The Art of Penguin Science Fiction
[From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2009. http://scout.wisc.edu/]
Over the years, Penguin Books has acquired quite a reputation for their distinctive book covers and graphic design. This rather unique site explores the history and cover art of science fiction published by Penguin Books from 1935 to 1977. The site was created by James Pardey, and it starts off with an introductory essay that answers the questions: "Why Penguin, and why science fiction?" After reading this short piece, visitors should make their way through the cover collection, which starts off with their iconic orange and white covers in the 1930s. Of course, over the decades the series begins to introduce a series of increasingly surrealistic artistic endeavors that reflect broader changes in the art world. Throughout the site, Pardey provides commentary on each cover, along with information about each edition and its original publication date. First-time visitors might want to start by looking at the covers of "The Death of Grass" by John Christopher and "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip K. Dick