Penguin Classics: gorgeous books worth collecting -

With the Christmas gift-hunting season getting nearer you’ll soon wonder what to get for that bookworm friend of yours, or for your old uncle who reads only outdated books (what an idea!). The Penguin Classics books may be just the thing for you!

I am not talking about the usual classics books here, but about the several nice collections Penguin (a great British publishing house) publishes. Here some details for you.

For the old-school booklover: Penguin Clothbound Classics

It’s been a few years Penguin has been editing delightful clothbound editions of all times classics (mostly English, although you can find Dante’s Inferno or Homer’s Odyssey). If your friend cherish the look of his/her bookcase, he/she won’t deny such a book is a nice addition to it. From Austen or Dicken’s most successful stories, you can’t have it wrong with these hardback books.

Check out the Penguin Clothbound Classics.

For the design and graphics enthusiast: Penguin Graphic Deluxe Editions

Also with the idea to offer beautiful collectible books, the US branch of Penguin has been editing the Penguin Deluxe Classics books. Softbound, but printed on a very qualitative paper (giving the book quite a vintage feeling when you turn its pages), these books have great illustrated covers. They’ve been designed by different artists with various background, offering a good visual insight of these novels. Classic fictions and more recent works are available, from the US and everywhere, so that you’re surely manage to please your friend with one of these lovely books.

Have a look at the Penguin Classics Graphic Deluxe Editions

For the typography fan: Penguin Drop Caps

Another collection from the US, the Penguin Drop-Cap series put the accent on the art of typography and the drop cap. There’s a colourful book for each letter of the alphabet, from Jane Austen’s A to Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Z. Classics and modern successes are equally represented in this rainbow-hued collection designed by typographer Jessica Hirsh.

Discover the Penguin Drop Caps