Pretty soon you’re gonna need to visit the HACK THE COVER Website because Writer, Designer, and Blogger Craig Mod (@craigmod) has written a very provocative essay on the future of book cover design in the digital age. This is an essay for both Book Lovers and Designers curious about where the cover has been, where it’s going, and what the “ethos of covers” means for digital eBook design.

In it, he explains about the new “function for Book Covers to stop being Salesmen” and how covers are now either regulated to just being an icon image or not even existing at all. He also shares a theory about what all this will mean for over-all book design as well. Another great thing about the article is he gives a nice shout out to a few Knopf Designers: Peter Mendelsund, Cardon Webb and Chip Kidd. Seriously, we can’t gush enough about how wonderful and important this piece is so please be sure to click HERE and check it out!

ALBERT CAMUS Book Cover Designs by Peter Mendelsund

OLIVER SACKS Book Cover Designs by Cardon Webb

HARUKI MURAKAMI Book Jacket Design by Chip Kidd

OK, As kind of a legal disclaimer ( ha ha ) we must state that this book cover for THE GREAT GATSBY was NOT designed by Chip Kidd. But, it is one of the most iconic Book Jackets out there in the world, it’s just beautiful. Plus, it is a GREAT American Novel. Here’s a funny video giving sort of a study of this classic book & the guy makes a few good points. Enjoy!

WOW! What an honor! Chip Kidd’s new Graphic Novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN, was recently reviewed by Todd Klein. Yes, THE Todd Klein! For the 3 or 4 people who don’t know who this guy is he’s a very well-known Comic Book Artist & Designer. His main focus seems to be the study & appreciation of “Comic Book Logos”. His career in comics mostly revolved around the art of lettering, at which, he became a True Master! So much so, that in 2002 he was asked to write the 2nd half of an Art Instruction Book titled, “THE DC COMICS GUIDE TO COLORING AND LETTERING COMICS”. He now writes a very popular BLOG & it’s there that he did his book review. So, please give it a quick read by clicking HERE! ( Thanks Mr. Klein )

This is just a quick post to share some amazing designs revolving around the idea of “Book Shelves” or “Bookcases”. Hey, as Book Lovers we all need this kind of storage so why not make it interesting! The last one is kinda funny because it involves some serious privacy issues, ha!

Here’s a YouTube Video we came across that features a lecture given by Chip Kidd back in 2008. It is from an event at the University of Michigan’s School of Art & Design. The theme of the show was “A Number of People “. Hey, just watch it, you’ll get an idea what that means, ha! The video also contains some background to the design of a few Book Covers and Dust Jackets along with some interesting info on the Authors. Enjoy, and please don’t forget to share on Twitter or Facebook!

THE HIVE will be the next new book by Charles Burns & published by Pantheon. It is the second book of an on-going Trilogy Series with “X-ed Out” being the first installment. If you read that book then you will remember the main character named Doug.

Much has happened since we last saw Doug, the Tintin-like hero from X’ed Out. Confessing his past to an unidentified woman, Doug struggles to recall the mysterious incident that left his life shattered, an incident that may have involved his disturbed and now-absent girlfriend, Sarah, and her menacing ex-boyfriend. Doug warily seeks answers in a nightmarish alternate world that is a distorted mirror of our own, where he is a lowly employee that carts supplies around the Hive.

THE HIVE has a release date set for October 9th, 2012. So, Please look for it then at your favorite Book Store. Charles Burns will also be making many public appearances to speak about the book. Here are a list of events:

10/9: Philadelphia/Free Library
10/10: NYC/Strand
10/11: Boston/Harvard Bookstore at the Brattle Theater
10/17: Seattle/Fantagraphics
10/23: SF/SFJCC
10/24: Seattle/Town Hall
10/27: Boston Book Festival
11/10: Brooklyn Comic Art Festival
11/11: Montreal
11/12: Toronto
11/17: Miami Book Fair

Wait, There’s More! Oh yeah, the main reason for this post was to share an excellent review that appears in the very latest issue of Publisher’s Weekly Magazine that just hit newsstands on July 2nd, 2012. So please be sure to keep an eye out for that new issue.

OK, Because they seem to be very popular, plus, we all need a good laugh every now & then, here are some hilarious “Literary Book Humor” photos. Enjoy, and please remember to share them with your friends!

PANTHEON BOOKS will be setting-up this year at the San Diego Comic Con in booth # 1515. The event dates are July 12th-15th, 2012. Chip Kidd will be there every day at noon to greet people and sign books or whatever you might bring. I mean, Chip will literally sign anything, FREE!! This year the main two books that Pantheon is really excited about are BUILDING STORIES by Chris Ware and THE HIVE by Charles Burns. Last week we posted an excellent “Chris Ware” Video Interview where he discusses his brand-new Graphic Novel. You can check that out by clicking HERE. Also, if you need ANY information about the SDCC Event then please click HERE too. Hope to see you there!! Oh yeah, one last thing, down below is a map of the Convention Center to give you an idea of where the booth is. This crazy event is HUGE!

New York City’s MIDTOWN COMICS DOWNTOWN welcomes Comic Book Artist David Mazzucchelli who will be signing his new book, “Daredevil Born Again: Artist Edition” from IDW on Thursday, June 28th from 6:00-8pm. Admission is FREE! Plus, Special guest Chip Kidd will be discussing the book too! For more information, just CLICK HERE!

OK, The “Official Tumblr for Fans of Chuck Palahniuk” is now open & the entries have been completely crazy! But we would not expect anything less from the guy who wrote: Fight Club, Damned, Pygmy, Lullaby, Bonsai, & many more. His new book, “Invisible Monsters Remix” was just released to rave reviews. So, if you’re a big fan of his be sure to check this out, CLICK HERE!