I have an infatuation with books. Sure, I like to read them. But more than that, I like to look at groups of them. My preference has traditionally been for older books – those with a slightly musty smell, that have accumulated the oils of hands turning pages. But with all the amazing design for hardcovers lately, it’s hard to pass them by.
Coralie Bickford-Smith is a senior cover designer for Penguin. I’ve often drooled over books with covers she’s designed, and only today discovered it is she who is behind them.
I particularly enjoy the 1001 Arabian Nights series. The one above manages to appeal to several of my many types of geekery.
And I absolutely love all the covers in the Gothic Horror series. They might be a bit too scary for me to read (I still get nervous thinking about The Hound of the Baskervilles, which I read almost 20 years ago), but boy, would they look splendid sitting together on my shelf.
[all images via Coralie Bickford-Smith]
