ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - Erich Maria Remarque
‘This book is intended neither as an accusation nor as a confession, but simply as an attempt to give an account of a generation that was destroyed by the war – even those of it who survived the shelling.’ - Erich Maria Remarque
Featuring an introduction by Sebastian Faulks, our WWI centenary edition of All Quiet On The Western Front is Quarter Bound with white cloth.
The idea behind the design comes from the line 'The front is as sinister as a whirlpool’. The book is a testament to the pity, horror and waste of the First World War, and a passionate plea to prevent its repetition.
Below the final cover are some previous jackets, which help show the progression from start to finish.
THE CONVERSATIONS - Olivia Fane
The Conversations provides the starting points for 66 conversations to be had with a partner, friend, stranger or simply with ourselves. These thought-provoking and stimulating short discussions on happiness, vanity, infidelity, education and more, ask the questions that will help you get to know those with whom you share your life.
The cover image was taken from a project on couples by photographer Carlotta Cardana. The shot happened to be taken in our local greasy spoon; The Regency. We thought it was only right to head back there with the finished cover for a cup of tea and a chat.
Published in Vintage paperback April 2014
CASINO ROYALE 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
To mark the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, we have partnered with Bentley Motors to create a Vintage Classics luxury limited edition of the book that introduced Special Agent 007 to the world.
The design reflects the heritage of Bentley combined with the coolness and nostalgia of Bond. The text pages are enhanced with evocative illustrations by Damian Gascoigne.
For more information visit ianfleming.com or vintage-books.co.uk
SOLO - William Boyd
To celebrate the release of the brand new James Bond novel, we’ve created this animation for your eyes only which works it’s way through the latest cover.
The animation is being projected onto London’s Southbank, along with greeting early morning commuters in Canary Wharf.
BLACK CHALK - Christopher J Yates
Within the intimidating surroundings of Oxford University a group of six friends begin to play a game – an elaborate variation on truth or dare, in which losers have to perform mildly embarrassing tasks as consequences. But the game quickly assumes a life of its own; the stakes grow higher, and the consequences more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results.
For this sinister and literary thriller, we used the fantastic title as a starting point. A few typographic approaches were explored, but it still missed that sense of menace that was needed. This came in the form of the spire, which cuts across the title replacing the ‘A’s and allowing the reader to complete their own title puzzle instinctively.
POLICE - Jo Nesbo
For the jacket of this gripping new novel we commissioned photographer Salva Calaf to capture this moody shot of Oslo prison, while the endpapers feature a specially hand-drawn map of Oslo by Neil Gower. A stencilled Oslo skyline wraps around the cover boards and screen printed edges complete the package.
GREAT BRITISH BAKES - Mary-Anne Boermans
Food writer and baker extraordinaire Mary-Anne Boermans has delved into the UK’s glorious baking history to rediscover the long-forgotten recipes of our past.
The Great British Bake Off series 2 finalist, reveals the stories behind the bakes, with tales of escaped princes, hungry politicians and royal visits to Britain’s historic bakeries.
For the cover, we decided to get our bake on and create the typography from flour. Using a variety of different surfaces (from grease proof paper to slate), we eventually decided upon parchment paper to give the cover that homemade feel.
Topped off with a few sprinkles and ready to serve from Square Peg in November 2013.
FATTYPUFFS & THINIFERS-ANDRÉ MAUROIS
Published on the 3rd October this cover features fantastic illustrations by the talented Kristyna Litten. You can see more of her work here.

THÉRÈSE RAQUIN Émile Zola
First published in 1867, Thérèse Raquin has lost none of its power to enthral. Adam Thorpe’s unflinching translation brings Zola’s dark and shocking masterwork to life.
When Thérèse Raquin is forced to marry the sickly Camille, she sees a bare life stretching out before her, leading every evening to the same cold bed and every morning to the same empty day. Escape comes in the form of her husband’s friend, Laurent, and Thérèse throws herself headlong into an affair. There seems only one obstacle to their happiness: Camille. They plot to be rid of him. But in destroying Camille they kill the very desire that connects them…
Here is a glimpse of how the cover was created using old french flax lace.
Published on the 3rd November
GIGI AND THE CAT and CHERI-Colette
Beautifully illustrated by Nuno DaCosta, these new Vintage Classics are available from the 5th September.
FINNISH BOOK DESIGN
Beautiful new Finnish poetry books published by Helsingissä
Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, purchased on a recent trip.
Harry Salmenniemi, Kivirivit 2013 (in English Stone Lines) and Runojä (in English Runoja, Poemms) design by Markus Pyörälä voted the Most Beautiful Book of the Year by The Finnish Book Art Committee in 2012. (shown left and centre)
Kuka ampui Ötzin? by Vesa Haapala published in 2012 (right and open book) shows his collaboration with the graphic designer Markus Pyörälä. The translation of the title is Who shot Ötzi? The body of Ötzi is hidden in the book.
SOLO - A James Bond Novel
We are delighted to reveal the cover for the new James Bond novel, Solo by William Boyd.
Our Creative Director Suzanne Dean talks through the design process below:
‘In the book, Bond goes on an unauthorised solo mission recklessly motivated by revenge. I’d always been hoping that there might be a way to use the two o’s within Solo and link it to the zeros in 007. I used the font Folio, a sans-serif font designed by Konrad Bauer and Walter Baum in 1957 which became popular during the sixties, and which we used on our Vintage Classics 007 series. It has a strong circular ‘o’ in its bold version, which formed an important feature within the design. Shadows thrown by the overlaying letters suggest hidden danger and tension, whilst the final ‘o’ in Solo suggests a door or an escape route. The die cut holes in the dust jacket are an abstraction of bullet holes, and represent a pivotal part of the novel. They also reveal a flash of the red binding below; which playfully reveals a gecko – a reference to Bond’s African mission in the book – and burn holes from the bullets, giving drama and an interactive expression to the whole package.’
