How do you make a classic have appeal to distinguish itself from the umpteen other versions on the shelf? Penguin Classics has found an answer in hiring acclaimed indie and alternative cartoonists to illustrate the covers of their new “deluxe editions.” The result looks so good that it makes me want to have them all, even the titles I’m not interested in reading.
It’d be hard to miss Charles Burns‘ slaughtered pig head on the cover of Penguin’s 100th anniversary edition of Upton Sinclair’s proletariat novel THE JUNGLE. (For the back cover, he’s simply drawn a Petri dish of swimming bacteria.) Likewise for Voltaire’s CANDIDE, now summarized via a comic strip by Chris Ware. Other artists include Art Spiegelman, Roz Chast and Seth. You can see the covers of each after the jump.
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picked up the Paul Auster wish they made one for The Music of Chance. Came very close to getting the Dorthy Parker also. flipped through it and in the flaps there is a very funny cartoon time line for her.
Also this is the first NEW book I’ve bought in a long time