Thursday, April 16, 2009

Bookshelf Envy: Hogarth Press Book Covers

Below is a picture of the new addition to my apartment: new bookshelves... big, tall, wood, grown-up bookshelves! No more books piled around on the floor and on chairs for me! My boyfriend and I put these together over a two-day span, and it was quite possibly the most difficult thing we've ever done [we are horrible at instructions]. I shouldn't complain though, because I'm happy with how they've turned out, and now they will begin to fill up over the next year with books for our dissertation research...I will probably end up needing more shelves!

I kind of wish I could just fill the entire bookshelf with beautiful vintage books. I have to admit, I DO tend to judge books by their cover, and I've been known to buy pretty books, but then never bother to read what's inside...very bad for an English student! One exception to that bad habit would be getting my hands on an original copy of a Hogarth Press book. Hogarth Press was founded in 1917 and run by Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard Woolf from their home in England. The press is most famous for their publication of many works by members of the Bloomsbury Group, as well as original printings of many of Viginia's books. Several of the books' covers were designed by Woolf's sister Vanessa Bell, and they have such a wonderfully child-like, handmade quaility about them:








These would look just lovely on my new shelves!!

7 comments:

Amy said...

conrats on the bookshelf assembly! i'm absolutely hopeless at stuff like that.

I totally relate to your habit of judging a book by its cover- there's just no denying the pleasure i get out of ogling vintage, beautiful book covers!! the stories that your imagination can attribute to them based on the cover alone can so often be just as satisfying as the story which it contains.

have you ever checked out persephone books? they republish 20th century, female authors who were largely ignored by mainstream publishers, and do so in lovely book jackets.

Unknown said...

These simple vintage covers are beautiful. I have the same problem too. I buy books in foreign languages simply because they are too beautiful to be left behind.

Michelle Schraudner said...

I love your bookshelves! The white boxes are such a great accent.

Brigid said...

Gorgeous books! I dig those shelves, too. Where did you get them? We're in the market at the moment.

{Tara} said...

my special stash -- I love the persephone covers!! I really want them all... and all excellent books, as well!

ana b. -- LOL! I wish I could find more pretty books in foreign languages, that way I wouldn't feel guilty AT ALL about not reading them!

michelle -- Thank you, and they are very practical [I keep all of my bills and receipts in them].

brigid -- They are from Target, but be warned, they were literally a NIGHTMARE to put together. The instructions are horribly vague and I'm pretty sure they will fall apart as soon as we try to move them. I would recommend Ikea over Target any day.

flo said...

i want to read something from woolf so bad !! i cant find any really good book in english around here.. and im not much into translations. anyway, good blog :)

Mary-Laure said...

These covers are just divine.