list of the most highly regarded classics of all time, with the series featuring ‘100 of the best novels in the English language’. Whilst personal taste is of course always a factor, and you’re unlikely to enjoy all 100 books, it does mean you can rest assured you’re getting a quality and influential story with each title you reach for. There’s also a good mix of both iconic titles that everyone has heard of and some lesser-known gems, so it’s worth browsing their catalogue to see what you can dig out.

The final reason I enjoy collecting them is how affordable they are. They differ in price slightly depending on length, but all retail for several pounds less than most equivalent editions and typical paperbacks, with most selling for just £5.99 – and who doesn’t love a bargain; especially such a beautiful one?

I hope to continue to add to my collection of Penguin English Library books gradually, but for those interested, here’s a list of the 14 titles I own so far:

• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
• Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Adventure of the Six Napoleons and Other Cases by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Treasure Island & The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

Do you have any books from the Penguin English Library series?

 

Spotlight | Patrick Ness

One of the new features I want to start on my blog this year is a spotlight series, where I highlight a person, place or thing from the bookish world that I love. It could be writers, illustrators, publishers or anything else of the like, and to start things off, I thought who better to shine the spotlight on than one of my favourite authors: Patrick Ness.

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Patrick Ness and his impressive catalogue of work.

At the time of writing this post, Ness has so far released nine full-length works, seven of which I have read. He has written books aimed at both adult and YA audiences, though is probably best known as the author of A Monster Calls, which was very recently adapted into a movie starring the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson; the script having also been written by Ness himself. Most recently, he wrote a Doctor Who spin-off series called Class, which aired on the BBC, and announced a 10^th book which is slated for release in May 2017.

The main reason for my love of Ness is his writing style, which is understated yet beautiful; his stories always infused with a gut-punch of emotion. His eclectic catalogue of work has seen him explore several themes, though common recurring topics include self-worth, friendship, sexuality, conflict, mental health and love. I also admire him greatly as a person, with him often speaking frankly of his belief that anyone can achieve their dreams and spearheading a recent charity campaign that saw writers match pledges from the public to raise more than £600,000 for Save the Children, in aid of refugees.

I am yet to read his short story collection, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and his debut novel, The Crash of Hennington (truth be told, I’ve been deliberately putting them off because I don’t like the thought of not having more of his books to get to), but with regards to a recommended reading order for the books I have read if you are new to his work, personally I would suggest the following:

1. A Monster Calls: Firstly, this is accessible for a wide age range, but it’s also a good indicator of the kind of beautiful imagery and strong emotion that much of his work features. It’s fairly short, meaning it wouldn’t require a big time commitment to see if you like his style, and with a stunning edition illustrated to whimsical and eerie perfection by Jim Kay (which is definitely the one I recommend you pick up) and a movie adaptation having just been released, there’s plenty to absorb yourself in. The story centres around a young boy as he attempts to cope with his mother’s increasingly poor health, whilst being visited by a monster at night who pledges to tell him stories.
2. The Chaos Walking Trilogy: If you try A Monster Calls and like it, then I would head for his three book series next (probably my favourite of his work) which opens with a boy named Todd, who lives in a world populated entirely by men who can all hear each other’s thoughts in a chaotic mass known as Noise. But when he stumbles upon an area of complete silence and a secret that reveals everything he thought he knew to be a lie, he must flee for his life. It’s a breathless, heartfelt tale about the devastation of war and the struggle to hold onto your sense of self in dark and difficult times.
3. The Crane Wife: Written for an adult audience, this one is a little quieter and more contemplative than the others I’ve mentioned, but in my opinion his most eloquent in terms of the actual writing. Inspired by an old Japanese folk tale, it is a story about love, loneliness and the power of art as a means of great beauty.
4. More Than This: This book opens as a teenage boy wakes in a deserted street that he believes to be hell after seemingly drowning in the ocean. He must explore this strange place to uncover the truth and figure out if he can ever get back home.
5. The Rest of Us Just Live Here: In all honestly, this was my least favourite of his books so far, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, as it’s still an enjoyable and worthwhile read for its positive and sensitive portrayal of both LGBT characters and someone living with OCD. Not necessarily as hard-hitting as his other work, this one takes a more light-hearted approach, affectionately poking fun at the tropes of YA by flipping the ‘chosen one’ concept on its head and having the story focus instead on the wallflowers that are just trying to avoid getting involved in the dramas of the apocalypse and survive the perils of adolescence instead.

Here’s hoping Mr Ness shares many more stories with us in the years to come.

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Have you read any of Ness’ books? Which is your favourite?