Penguin Classics: gorgeous books worth collecting

Penguin classics, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre Drop Caps edition

With the Christmas gift-hunting season getting nearer you’ll soon wonder what to get for that bookworm friend of yours, or for your old uncle who reads only outdated books (what an idea!). The Penguin Classics books may be just the thing for you!

I am not talking about the usual classics books here, but about the several nice collections Penguin (a great British publishing house) publishes. Here some details for you.

 

For the old-school booklover: Penguin Clothbound Classics

 

The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Penguin Clothbound ClassicsLittle Women by Louisa May Alcott, Penguin Clothbound Classics

It’s been a few years Penguin has been editing delightful clothbound editions of all times classics (mostly English, although you can find Dante’s Inferno or Homer’s Odyssey). If your friend cherish the look of his/her bookcase, he/she won’t deny such a book is a nice addition to it. From Austen or Dicken’s most successful stories, you can’t have it wrong with these hardback books.

Check out the Penguin Clothbound Classics.

 

For the design and graphics enthusiast: Penguin Graphic Deluxe Editions

 

Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, Penguin Graphic DeluxeSade's Philosophy in the Boudoir, Penguin Graphic Deluxe

 

Also with the idea to offer beautiful collectible books, the US branch of Penguin has been editing the Penguin Deluxe Classics books. Softbound, but printed on a very qualitative paper (giving the book quite a vintage feeling when you turn its pages), these books have great illustrated covers. They’ve been designed by different artists with various background, offering a good visual insight of these novels. Classic fictions and more recent works are available, from the US and everywhere, so that you’re surely manage to please your friend with one of these lovely books.

Have a look at the Penguin Classics Graphic Deluxe Editions

 

For the typography fan: Penguin Drop Caps

 

Middlemarch by George Eliot, Penguin Drop Caps book

Another collection from the US, the Penguin Drop-Cap series  put the accent on the art of typography and the drop cap. There’s a colourful book for each letter of the alphabet, from Jane Austen’s A to Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Z. Classics and modern successes are equally represented in this rainbow-hued collection designed by typographer Jessica Hirsh.

Discover the Penguin Drop Caps

 

Reading Penguin Graphic Deluxe's Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton in a Berlin café
Reading Penguin Graphic Deluxe’s Ethan Frome in a Berlin café

 

Now, the choice is yours! Which collection will be your favourite?
I’m equally fan of the three of them as I have several books from each collection.

Happy shopping / reading!

Websites:
Penguin UK – www.penguin.co.uk
Penguin US – www.penguin.com

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