W is for Whitman. When Walt Whitman self-published his Leaves of Grass in July 1855, he altered the course of literary history. One of the greatest masterpieces of American literature, it redefined the rules of poetry while describing the soul of the American character.
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was born on Long Island and educated in
Brooklyn, NY. He served as a printer's devil, journeyman
compositor, and itinerant schoolteacher, edited the Long Islander,
and in 1846 became editor of The Brooklyn Eagle, a position from
which he was discharged for political reasons. After a period in
New Orleans, considered seminal in shaping his philosophy, he
returned to Brooklyn. Although he had earlier affected the mien of
a dandy, he now dressed as a "rough," and became prominent among
the bohemian element of New York. In 1855 he published the first of
many editions of Leaves of Grass. The Civil War found him working
as an unofficial nurse to Northern and Southern soldiers in army
hospitals in Washington D.C. After the war he became a clerk in the
Indian Bureau of the Department of the Interior, from which he was
shortly dismissed by the Secretary on the grounds that LEAVES OF
GRASS was an immoral book. During his last nineteen years he lived
in Camden, New Jersey. Among his works are Drum-Taps (1865),
Democratic Vistas and Passage to India (1871), and Specimen Days
(1882).
Jessica Hische is a letterer, illustrator, typographer, and web
designer. She currently serves on the Type Directors Club board of
directors, has been named a Forbes Magazine "30 under 30" in art
and design as well as an ADC Young Gun and one of Print Magazine's
"New Visual Artists". She has designed for Wes Anderson,
McSweeney's, Tiffany & Co, Penguin Books and many others. She
resides primarily in San Francisco, occasionally in Brooklyn.
Winner of the 2012 Fifty Books/Fifty Covers show, organized by
Design Observer in association with AIGA and Designers & Books
Winner of the 2014 Type Directors Club Communication Design
Award
Praise for Leaves of Grass:
"I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of Leaves of
Grass. I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom
that America has yet contributed. . . . I rubbed my eyes a little
to see if this sunbeam were no illustion; but the solid sense of
the book is a sober certainty.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Praise for Penguin Drop Caps:
"[Penguin Drop Caps] convey a sense of nostalgia for the tactility
and aesthetic power of a physical book and for a centuries-old
tradition of beautiful lettering."
—Fast Company
“Vibrant, minimalist new typographic covers…. Bonus points for the
heartening gender balance of the initial selections.”
—Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
"The Penguin Drop Caps series is a great example of the power of
design. Why buy these particular classics when there are less
expensive, even free editions of Great Expectations? Because
they’re beautiful objects. Paul Buckley and Jessica Hische’s fresh
approach to the literary classics reduces the design down to
typography and color. Each cover is foil-stamped with a cleverly
illustrated letterform that reveals an element of the story. Jane
Austen’s A (Pride and Prejudice) is formed by opulent peacock
feathers and Charlotte Bronte’s B (Jane Eyre) is surrounded by
flames. The complete set forms a rainbow spectrum prettier than
anything else on your bookshelf."
—Rex Bonomelli, The New York Times
"Drool-inducing."
—Flavorwire
"Classic reads in stunning covers—your book club will be
dying."
—Redbook
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