Books + Life, Life + Books

I've made some ab fab book discoveries in the past month and think that you should know about them as well. They are:

Exhibit A: David Pearson-designed Book Covers. Imagine a book that's well-designed, precise and downright gorgeous cover was as much a piece of art as the words inside. I've found those books. David Pearson, an award-winning designer was commissioned by Penguin Books to design artful covers to some classic Great Ideas books which, to date, include The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, Common Sense by Thomas Paine and Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau. All books available on Amazon.com.

[The Communist Manifesto's bold, artful cover, as visioned by David Pearson]

[Henry David Thoreau never looked this good on a bookshelf before...]

Exhibit B: The New Yorker Fiction Podcasts. I love books, but it is very (very) difficult to sit down and read as I get older. I always seem to think about the million other things that I need to do and get distracted. Melissa is obsessed with books on tape, so I decided to look into some book podcasts when I discovered these. They are a wonderfully curated collection of short stories that have appeared in The New Yorker available on your iPod or iPhone. Amazing!!! Right now I'm "reading" Head Cold by Harold Brodkey.

[The New Yorker, digitized]

Exhibit C: Persephone Books. This little printing house in London is the book-maker that could. Their venerable editors find little known literary works by women and re-publish them in classic, muted grey covers and vintage-inspired endpapers.

[Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day's Endpaper]

[Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day cover]

They have gotten up to 78 books published, all worth checking out. I plan to order Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, a story published in 1938 about a Governess' wild day, which, coincidentally, is now a movie of the same title.

What cool/weird/fascinating ways have books become part of your life?

P.S. We're almost done with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, look for reviews soon!

Whitney