The Designer Behind Penguin's Clothbound Classics | Work In Progress with Coralie Bickford-Smith

[@jennid1573]

“I‘m not saying I’m a true artist at all”. She very much is and she should be proud to say it loud. People shouldn’t be afraid to toot their own hoot. 📚👏🏻

[@rob484]

I prefer a humble artist.

[@renad-ne3mm]

@@rob484 there's a difference between being humble and not knowing your worth.

[@rob484]

@@renad-ne3mm I'm pretty sure the head book cover designer for Penguin books knows her worth.

[@GrimTransmission]

I started collecting these, but after my third I chose to give them away and switch to the Everyman's Library clothbounds instead (much nicer in so many ways, however, they're all the same colour red under their dust jackets, which some people may not appreciate). The reason for my switch was because, on every one I had bought, the ink on the covers would rub off easily and look horrible by the end of my first read. Also, the bindings aren't very sturdy and the ribbons unravel at the tip. It's important to note how carefully I treat my books: I don't travel with them (they're not being stuffed into bags or handled roughly), they are kept on my bookshelf to only be read at home. Has anyone else had these problems with them? The ease and rate of their decay is something that should have been recognised and corrected before they had gone into large-scale production.

[@oliverreeves5637]

I have the same problem, read the adventures of huckleburry finn the way I read any other book without being too delicate or considerate but I am not a book sadist (took it with me on the train, had it in the bag, held it where the cover is while reading). Sadly I noticed the ink on the covers crumbled and stuck on to my fingers. I expect a book to wear a little bit even a supposed premium one (this series is only premium price wise) but not the cover to fall apart after a single reading. I received three books from this series for my birthday, same thing happened to Metamorphoses by Ovid. I was very careful while reading Monte Christo - holding it by the edges avoiding the cover and still I noticed some wear. Other than that on some pages the ink from the text weathered away in all three. This is obviously not a series that will last in my humble library for the next of kin or others to read and I do wish to read a book I have purchased and not just keep it on the shelf looking grand (I think it is not too much to ask for both quality and aesthetics). This series though aesthetically pleasing has serious shortcomings in other areas. I did not get to appreciate the beauty of the cover for long.

[@akm2012]

I collect both everymans and penguin clothbounds…..and everymans do actually come in quite a lot of colours pertaining to the era they are written in….the reason you’re getting red/scarlet js that you probably have books only from the victorian era or the contemporary classics(burgundy)

[@GrimTransmission]

@@akm2012 Thanks, that's great to know. So far my Everyman's collection consists only of classic Russian literature so that would certainly explain it. Happy to know that they won't all be that same colour, cause while they do look nice, a little variation would be appreciated.

[@VideogamesWorld93]

So bad when an amazing design gets ruined by low quality materials.

[@felix.dagenais]

I've found a fix to the cover prints rubbing off: artist's fixative (the heavier, multimedia stuff, not the stuff for chalks and charcoals). Does leave the print a tad shiny, but it will stay. For the ribbon I usually, as soon as I can after purchase, will saturate a short section with PVA glue, let it dry, then cut it so there is only a short section of glue which keeps the ribbon together.

[@anastasia1206]

She is so talented! It was really fascinating to hear Coralie's story behind the Dracula cover! How those garlic flowers are guarding readers by keeping Dracula and all the evil inside the book and away from the reader. So clever and genius.

[@aa-qx7je]

I've been buying them for years because I reaaly love the designs. What an absolute treasure and surprise this video was! Thank you.

[@Fatherlake]

Absolutely a huge fan of these editions, the cover designs definitely make these the prettiest books on the market IMO. However I really wish the bindings were more sturdy, and that the cover designs wouldn't rub off so easily. I'll probably keep buying them bc they're not much more expensive (and sometimes cheaper) than the paperback editions (id still buy them if they were sturdier and more expensive though), but I feel like Penguin kinda just expects people to leave them on the shelf as collectibles and not actually read them.

[@GrimTransmission]

This is the exact impression I got, and I feel readers should seriously consider your comment as warning. They really do just feel like collectibles, and will begin their decomposition on the first read. Apart from the look, people tend to buy hardcovers for longevity, yet these don't seem like they'd last long at all.

[@grace-zb5zx]

i’ve been collecting the clothbound classics little by little & i can’t wait to have shelves full of them one day! wonderful work

[@MB-hc9tk]

I love these editions so much and will continue to collect them because they are truly a treasure . It’s a beautiful experience reading from them , from the feel of the covers to the perfect size text and borders and weight of the paper . I adore them , I adore everything about them and of course the stories. You just become immersed another world or time. I really enjoyed placing a face to the talented artist of these colourful covers . She too is a joy to watch and listen to ❤ so thank you for that and please continue this fabulous work. Two things I would like to address from watching numerous videos from collectors and part of my own experience (I’m sure it may have been said to you guys before because I think I’ve heard you’ve now changed the sticker at the back to a paper cover, which is great but i have yet to encounter it myself ) every one I’ve bought still has the sticker which leaves a residue, some I’ve managed to get the residue off or the mark isn’t that noticeable (example zweigs chess, I think it’s because this one is white cloth) but other collectors seem to be reluctant to take the sticker off because of this happening (I can’t stand it on it so I’ll take it off as carefully as I can and just deal with the fact the residue is there) Other people have mentioned the ink transferring to their hands , this has not happened to me personally with my books , but I’ll always wash and dry my hands throughly before handling them in a bid to stop as many oils from my hands perhaps messing with the ink ? Regardless of these two things I LOVE these and the paperback English penguin library editions so please keep em’ coming!!😂 they are will be passed down to my children (I have 3 and hopefully theirs too)

[@LizziebelleXOX]

I’m a huge fan Coralie ❤️❤️I loved getting a sneak peek into your work & studio. It’s wonderful and you’re amazing 🤩📖📚💛

[@davefrederick9352]

Hey

[@deptofgratitude]

Stunning work. Beautiful, intricate. And she just casually drops 'Midsommar' as her favourite movie.

[@fgjhcfgg24242]

penguin clothbounds as well as the modern classics always have that sense of timelessness to them. love them to pieces. love even more the story and creative process that goes into each of them. and that i say thank you coralie!

[@marceli-wac]

Seeing these wonderful covers got me back into reading, love the simplicity of the design and how well it weaves into the stories!

[@belsnickles]

I love these. What a treat to meet the mind behind them.

[@TheofficialJakeIrvin]

WHY DO THE DESIGNS SCRATCH OFF???

[@eugeniekruijt2853]

Any tips on preserving the clothbounds? I feel like the designs peel or fade quickly :(

[@EV0LS1D0G]

I read them as I sit on the couch or in bed, with a pillow on my lap and place the book on the pillow. That way your hands mostly just touch the pages and not the cover. They do fade a bit if you just hold them in your hands. But that is just the nature of the thing I guess.

[@GrimTransmission]

If you buy some fixative/clear-coat spray paint (matte is probably ideal but either would be fine) you can spray it on the covers and it will add a protective layer. You just have to be carefull to open it first and rap a towel or something around the actual pages, because if they got clear-coat on them they'd likely stick together.

[@david.a.rieckhofTV]

Coralie is a very good book designer and I admire her work. I love the overall design of the clothbound classics and just started my small collection 👍🏼

[@anyavanwyk]

I love my clothbound classics💚. Thanks for your amazing work, Coralie!

[@realkingofantarctica]

How gorgeous and prestigious would a shelf full of these clothebound classics look? This woman deserves all the praise, and then some.

[@Maryjane022]

Your work are all amazing!! I love it all. Your amazing!! 👏🏻👏🏻😊🎉

[@finsfables]

I love the clothbound classics so much they’re gorgeous

[@tomlabooks3263]

What a wonderful artist!! Love her style.

[@chiezasex]

Just brought the collection and they are so beautiful, you did such a fantastic job!

[@WillImrie]

Her book designs are wonderful, and she seems like a lovely person. Will need to complete my collection of these!

[@pinfabio]

Great work Coralie, congratulations. It's so sad that printed designs come out so quickly tho 😞

[@longsotheary116]

i really love Picture Of Dorian Grey, Frankenstein, and Metamorphorisis. I hope to own them one day

[@perydan]

It is so satisfying to see her bookshelves.

[@felix.dagenais]

To everyone looking for a solution to the cover ink coming off: heavy duty artist's fixative (the sort for multimedia projects, not the chalk/pastel/charcoal sort). A good spray on the covers and spine and it no longer comes off on the hands. Does make the print a tad shiny, but I'd argue that the survival of the print is worth it.

[@meliB32]

This video was just lovely! I absolutely loved watching this 😍 ❤️

[@SupergirlUK]

Clicked so fast! 🥰😍 Love her work! The lottery (& the mini's) are released on 25th 🙌

[@kelzagarcia8112]

I’m so obsessed!!

[@delinawejdeby2043]

Amazing! I love this collection!

[@YouHaveAGoodPoint]

Thank you so much for your beautiful books! I love them!!!

[@albertobozzetto8939]

A fascinating story and a nice , intriguing woman. I love it/her.

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Despite my deference to Coralie's obvious skill as a designer, the standard format clothbounds are not B Format books, they are Demy format. B is strictly a paperback format and it is smaller than a Demy, which is a long established hardcover/cased format. The B was launched in the 1960s with Paladin by Sonny Mehta and in its revised form (broadened slightly) it found its definitive shape and size in Picador. The success of Picador - which aped the 'egghead' format of US literary/underground literary paperbacks of the early 60s - prompted other UK publishers to move from A format to B format to imply that their lists were as 'literary' and hip as the books issued by Picador. When Coralie refers to B format as the 'classic' paperback format, this is also incorrect, as B has only been the standard since the late 1980s. If anything, the A Format paperback (which the new Little Clothbounds are close to) is the 'classic' paperback format, the one that dominated mass market publishing from 1935 to the early 80s. Some SF, Crime Fiction - and Penguin's relaunched Pelican range in paperback - are true A formats.

[@gao9963]

Adore your works and have been building up my collection of Victorian titles.

[@niekpinoy93]

I have Frankenstein and tales of 1001 nights of this editions and the designs are such an eye candy I love penguins clothbound editions

[@queerpeopleinthehouse3294]

I love them sm but they fade quickly 😭😭😭

[@paola2455]

Only one word: FANTASTICA!

[@TheWriteStuffWC]

Her work is incredible!

[@marthacanady9441]

Love, love, love the designs, but (and this is a big but) the cover designs rub off with use. That’s a huge problem that needs solving before I buy another one

[@heloberaldo]

Amazing work, thanks for sharing!

[@anastasia1206]

Oooow, she has a Moomin mug 🧡

[@LuneFlaneuse]

Amazing! PS: Just curious, which font does she use for the Penguin Clothbound Classics? Fantastic typography, for sure.

[@mikedevlin2048]

Love these editions… I wonder what the inspiration was for the cover of Dostoyevsky’s “The brothers Karamazov”

[@amberlawson4043]

Does anyone know who the author of that book-bindings book is? I loved every second of this video!

[@commonwunder]

When you remove the little sticker on the back... it leaves a 'glue' residue mark. Any ideas how to successfully remove it, without taking the surface off too?

[@praalgraf]

a designer i thoroughly enjoy and apparently a lovely woman as well, brilliant interview!

[@speedracer2841]

She's a person I would definitely love to go out and have a cup of coffee with.

[@Daniel__Nobre]

Great interview!

[@gc6497]

She is amazing

[@hyerimkim6162]

Great works love it💕

[@EmoblazeXD]

As much as I love the aesthetics of the books, I try to refrain myself from purchasing them due of the glue binding.

[@butterflymoon6368]

how lovely!

[@titus663]

Such a shame that her great work is wasted on these horribly cheap unreadably stiff glue-bound editions. I don't understand why penguin don't charge a little more and bind them properly, I would pay!

[@Kyna198]

she’s a hero

[@orangeppl]

❤❤❤

[@lbmartin14]

Can anyone help me identify the book at 5:42? I'd love to see this in person.

[@quimetaostudium8676]

GENIUS

[@pollyfoofoo8703]

That was really lovely but i was hoping to meet Max 😉 😋

[@werdle92]

She is so beautiful 😍

[@somebodynormal4807]

Because of penguin clothbound designs i will buy books based on their cover

[@bubbles1978]

These books are a beauty!! Sadly they wear off easily :(

[@YouHaveAGoodPoint]

I wonder how many are there?

[@borkwoof696]

Aesthetically and artistically, these books are phenomenal but unfortunately they are also entirely impractical. The beautiful artwork literally falls apart between your fingers as the paint rubs off while reading. Not only that, but for the price you’re getting glued bindings instead of sewn ones, meaning they won’t last as long and can’t be broken in the same.

[@gavinbarnes6310]

Wish the foil didnt come off so easy tho

[@incandescent.glow.]

I love these editions so much but they wear off so easily :( 7:19

[@divinhaquem]

Dear Penguin, I'd love to see your beautiful bags, pen mugs and... CLOTH COVERS WALLPAPERS for libraries in your website, to create a reader's environment to balance this tech and pop aesthetic rough for physical reader's, where books turn into decoration - when decoration could invite us to read with this penguin signs. Best regards from Brazil!

[@salty-walt]

Her design work is wonderful! The execution on the books is terrible! They are difficult to read and the external inks wear off in less than one reading and it carries oils and stains worse than a used dime store paperback.

[@sahilhussain270]

The colors of this edition books startes fading away within few month 😢

[@superficialwannabe]

The screen print for both Naked Lunch and Orlando rubs off! Very bad quality!

[@Ahnor1989]

The design of those editions is very nice, unfortunately the production quality is horrible. Stiff glued binding, the printing rubs off at the slightest touch. Will never buy them again.

[@persaudwedding8660]

Your designs are beautiful. Unfortunately, we don't get to enjoy them for very long, as they peel and rub off once you start reading the book.

[@kososklitikariss]

I have the Dracula one and although its beautiful DO NOT BUY IT! Design rubs off after only one VERY CAREFUL read. Looks like shit now

[@watermelonmanied]

How can these books be cherished and passed down when they're widely acknowledged to be of inferior quality? The materials look impressive on a screen but feel scratchy to the touch and then quickly deteriorate from minimal contact. It's really just a marketing tool. And why couldn't this woman get a wash; she knew she'd be on camera! S'pose she didn't want to scrub away her precious "creativity".

[@getthefakepanda8334]

your work is so importand

[@jonsmith1162]

Hi Penguin. Why have you published a novel that celebrates and relishes the idea of an entire racial group being wiped out?

[@vallano8970]

huh

[@folkwh0re]

What book are you referring to?

[@juanfragueiroaramburu]

So you say censorship should be the rule. Good to know