Loved your newsletter Nathaniel so interesting and I appreciate hearing about the human being behind the work. Lots of love to you and your family and sister. She sounds like an amazing woman. 🌷
As dated as they are, I think the one-two hit of Goosebumps and Animorphs designs never really left my taste. Extremely brightly colored, often textured, and usually layered with several faming devices, it's really no surprise I turned into a glitch artist and react to strong patterns and basic digital shapes.
Nathaniel, this deep dive into covers that shaped our lives is so fascinating. I have a library in my home with hundreds of volumes of literature I have enjoyed, but Catch -22 has always been among my very favorite. When I read it in high school, it ignited a love for words that have power to transform us in so many ways.
But even more than your insight about memorable covers, I thoroughly enjoyed your tender words about your mom and sister and a childhood bedroom that holds such a sacred space in your memory and heart. I’d love to read more about that in future personal essays or even in your own memoir someday. I’m sure the cover would be brilliant.
And I was a journalist/photographer/page designer before I was one of those English teachers. Another cover I loved was Elements of Style because of its simplicity, which made you want to open it. (On the road again, spotty cell coverage along 101. Escaping NW winter.)
Thanks for sharing! Great exploration of formative works - which (as we often don't) you didn't necessarily realize were formative at the time. I also appreciate your taking the plunge with more personal writing.
Fascinating details, thank you…that Catch 22 design is really striking. Hard to completely separate story from cover, but evocative designs I recall from this side of the pond are the 1940s /50s Hodder and Stoughton “yellow jacket” paperback series, with distinctive lettering and colouring (“The Saint’, Rider Haggard, Zane Grey, John Creasey etc) and 1950s/60s Pan Books paperbacks, particularly the simple designs of Ian Flemings’s James Bond tales. Oh, and the Hobbit cover with Tolkien’s green, blue and black mountain scene.
Loved your newsletter Nathaniel so interesting and I appreciate hearing about the human being behind the work. Lots of love to you and your family and sister. She sounds like an amazing woman. 🌷
As dated as they are, I think the one-two hit of Goosebumps and Animorphs designs never really left my taste. Extremely brightly colored, often textured, and usually layered with several faming devices, it's really no surprise I turned into a glitch artist and react to strong patterns and basic digital shapes.
Oh man, I loved Animorphs as a kid! I love that you can trace those sensibilities back to that.
I wasn’t into Goosebumps but I read these book series’ called Michigan Chillers and American Chillers that were in a similar vein.
Nathaniel, this deep dive into covers that shaped our lives is so fascinating. I have a library in my home with hundreds of volumes of literature I have enjoyed, but Catch -22 has always been among my very favorite. When I read it in high school, it ignited a love for words that have power to transform us in so many ways.
But even more than your insight about memorable covers, I thoroughly enjoyed your tender words about your mom and sister and a childhood bedroom that holds such a sacred space in your memory and heart. I’d love to read more about that in future personal essays or even in your own memoir someday. I’m sure the cover would be brilliant.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you for these kind words, Tracie 🙂 Catch-22 is great, I think I’m due for a reread!
I’m glad you enjoyed this—I will definitely try to keep trying to fuse these personal stories in with my book design writing
Paul Bacon!
A new name for the pantheon.
Sorry to hear about your sister‘s condition.
I prayed for her and for your family.
Thank you. I really appreciate that! And I’m happy to introduce you to Paul Bacon.
Thanks for sharing how this work weaves itself within and alongside a life and a heart.
What a beautiful way to put it ❤️
Fascinating backstory! I remember those covers and those teachers who introduced provocative covers and stories.
I remember my English teachers very fondly!
And I was a journalist/photographer/page designer before I was one of those English teachers. Another cover I loved was Elements of Style because of its simplicity, which made you want to open it. (On the road again, spotty cell coverage along 101. Escaping NW winter.)
That’s a good one!
I was also a newspaper page designer for a few years 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Great exploration of formative works - which (as we often don't) you didn't necessarily realize were formative at the time. I also appreciate your taking the plunge with more personal writing.
Thanks Megan 🙂
Book covers are a kind of promise about the story inside. In the same way movie trailers work for movies.
It's why, for me, the Twilight apple cover works, and the new set she just released covered in wildflowers does not.
I didn’t know about those new covers—those are fascinating!
Fascinating details, thank you…that Catch 22 design is really striking. Hard to completely separate story from cover, but evocative designs I recall from this side of the pond are the 1940s /50s Hodder and Stoughton “yellow jacket” paperback series, with distinctive lettering and colouring (“The Saint’, Rider Haggard, Zane Grey, John Creasey etc) and 1950s/60s Pan Books paperbacks, particularly the simple designs of Ian Flemings’s James Bond tales. Oh, and the Hobbit cover with Tolkien’s green, blue and black mountain scene.
Wishing your family well🙂