LOLITA, you know the name, you know the classic literary book and you might even have seen one of the two movies adapted from it ( Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 version is the best ). It was written by Vladimir Nabokov and published in Paris in 1955; and then later, in New York, in 1958. The book has gone on to become an icon in Literature. It ALWAYS ranks high ( like #4 ) in a few notable “100 Best Novels of All Time” lists.

But this post is not so much about the story structure or how great it is. This post is about the huge amount of covers this book has been presented with. One site we found listed 158 different Book and Media Covers alone. The book has been printed many times over in 37 Countries, for 57 years, so you can just imagine how many times it has been created with a new version. Shown here are just a few random covers and book jackets that have happened over the years. Then, if you click this LINK you can see the vast amount of LOLITA BOOK COVERS made. It’s pretty interesting stuff and since it could possibly be an inspiration to Graphic Design Fans/Students I knew it had to shared it here. I should also note that the very 1st book, shown up above with the “plain green cover”, that’s the rare First Edition.

While mindlessly surfing the internet this morning I came across this very interesting profile/interview on Camilla Zhang at the AA LIMELIGHT website. Camilla works at DC Comics, as the Executive Assistant to the VP of Art & Design, Mark Chiarello. She was the Assistant Editor for BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN, by Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor. She also edited BATMAN: NOEL, by Lee Bermejo and she is currently working on all the BEFORE WATCHMEN titles. the interview is pretty interesting so I thought I’d post a LINK here for others to enjoy. ( Plus, dare I say it? I think she’s HOT! )

Here’s a fun photo we wanted to share real quick. On a recent trip to Los Angeles, California Chip Kidd got to meet Movie Director, Screenwriter, TV Producer, etc… J. J. Abrams! Hey, is that the American Poet J. D. McClatchy in the background?

Here’s a quick post to share some interesting Literary History. Here are actual Vintage Magazine Ads for “New Books Coming Out”. The 1st one is for Cormac McCarthy’s Novel OUTER DARK ( Published by Random House in 1968 ). Then we have Ernest Hemingway’s THE SUN ALSO RISES ( 1926 ), Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five ( 1969 ), and A.A. Milne’s WINNIE THE POOH ( 1926 ).

Here’s a quick post to share this wonderful ‘Thank You Note” Chip Kidd just received from a cute little girl named Bryn. It’s very sweet and her artwork is completely AWESOME!!

I just got this sweet drawing from Bryn! Lovely! CK

Yes, this Famous Book Author needs NO introduction. Here’s a little Edgar Allan Poe humor to brighten your day, enjoy!

Fans of the Designer Chip Kidd know he is famous for creating, among other things, the Jurassic Park Book Cover that eventually became the logo for the movie. Yes, we all love the famous Dinosaur silhouette that has graced many film tie-in products. Well, here are a few parodies of that logo we thought we would share and it’s crazy how much variety there is!

Oh yeah, this last photo is not really a “parody” picture but it’s an actual real-life tattoo that somebody got…WOW!

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about the Classic American Novel, THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’re pretty sure it’s because of the newly planned movie coming out later this year but we really love the book so we thought we would do this Tribute. THE GREAT GATSBY was written in 1925 and the story takes place in America during the early 1920′s, a time known as “The Roaring Twenties”. Of course this was before the famous Wall Street Stock Market Crash of 1929 & the Depression that followed. To celebrate the book we have collected a few fun pictures and interesting pieces of history to share. This 1st graphic is a “Parody Cover” giving the book a name that is more about the basic message of the story, ha ha!

Next, here’s a wonderful example of some fine baking artistry, the jacket cover of the book… on a cupcake!

OK, on a serious note, here’s a very cool piece of Literary History. Here’s the original ad for THE GREAT GATSBY Book found in a 1925 issue of Princetonian magazine. It features a drawing of the Author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Then, speaking of him, here’s a Postcard that he mailed to himself while on Vacation, so that he would remember the event ( ha ha! ). It’s kinda fun to see because it’s an excellent example of his Autograph.

Then, last but not least, is an INFOGRAPHIC showing a Map to the main Characters in the book and how they are all related to each other. If you have not read the book, and plan too, then please avoid looking at it as it might contain spoilers. But for the rest of us who have enjoyed the book it’s pretty funny!

HUMANS INVENT, a website set in the UK who’s main focus is Innovation, Craftsmanship, & Design; recently published a very interesting article on Chip Kidd. The interview was conducted by Reporter Leo Kent. He & Chip discuss important matters concerning the design of a book’s cover. How important is it to selling a book? Plus, what are some of the Graphic Design ideas to think about when creating a Book Jacket? Overall a very excellent discussion, Thanks Leo and Thank you Humans Invent! Readers, to view the full-story please CLICK HERE!

This post is a quick shout-out to thank the MadLit Publishing Tumbler Page for their mention of a quote by Chip Kidd on a Book Cover he did awhile back. This was for Bret Easton Elis’ book, “American Psycho”. They also linked the story to our GALLERY Page. Hey, Thanks MadLit!