Restyling the Classics: Don't Judge a New Cover by the Old Book
There's a whole world of re-imagined book covers for classic novels, and it goes well beyond those new Leonardo Di Caprio editions of The Great Gatsby.
Advertisement
Allow me to present a hypothesis: Dan Brown is the Anne Hathaway of authors. Hard-working, serious about his craft (even if others aren't), with lots and lots of money to show for his work. And people love to hate him as much, and sometimes even more, than they love to love him.
There's a whole world of re-imagined book covers for classic novels, and it goes well beyond those new Leonardo Di Caprio editions of The Great Gatsby.
Let's just go ahead and call Meg Wolitzer's fantastic The Interestings the book of the moment, the novel you should really read, if you haven't already. At a cafe in Manhattan recently, I spoke to the author about the need to "radicalize your work," why a novel is like an accordion, and how getting a bad review is like having your head shaved in public, to name just a few things.
You've heard of the book. You've heard of the major motion picture. But what's in a name, when the name is Gatsby? An investigation into the popularization of a word that is only sort of a word.
Putin biographer Masha Gessen will apply her long history reporting on Russia and its surroundings and her own experiences emigrating to America in a book on the Tsarnaev brothers, which Riverhead Books announced today.
The merger between the two huge publishers is on schedule, and may even happen more quickly than anticipated, according to an internal memo that went out Friday morning.
It is a fact, whether sad or happy, that when a book becomes a movie with a big star or two and a lot of press, that book generally gets a new cover. Such is the case for The Great Gatsby, and some people are sad about that.
In the upcoming New York Times Sunday Review, American novelist Amanda Filipacchi writes of a recent discovery that further evinces the issue of sexism as it persists in the literary world. This time, it's happening on Wikipedia.
For the last two years, 20-year-old Shane Burcaw has shared his tales of life with spinal muscular atrophy on the wildly popular Tumblr called Laughing at My Nightmare. Now he's writing a memoir, which he just sold to Macmillan.
David Itzkoff's piece in The New York Times about nine letters sent from a 22-year-old (pre-Catcher in the Rye) J.D. Salinger to a young Toronto woman reveals that the author was flirty, a bit of a fibber, and maybe a little bit heartbroken.
The photographs in Alex Vadukul's New York Times story about Neale Albert, a 75-year-old collector of miniature books, are as squee-inducing as anything you might see on Cute Overload—except, of course, the subjects pictured are not piglets or puppies but books.
This weekend brought the news that beloved children's author E.L. Konigsburg had died at the age of 83. But in our minds, the authors of our childhood favorites never grow old, nor does their writing.
Author and New Yorker editor Ben Greenman recently faced a slight Twitter addiction problem, has "dozens of secret sources," and tries "like hell to read normal books."
Thursday, April 18, is Support Teen Lit Day, a YALSA-declared holiday meant to raise awareness among the public that Y.A. is great. One way to participate is with Rock the Drop, a teen book drop initiative begun by literacy and social media project Readergirlz.
High school teacher Matthew Thomas, 38, has sold his debut novel for an impressive sum. And he seems like a really nice guy, too.
Last year, the biggest honor in all of American letters went without an honor. Now, as the publishing world awaits the big announcement from the Pulitzer board, one juror looks back — and we look at the contenders.
Following up on last week's adult spring book preview, here's the list of Y.A. novels I can't wait to read (or have already devoured) this spring.
Beth Reekles has a three-book deal with Random House, is working toward her physics degree, and is 17 years old. What have you done lately?
Blair Koenig is the 30-year-old Brooklynite behind the four-year-old blog STFU Parents, which is now also a book. I talked to Koenig about what it's like to see her Internet baby grow up into print.
There's some very exciting news for Y.A. readers and nostalgists today. Via a new imprint, Lizzie Skurnick Books, an array of long-forgotten reads from the '30s to the '80s will be back.
As we ping-pong temperature-wise on the East Coast between winter and spring, spring books are arriving, regardless of the weather. Here are a few we can't wait to dive into.
Suddenly, it seems like gay characters are everywhere in young-adult literature. How well is Y.A. doing at reflecting the current state of teen culture with regard to LGBT issues, and how far need we still go?
Time's new covers are great, but that we need them, regardless of the progress that's been made, means gay marriage hasn't, in fact, quite "won" yet. It won't have won until marriage is legal for same-sex couples throughout the U.S., and recognized federally, too. It won't have won until "gay marriage" is no different than any marriage.
In the New York Times today, Leslie Kaufman takes on the new proliferation of books about bullying in the Y.A. and children's markets. There are more, yes, but they are also different.
Whether you have a story to tell or not, one of the many versions of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic now available in many forms is probably worth putting on your re-read list in honor of its 70 years on this planet.
If the stories we share with friends are some of the most insightful glimpses into our lives, the publication of her correspondence, so long protected by the author's will, should do wonders to present a fuller picture of a woman who later in life became increasingly focused on her privacy.
Elizabeth Gilbert, best-selling author of Eat Pray Love, is taking to Facebook to let readers choose the cover of her upcoming novel. Oh, modern life! It is full of high-tech, new-fangled twists and turns, even in old-world paper-and-ink book publishing!
Roth turns 80 today, and we look back at his first book, which, in the words of Saul Bellow, is "not the work of a beginner."
Gayle Forman's Just One Day is a love story mixed with a coming-of-age tale featuring the character of Allyson Healey. Allyson can be a little bit frustrating. What's a Y.A. author to do about that? We asked Gayle Forman, who created her.
Unless they're independently wealthy, I don't believe anyone should work for free. However, I will admit that I have written for free. And I continue to do so somewhat compulsively.
If the act of rereading a book is partly about remembering the you who paged through it the first time, and comparing that version of yourself to the one who's reading the book again, the classics that we read in high school offer endless possibilities for rediscovery.
The just-approved marriage between Penguin and Random House holds that beleaguered publishers will now be able to stand up to bookselling goliath Amazon. But a publishing consolidation might be exactly what Amazon wants.
On the occasion of the Jane Austen classic's anniversary, here's a selection of covers from years past up through the present — the good, the bad, the jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and a few that pale in comparison to the book's contents.
In 1990, The Face on the Milk Carton was published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, introducing 15-year-old Janie Johnson to the world. This month, the final installment in the five-book series, Janie Face to Face, was released.
The author of The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Angels & Demons is at it again, filling the world with shadowy symbols and codes and not being very clear about anything. But if you don't figure it out in the end, don't worry: He'll tell you.
This week in Y.A. for Grownups we chart a course through history by way of books new, old, and upcoming. For your reading convenience, we've categorized the books by historical period or event.
In the wake of the sad news of the death of incredibly talented author and journalist Richard Ben Cramer comes an update on a story about the publishing industry at large.
There's a piece in the Wall Street Journal today about the changing nature of libraries, as not just places where people find and check out books, but as community rec centers in themselves. But is this really new at all?
It's shaping up to be a pretty big year for short stories, and for books from some notable, big-name authors who are returning with new fiction. Herewith, the list of the books we can't wait for.
2012 was an excellent year in Y.A. and middle grade across all boards — sales, growing acceptance for adults who love "cross-under" reads, and most importantly, content. 2013 is shaping up to be equally great. What can you expect, and what do you need to get your hands on now?
Books — staid and intellectual cultural artifacts that they so often are — were not all just staid or intellectual this year. Not nearly. There were, in fact, publishing scandals, dramas, and plot twists galore. Oh, and Philip Roth.
The author of Shutter Island, Mystic River, and Gone Baby Gone is also the owner of a rescue beagle named Tessa. Well, Tessa has gone missing, and Lehane has offered the sweetest sort of reward an author can give.
The Middlesteins novelist sleeps with her phone on the floor next to her bed, but leaves it at home each morning as she writes for an hour in a notebook without facing a screen.
We've compiled a (festive) diagnostic guide to various reading styles for your seasonal enjoyment, with book suggestions for each. Happy reading!
Adult fiction and nonfiction were pretty phenomenal this year. Here, we celebrate 34 of our favorite reads from the last 12 months — with superlatives!
We honor the 33 books that mattered to us in this year's breakout literary genre, with a little help from some writerly and book-loving folks, including authors Eliot Schrefer, Ally Condie, Ruta Supetys, Andrea Cremer, R.L. Stine, and others.
In 2012, enough female writers are still changing their names to appear as men to merit a piece in The Wall Street Journal today. Which is to say, there is still a long way to go.
In 1953, Mad Libs was born when Leonard Stern was struggling to come up with the perfect adjective to describe Ralph Kramden's new boss's nose. Nearly 60 years later, Price Stern Sloan is a Penguin imprint, and Mad Libs are still being written and published on a regular basis—maybe more than ever.
Simon & Schuster is holding a jacket-design contest in honor of the Ray Bradbury novel. Here are a few of our favorites so far.
Have a story we missed? A link we have to click? A sharp opinion about the news? Instead of waiting for us to post it, tell us on the Open Wire.
Submit your news and ideas | See all reader postsThe Atlantic Wire is your authoritative guide to the news and ideas that matter most right now. Our team tracks newsmakers and opinions across the entire media spectrum: newspapers, web sites, television, radio and magazines.
But we do more than just collect information. By synthesizing, analyzing and summarizing what’s out there, and adding new information when we can, we are a news engine that gives you a quick and valuable account of the issues of the day.
Have a hot tip? A story we missed? Tell us on the Open Wire
How to send us editorial or technical feedback
Get Five Best Columns in your inbox each morning (preview)
