#goals — a university press can dream, no!? ———— #Repost @macrolit.books with @make_repost ・・・ “The jackets were always planned for maximum visual effectiveness when displayed together, as well as when shown singly against the confused background of the average bookstore.” . . This is a quote from Alvin Lustig (1915-1955), graphic designer extraordinaire who designed these dust jackets for New Directions’ New Classics series in the 1940s-50s. . . As you can see, Lustig is right. Displaying them together gives one more of a feeling of being in an art gallery rather than looking at a bookshelf. James Laughlin, founder of New Directions Books, wanted his books to stand out from the big commercial houses, not only in editorial selection but by visual distinction. . . Lustig correctly thought that the contents of a book cannot be suggested visually by a naturalistic image that captures a single moment from the book. Instead, he tried to capture the entire spirit of the book, the mood, by way of abstract arrangements of form, color, and typography. . . There are 36 books in the New Classics series, and I’m doing my best to hunt them all down. I’m thankful to @objctshop for selling me some of his duplicates, a handful of which are displayed here. . . What do you think of these book covers? Is there one you like best? Do you have a favorite series of books based on their design? . . #alvinlustig #graphicdesign #graphicdesignbook #graphicdesigners #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #booksofig #midcentury #midcenturymodern #instabooks #art #igreads #bookcollection #bookcollector #bookcoverdesign #bibliophile #readersofig #readersofinstagram #jameslaughlin #bookshelf #shelfie #literature #classicliterature #classics #artgallery #oldbooks #vintagebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CLW2Bn4BtRQ/?igshid=1abl23eck6bfv
