Penguin Wodehouse by David Hitch
It has recently been announced that Random House’s Arrow imprint has acquired (in the UK at least) the paperback rights to the oeuvre of P.G. Wodehouse, taking them from Penguin who has held them for a few decades. Random House already has the hardback rights, and are in the process of publishing a complete uniform edition of his works under the Everyman Library imprint (these are being issued by the Overlook Press in the United States). Over 50 of these have been released since April 2000. Starting in 2008, Arrow will begin publishing the first of 43 planned paperback reissues.
I don’t wish to prejudge the design concept that they’ll come up with, but I haven’t seen any cover designs on the Arrow website that look as good as the 1999 Wodehouse paperback edition from Penguin designed by David Hitch. Although some have criticised them, his cover designs remain my favourite of all the Wodehouse editions I have come across (including the Everyman gift editions mentioned above) and are what drew my attention to an author I had never even heard of a few years ago, leading me to buy and read my first of many Wodehouse novels back in 2001. In addition to their beauty, they have a wodehousian touch to them, a jolly playfulness that perfectly captures the essence of the books.
Click on a cover for the full size image.
Omnibus Editions: Metric Paperback B (129mm x 198mm)
Individual Titles: Metric Paperback A (111mm x 178mm)
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What a shame! Thanks for this news. I wanted to confirm what was happening. Should have got all the Blandings at the same time as J&W!
What great covers Penguin had!
I agree completely…… The cover designs complement the mood of the books appropriately. I am really having a hard time finding some of the ‘David Hitch’ books like Summer Lightning, Heavy Weather, Laughing Gas in Delhi.
I agree completely. David Hitch is the best
Did they ever do one of his covers for The Code of the Woosters?
If memory serves, The Code of the Woosters was only available as a Penguin Classic (which wasn’t a David Hitch cover) or as part of the Jeeves and Wooster Omnibus (which did have a David Hitch cover depicting the cow creamer scene from Code of the Woosters).
On 2013-02-09, at 20:02, “Premire de couverture”
That’s a shame. I wonder why. I don’t really like omnibus editions.
P.S. The only thing I don’t like about those covers is that I don’t remember Jeeves being described as balding.