
I admit it, I buy books for their covers as well as their content, and for the illustrations that interleaf their writing. Look forward to sharing an eclectic selection, old and new.
My kind of cover – Under Milk Wood
A few months ago we went to our favourite flea market and, as we were leaving, saw a pile of old LPs leaning against a rubbish bin. It appears the seller had concluded nobody would buy them and they were too heavy to schlep back home. We rifled through and picked out...
The Old Man and the Sea
The finest book cover illustration I've seen for this slim, timeless, moving book, wrapping around the back cover and even into the back flyleaf. Oddly, there is no mention of who designed the jacket. The colours and lines are marvelous.And that font! 'Ernest...
Lettres de Mon Moulin – Daudet
These charming children's illustrations of Daudet turned up at a flea-market, and I have several versions including this selection of his Lettres de Mon Moulin, and one featuring a specific story with it, 'La chèvre de M. Seguin'.
Russian tales and legends
There is a dark-forested haunting element to the illustrations in this French rendition of Russian stories. They are part of a series I've been collecting at the flea market, using a range of fresh and unusual illustration styles: see also the Tales from...
All good publishers have a department of exceptions.
Gabriel Zaid – So Many Books
Greek Myths and Legends
These enchanting, sunlit illustrations of a French children's rendition of Greek Myths delighted me. They are part of a series...
Wind Island
The first edition of this book I found, at a flea market, was a French translation, and it took me...
Tales from Australia and Oceania
This book cover and related illustrations are from a wonderful old French series of tales and stories from around the...
Marcel and me – memories of childhood
I grew up with Marcel. That is the French author Pagnol (1895-1974) was a part of our domestic library and...
How to read a book in a language you don’t know (II)
I love children's books and their illustrations, and often buy second-hand at this or that flea-market. By now, we have...
The spirit of the letter
Luiz found this beautiful book at our favourite flea market in Geneva. I liked the cover image and title, which...
Arthur Ransome – cover illustrations
If you've been following WritingRedux, you may have noticed a number of pawky playful gems from Arthur Ransome's children's books....
Revisiting The Hobbit
The Hobbit is the first major book of which I have a conscious memory. Probably four or five years...
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