GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE - James Lasdun
A true story of obsessive love turning to obsessive hate, Give Me Everything You Have is Lasdun’s terrifying account of being cyberstalked by a former student.
By subverting and multiplying this familiar icon, the cover aims to capture the overwhelming scale of the attack upon the author.
Published in Vintage paperback February 2014
BRIDGET JONES MAD ABOUT THE BOY
Cover photography by Chris Frazer Smith
Hand writing by Stephen Raw
Published October 2013
THE MAN WITH THE COMPOUND EYES
On the island of Wayo Wayo, every second son must leave on the day he turns fifteen as a sacrifice to the Sea God. Atile’i is one such boy, but as the strongest swimmer and best sailor, he is determined to defy destiny and become the first to survive.
Alice Shih, who has lost her husband and son in a climbing accident, is quietly preparing to commit suicide in her house by the sea. But her plan is interrupted when a vast trash vortex comes crashing onto the shore of Taiwan, bringing Atile’i with it.
The jacket depicts the collision of their two worlds and is wonderfully illustrated by Joe Wilson.
The Man with the Compound Eyes is published by Harvill Secker in August.
Hardback to Paperback
Tom Wolfe – Back to Blood
In response to the hardback design, the paperback brief demanded a brighter, punchier rethinking.
Conceptually it needed to step away from our current Tom Wolfe backlist look and aim to be a little bolder than the hardback edition’s Miami-influenced typography.
Initially, an illustrative approach was requested – suggesting figures and scenery – but this made the cover feel like it was trying too hard and polarised opinion.
The return to a typographical solution was thanks to the inclusion of the sunglasses – a visual gag that helped amplify the colour and message of the cover with a nod to Tom Wolfe’s historical backlist cover artwork (a little Pop Art, a touch of acid poster colour and emphatic type).

MERIVEL: A Man of His Time
Merivel by Rose Tremain is published today in Vintage Paperback. Here’s a glimpse into how the cover was created using details from mid-seventeenth century embroidery from V&A and Bridgeman Art Library, and hand lettering by Stephen Raw.
THE METAPHYSICS OF PING-PONG
For this new title from Yellow Jersey Press, the visual elements of the sport are pared down to its fundamental basics: colours and shapes. To achieve this, the designer spent a day at Ink Spot Press, creating a minimalist, graphic screen print, which perfectly captures this simplicity.

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY (with change of direction!)
We have a lovely new cover for Sheila Burnford’s classic tale of loyalty and courage in the Canadian wilderness.
Sally Elford was originally commissioned to illustrate our Vintage Children’s Classic, and delivered a beautiful interpretation of the three lost animals. It was then decided we needed a more homely, textural style, and a new illustrator was commissioned.
Emily Sutton’s charming and colourful illustration will be appearing on The Incredible Journey this autumn.
UNDER ANOTHER SKY: Journeys in Roman Britain - Charlotte Higgins
This book is about the encounter with Roman Britain: about what the idea of “Roman Britain” has meant to those who came after Britain’s 400-year stint as a province of Rome – from the medieval mythographer-historian Geoffrey of Monmouth to Edward Elgar and W.H. Auden. The author traces these tales and invites us to journey with her as she discovers the remains of Roman Britain for herself.
The jacket reproduces photographs of Roman remains in the landscape by the renowned architectural and landscape photographer Edwin Smith (1912-1971). His beautiful compositions in monochrome give a wonderful sense of place and timelessness.
The archive of Edwin Smith is held by the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects).
Under Another Sky is published by Jonathan Cape in July
RANDOM HOUSE ARCHIVE VISIT
Last week we spent a wonderful day at the Random House Archives. The archive represents over 270 years of publishing and holds over a million volumes. It was really inspiring to see so many beautiful covers. We had a lot of fun comparing children’s classics past and present and were particularly excited to find some early editions of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. We also got a look at the oldest book in the archive; Joe Miller’s Jests which was published in 1739.
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA - Anthony Marra
On seeing the design for his jacket, the author wrote: ‘These intersecting lines and paths manage to resemble both a forest and a city’.
Anthony Marra’s debut novel tells an extraordinary and complex story of friendship, loyalty and love set in war-torn Chechnya of the late 1990s.
'Simply Spectacular’ Ann Patchett
This is a brilliant book — read it now.
VINTAGE ISHERWOOD
We are excited to share our latest Christopher Isherwood Vintage Classics featuring beautiful pattern illustrations from Vania Zouravliov.
See more of his work here: www.bigactive.com/illustration/vania-zouravliov
THE FLAMETHROWERS - Rachel Kushner
‘Kushner is rapidly emerging as a thrilling and prodigious novelist’
Jonathan Franzen
‘One of the most compelling and enjoyable novels I’ve read this year’ Hari Kunzru
‘Brilliant, startling…I want to recommend this stunning book to everyone I know’ Karen Russell
Published 6 june
THE GUTS - Roddy Doyle
Jimmy Rabbitte is back.
The man who invented the Commitments back in the eighties is now forty-seven, with a loving wife, four kids … and bowel cancer. He isn’t dying, he thinks, but he might be.
If you loved The Commitments - you’ll love The Guts.
Cover photography by John Carey.
