I like books and I’ve always been an avid reader. I particularly like books that are well designed and a delight to hold as well as being great to read. It’s probably very old fashioned but I can’t see me getting the same pleasure reading a book on the Kindle or the Sony eReader or the Apple iPad. I’d miss the nice paper, the cover and, in the case of the book below, the lovely end-papers with matching bookmark. The enjoyment would surely be more than halved.
So for all those who like books not simply for the contents but for the paper, the well designed cover, the look, the touch, I give you this Persephone Book:
I love the smooth muted gray covers Persephone use, the creamy paper and particularly the end papers and book marks which are usually prints of old fabrics.
I am also a big fan of Dorothy Whipple’s writing. Its careful and poised but not overly complex. The stories are always tinged with a sadness that feels unpleasantly real. They unfold with a certain inevitability that small choices can have large consequences, she makes the day to day seem quite fascinating.
Want one (or several): look on Persephone’s site or if you are in London visit one of their delightfully quirky shops.