Iconic publisher Penguin has just re-published 36 works from their catalogue, bringing back to bookstores’ front shelves some of the most interesting titles of contemporary British and American literature.
The new collection comes under the name of Penguin Celebrations and revisites the classic Penguin cover - this time with a different colour for every section. The back cover reads Light Blue for big ideas, Green for mystery, Orange for fantastic fiction, Pink for distant lands, Dark Blue for real lives, Purple for viewpoints.
After a quick research, I’ve come to the conclusion that the colour/theme pairing only tries to assure some continuity with the vintage editions - whereas at first I would have thought there was some kind of hidden symbology in the matching of green and mystery, perhaps, or purple and viewpoints. I personally cannot find any - maybe someone would like to leave a comment sparing their thoughts on the matter.

Another personal objection is about the choice of the titles re-published. If the covers express in full their powerful visual impact - which they do - they work in giving the impression that to buy one of these books means adding an all-time classic to one’s personal library. Personally, though, I don’t quite agree with the shortlist for the 36 titles or authors. Freakonomics, for instance, is very contemporary and has recently enjoyed enormous public success but still doesn’t qualify as a classic in my opinion. Nick Hornby, on the other hand, can agreeably be considered an iconic contemporary British author, although I wouldn’t consider How to be good to be his best offspring.
All in all, it seems to me that the Penguin Celebrations are much more about the commercial venture, in line with the other recent successful (and extremely cute!) merchandise lines, such as the mugs or deckchairs.

Anyhow, seen in the bookstore, laid out in colour groups, they definitely are attractive. Just another example of how simple but good design and a careful selection of colour suffice to create eye-catching products that end up enjoying timeless success.

[by Veronica Crespi]