Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische

heck this out: Typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische is sharing some lovely drop caps with the blogosphere via The Daily Drop Cap project. Most days, she posts a hand-crafted decorative initial cap for you to use and enjoy. I love it! To go to her website to get the drop caps, click here. Here’s some of her latest drop caps alphabet…

Penguin Classics Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith

I’m a big fan of Coralie Bickford-Smith’s cover designs (earlier this year I pointed out some of her great designs). Today I’m extra excited to show off these  cloth-bound classics that Coralie designed for for Penguin. I heard about them this morning via design*sponge, where you can also find an interview with Coralie. The series just became available in the US. Wouldn’t they make great gifts?

 

Where the Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr. Fox

Everyone’s talking about Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, which has been adapted and directed by Spike Jonze.

Where The Wild Things Are poster for sale for $14.5o at 123posters.com

But, I’m actually more excited about another upcoming movie that has been adapted from a beloved children’s book–Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox! I love this book. The stop-motion film is directed by Wes Anderson and features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman.

This first edition copy of the Fantastic Mr Fox book, with Tony Ross’ illustrations, is available at The Wee Web

Library Heaven

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” Jorge Luis Borgesw

Cambridge, Kings College Library

Image source: Cornell Univeristy Library

Red light, green light

Two more library photos from German photographer Candida Höfer, via thenonist.

Top image:  Conway Library London, by Candida Höfer

Bottom image: Witt Library London, by Candida Höfer

Candida Höfer – Library Photos from Around the World

Who doesn’t love amazing library photos? These are all from German photographer Candida Höfer, famous for her photos of large, silent, and serene libraries, universities, and museums. Check out more at in her book Libraries , and buy some of the originals at artnet.com

Rijksarchief Limburg Maastricht I Library, 2003

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, 2006

Handelingenkamer tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal den Haag III

Bibliothèque Administrative de la Ville de Paris I, 2007

Book Covers: Silhouettes

All from the The Book Cover Archive.

Top row, from left to right:

The World Without Us. Author: Alan Wiseman. Book cover designer: Pete Garceau.
The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson. Author: Jerome Charyn. Book cover designer: Gabrielle Wilson.
The Golden Road. Author: Caille Miller. Book cover designer: Darren Haggar.

Middle row, from left to right:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Stories. Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Chess Machine. Author: Robert Lohr. Book cover designer: Gray318.
Jane Eyre. Author: Charlotte Bronte. Book cover designer:  Megan Wilson.

Bottom row, from left to right:

English as She is Spoke. Author: José da Fonseca.
Dangerous Frames. Author: Nicholas J. G. Winter. Book cover designer: Isaac Tobin.
Battle Royale. Author: Koushun Takami. Book cover designer: Izumi Evers.

Indianapolis Central Library

Indianapolis Central Library, from Serge Melki on Flickr.

Coralie Bickford-Smith

I found these great book covers designs by Coralie Bickford-Smith at the Book Cover Archive.

The Masque of the Red Death, book cover by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Summer in Algiers, by Albert Camus, book cover by Coralie Bickford-Smith

The Virgin of the Seven Daggers, book cover by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Library of the Main Monastery in Gyantse, Tibet

Library of the Main Monastery in Gyantse, Tibet, at allposters.com

Book City Jackets

I’m so happy to have discovered Book City Jackets on design*sponge this week. These new artist edition covers by Eveline Tarunadjaja, Morgan Blair and Matthew Caputo are great.

I also like these ones, from another series:

Jacqueline Rush Lee

Beautiful book sculptures from Jacqueline Rush Lee:

From top to bottom: Absolute Depth, Anthologia, Peacock, Inside Out, Unfurled: Devotion Series 2008

Thank you to the reader that sent me Jacquline’s website!

Sarah Bodman – The Romantic Imagination Unleashed

See a selection of Sarah Bodman’s work here.

Art for Travel Book Covers

Check out these works by Mary Lou Dauray specially commissioned for the Night+Day travel guide book covers.  Beauties. There are lots of great things about these guides (I should know, I work editorially on them), but I’ll save all that for another time.

New Orleans

New York

Toronto

Paris

Sydney

Amsterdam

M.L. Van Nice’s Swiss Army Book

Swiss Army Book by M.L. Van Nice

Wikipedia Book

If Wikipedia were a book….

This was created by Rob Matthew, who I discovered via CaiLun.info

Faber 80th Anniversary Poetry Editions

I’ve been drooling over Faber’s gorgeous 80th anniversary poetry covers ever since spotting them on designsponge last week.  Illustrators and printmakers were commissioned for the covers of six new editions of twentieth-century poetry (by W.B. Yeats, W.H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, John Betjemen, T.S. Eliot, and Ted Hughes) and the woodcut and linocut results on the covers and matching endpapers are just beautiful. I recently started dabbling in linocuts and found these to be fantastic inspiration. Visit FaceOut Books for a great description of project designer Miriam Rosenbloom’s process, including how themes, artists, and unifying elements were chosen. I’d think they’d make beautiful gifts. Poetry of WH Auden, poems selected by John Fuller, cover by Paul CatherallPoetry of Sylvia Plath, poems selected by Ted Hughes, cover by Peter LawrencePoetry of John Betjeman, poems selected by Hugo Williams, cover by Joe McLarenPoetry of T.S. Eliot, poems selected by T.S. Eliot, cover by Clare CurtisW.B. Yeats, poems selected by Seamus Heaney, cover by Heaney Nick MorleyPoetry of Ted Hughes, poems selected by Simon Armitage, cover by Mark Hearld

Bloomsday!

Happy Bloomsday!

Today, June 16th, is the day on which James Joyce’s mammoth novel Ulysses takes place.

Check out what’s going on in Ireland and around the world and a brief timeline of where and when the novel’s events take place on the James Joyce Center website.

East Coast Libraries

This weekend I flew into Boston for a really lovely wedding in Western Massachusetts, so I wanted to share pics of few East Coast libraries. I love how some have a cozy, quaint feel and others are nice and grand.

Want to show me your library shots? Send pics to curledupwithabook@gmail.com and I might include them in a future library post.

Calais Free Library, Maine from Number six (bill lapp) on Flickr.

Kennedy Library, Boston from Tony the Misfit on Flickr.

Library of Congress, Washinton DC from maveric2003 on Flickr.

Seattle Public Library + YOUR library photos

I’ve been a little obsessed with library shots lately. I’d love to find more great libraries,  so if you have library shots from your hometown or places you’ve visited, email them to me at curledupwithabook@gmail.com and I’ll try to include them in a post on that library!

Today I’m loving the Seattle Public Library…so colorful!

by TroyMason on Flickr

from Jan Tik on flickr

from boy27wonder on Flickr

from sashafatcat on flickr

by JeffWilcox on Flickr

from faeryboots on Flickr

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Love this library photograph of the Vasconcelos “mega-library” in Mexico City. Taken by Eneas, found on Flickr.

Bibliochaise Book Chair

Check out this nifty Bibliochaise book chair (found on Decomodo thanks to a tip..thanks Kelly!)

Cara Barer

Check out these stunning photographs by photographer and sculptor Cara Barer. Gorgeous.  Click here to see lots more on Cara’s website.

“Butterfly #2″

“Indigo”

“Wave and Fog”

“La Bruja”

“Secret”

“Moth”

“Shitake”

Su Blackwell

I love this piece by paper and book artist Su Blackwell. I discovered her on decor8 and on missv. Check out Su’s site. Amazing.

SF Public Library Forgives Fines

Overdue library books? For two weeks, The San Francisco Public Library is forgiving your overdue book fines if you just bring the books back! Anytime from May 3rd-May 16th, return your overdue library books to any San Francisco Public Library branch and your fines will be forgiven. To encourage people to participate, the Library is asking people to share their best excuse for why their books are overdue at sfpl.org/fineamnesty.

Taru Norberg Qwerty Hairbands

I’ve seen lots of vintage typewriter key products (I even posted a little while back about vintage typewriter key products on Etsy) but this is the first time I’ve seen computer keys repurposed like this. These SECCO hairbands designed by Taru Norberg (and sold by the Greener Grass Design) are made from used computer, type-writer, and cashier register keys.  I’m not sure the computer keys have the same allure as the typewriter. I have to admit they look cute as a hairband, but it seems like  something a only a little girl would wear, and from what I know of little girls, they would probably prefer something pink or sparkly! Apparently they have been a hit by standards though: In 2007, the Swedish National Museum included Norberg’s hairbands into their  modern design collection.

Beyond the Page: Re-Illustrating Our Favorite Children’s Books

Sean Clarity, inspired by The Velveteen Rabbit

Heads up San Francisco book-lovers! There’s a cool exhibit opening this Friday, May 1 at Gallery 1988 (1173 Sutter St., at Polk). It’s called “Beyond the Page: Re-Illustrating Our Favorite Children’s Books,” and if you couldn’t tell from the title of the exhibit, it features original illustrations of characters and scenes from favorite children’s books. Some of the books you’ll see new art for: Bridge to Terabithia, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Velveteen Rabbit, Calvin and Hobbes, and Snow White.

The show is free, but the gallery asks visitors to bring a new children’s book. They’ll be donated to the San Francisco Unified School District. The show lasts May 1-21, 2009, and the opening reception is Friday May 1, 7-10pm.

Check out preview images (including the one above) on the Gallery 1988 blog.

Quote-Unquote Bookends

I think these Quote-Unquote bookends by Eric Janssen are pretty fun. They each weigh two pounds (thanks to a concrete core). I found them on the Greener Grass Design website.

Back in Action

Whew, it has a busy couple weeks. A big thank you for all the kind messages about the new book! I feel bad that I’ve been neglecting my blogging, but I’m back in action now.  One of the fun things I’ve been working on lately is a new blog design, so you can look forward to seeing that in a month or so.  In the meantime, I’ve got some great books, book artists, and book products to share, plus some cool library shots, so be sure to check back in!

Currently reading: The Best American Travel Writing, edited by Pico Iyer (so far, it’s been good for travel writing inspiration)

Currently loving: these tiny books for the fridge on flickr.

Book Camera from Urban Outfitters

A book camera! I used to love playing “spies” when I was little, and of course was a huge fan of “Harriet the Spy.” This one is available online at Urban Outfitters and comes in red and green colors.