Few book-lovers would claim to buy books or keep them around for their aesthetic value alone, but however powerful the contents may be, a beautiful cover (and spine) can undoubtedly enhance their appeal. If you're buying a book as a gift, the recipient will be especially delighted if it is well-designed. These publishers produce some of the loveliest editions out there; most are independent, specialising in particular types of book, so that if you like one of their volumes, you're liable to find more and more you enjoy from the same place.
Persephone Books
Persephone Books has dedicated itself to reprinting the work of overlooked women writers, largely from the mid-20th century. Most of the 147 volumes are fiction, but there are also memoirs, poetry, and gardening and cookery books scattered throughout the series. Easily identifiable by their elegant grey covers and spines, they make for a stylish collection, but one that will open your eyes to a largely lost world of female creativity. “I’m always giving Persephone books as presents, with their pigeon-coloured spines and jazzy end papers,” says journalist Jo Rodgers. “The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a great one to start with—it’s a pudding, the kind of thing you can’t believe it took you this long to read.”
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Assouline
Assouline's luxurious coffee table books, which cover lifestyle topics from fashion to cookery, are what every person of taste should be piling up on their ottoman. A browse in their Piccadilly shop and cafe, Maison Assouline, is guaranteed to introduce you to new and fascinating topics. The travel category is particularly desirable, its editions decked out in bright colours and metallic fonts. Each book is written by expert locals, and features photography and writing designed to introduce you to the culture, history and lifestyle of the place in question. The perfect gift for jetsetters.
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Virago Modern Classics
Founded in 1973 as an independent feminist publisher, Virago is now under the umbrella of Hachette, but still produces highly appealing editions of works by female writers. We particularly love their ‘Designer Collection’, each of which uses a textile pattern as the cover. It features the work of classic 20th-century writers such as Daphne du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith, Muriel Spark and Zora Neale Hurston.
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Faber
Long known for its distinguished record of publishing poetry (T. S. Eliot was one of its original editors), Faber has also produced some of the most desirable covers of the 20th century. The graphic designer Berthold Wolpe, who joined Faber in 1941 and remained there until 1975, was responsible for many of their most iconic designs, including the typographic covers that still grace the poetry editions. The iconic ‘Albertus’ font that has come to be inextricably associated with mid-century Faber covers was Wolpe's own invention, and remains instantly recognisable. Many historic designs are now reprinted under the ‘Faber Editions’ label.
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Penguin Clothbound Classics
There are so many vintage-inspired book covers on the market these days, but the Penguin Clothbound Classics series was surely responsible for kickstarting the current obsession. Launched 15 years ago, the series was the brainchild of Penguin designer Coralie Bickford-Smith, who looked back to Victorian cloth and leather-bound volumes for inspiration. There are at least 84 classic works now reprinted as part of this series, all in a rainbow of colours and intricate patterns. You can buy a full set of Jane Austen's works, which has proved particularly popular, but also everything from War and Peace to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. A new series of ‘Little Clothbound Classics’ are smaller-format editions of novellas and short stories, ideal for popping into a coat pocket.
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The Folio Society
For a particularly lovely gift or if there's a certain book you know you'll read over and over again, The Folio Society produces glorious hardback editions of classic books, usually with specially commissioned illustrations by an artist and a sturdy slipcover. They are rather expensive, it's true, but if you already know that someone has a favourite book, giving them a Folio Society version is a great way to make sure they'll have it forever.
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Fitzcarraldo Editions
If you want the best and most incisive of contemporary literary fiction and essays, head to Fitzcarraldo Editions. The books come in cobalt blue for fiction and white for essays, and are intellectually weighty enough for your most bookish of friends if you plan to give them as a gift. You can find Nobel Literature Laureates such as Olga Tokarczuk and Annie Ernaux among the authors.
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