12/19/11

New cover

For one of my favorite writers, Jim Shepard.

Another great collection of stories, or as the New York Times says:
“A master . . . Shepard’s taut, high-concept, research-dependent fiction covers a bracing, career-long range of hobbyhorses and obsessions . . . And his preference for historical quests, for real people’s big gestures, may help keep American short fiction from falling asleep in the snug little precincts of its usual subject matter.” —Thomas Mallon, The New York Times Book Review

Cover collage by the awesome Fred Free.

Should be out in paper by February if not sooner.

12/13/11

Just in time for Christmas...

Our charming new edition of Charles Dickens' classic. Only 8 bucks! With flaps, even.

Lovingly designed by Megan Wilson
Illustrations by the magical Peter de Sève.



The rest of Dickens to follow:







12/8/11

Richard M. Powers

For those of you who don't know the work of Richard M. Powers, make a trip to the sci-fi section of your nearest used bookstore immediately. Powers pretty much single handedly reinvented the look of the science fiction book cover. Drawing inspiration from surrealist and modern art (Miro, Tanguy, Picasso), rather than traditional pulp depictions of spaceships and aliens, Powers' cover illustrations emphasized the psychological and trippy-er aspects of the genre. Largely forgotten (except by enthusiasts), in the 1940s and 50s he was THE go to guy for mass market science fiction illustration. Some of his work was recently represented in Steven Brower's superb study of mass market book covers: Breathless Homicidal Slime Mutants. He should really have his own book. Read more about him here.

The covers below were culled are from the collection of occasional Spine Out guest blogger and knower of all things of interest, Tim Cronin.