The Penguin Nice Concepts vary is again
Titles range from sweeping feminist manifestos to reflections on happiness, civil rights, anarchy and the power of language – all in pocket-sized editions. Sojourner Truths Ain & # 39; t I A Woman includes the activist's speeches, while Peter Singer's Why Vegan explores the ethical issues surrounding eating animals. How to be a stoic who collects the words of three stoic philosophers, how to face life's difficulties is particularly relevant right now.
Graphic designer David Pearson has returned to do the covers in collaboration with art director Jim Stoddart. As with his previous Great Ideas covers, the books are largely typographic and take inspiration from the time periods, locations, and cultural events that each book refers to.
"When I got the first 20, my head spun a little," said Pearson CR of his previous work on the Great Ideas series. “I was much younger and wanted to commit myself to a formula or set of rules.
“The original idea was to limit myself and narrow my choices because sometimes I like to wrap myself up to feel creative. As a result, very few tools have been used to make it as diverse and interesting as possible.
“I looked at the time and place where the books were written and got typographical inspiration. So when the list changes, as in this latest series, it will naturally update in terms of looks. There are actually no books from the Renaissance or the Middle Ages, so much of the open decoration and imaginative-looking covers are omitted. You immediately have some kind of gear shift.
“Some covers are mandatory; a mistake; some are formal; some informal; some are minimal; some maximum; some scream and some whisper, ”he adds. "Some are legible and others – let's face it – require a lot of decoding."
The Great Ideas books are £ 5.99 each. penguin.co.uk