'Drop cap' style covers for Penguin Classics

Jessica Hische: A

A is for Austen: drop caps (i.e. large illustrated capital letters) form centrepiece of covers

Illustrator and letter designer extraordinaire Jessica Hische has collaborated with designer and art director Paul Buckley to create this series of beautifully designed book covers for a special collection of Penguin Classics.

Jessica Hische: B

B is for Brontë: Letter designer Jessica Hische collaborated with designer and art director Paul Buckley

Each of the 26 hardback books in the series features an illustrated drop cap created by Hische, an extension of the idea behind her Daily Drop Cap Blog where she has been posting images of illustrated capital letters daily since 2009. The letters for these books however are new, each has been specially created by Hische for the covers.

Jessica Hische: C

C is for Cather: Hische runs a Daily Drop Cap Blog to espouse the virtue of drop caps

In addition to the illustrated lettering, each book in the series will have a foil stamped paper over board case, and feature a decorative colour stain, making for a truly sumptuous collection of books.

Jessica Hische: D

D is for Dickens: the illustrated capital letters are a sumptious touch to the new book covers

Shown here are the first six in the series for books written by Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, Willa Cather, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Gustave Flaubert. They will be available to buy at the end of November.

Jessica Hische: E

E is for Eliot: this series of Penguin Classics will be available from November

Hische’s Daily Drop Cap Blog project has seen her work her way through the alphabet 12 times, each time creating completely different illustrated letters. Those letters have since been made available to buy as prints and most recently as iPhone covers.

Jessica Hische: F

F is for Flaubert: Hische sells her illustrated drop caps as prints and iPhone covers

Words: Charlotte Rivers

What do you think of the covers? Have you seen any great examples of drop caps recently? Tell us in the comments!

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