SPINELESS CLASSICS

These books have the most cunning binding of all - none!

Spineless Classics are posters that contain the entire text of classic works of literature, cunningly set so that the text creates a silhouetted shape related to the book. They are primarily meant as decoration, rather than to be read, but it is possible to read them if you don't mind climbing a wall and squinting at them. I will focus on their design, both how well it looks and how it relates to the book's content.

As with all endeavours, some are more successful than others.

... I'm going to try really hard not to just repost their entire list, but bear with me. Here goes:

Peter Pan, 700x1000mm

PAT THE ZOMBIE, Aaron Ximm and Kaveh Soofi

Like Paper Blossoms, Pat the Zombie uses a children’s book format in a book for an adult audience. Pat the Zombie is a parody of children’s tactile books; a ‘cruel adult spoof’, as it styles itself. The book’s design aesthetic successfully mimics the spoofed genre, but poor production means Pat the Zombie the book looks even tackier than its premise promises. Sadly, Pat the Zombie fails where Paper Blossoms succeeded. Both tactile and pop-up books require design and construction to work together, but Pat the Zombie’s design fails to take into account the limitations of its construction, and its construction is flimsy and poorly designed.

Pat the Zombie in its presentation box. 

THE UNFORGIVEN HARVEST and THE LEAD WAIT, Jo Randerson

This book contains two plays by playwright Jo Randerson. It was published by PlayMarket as part of their ongoing New Zealand Play Series. 

Front cover

PAPER BLOSSOMS, Ray Marshall

This is an art book with a difference: a collection of five pop-up bouquets to adorn your dinner table.

Pop-up books are usually meant to entertain children. While retaining the format, Marshall has designed his book with an entirely different audience in mind, and added elements to the book’s construction where necessary to ensure it works as intended.

The front cover of the book. Note elastic loop
and absence of the word 'pop-up'

THE FIERCE LITTLE WOMAN AND THE WICKED PIRATE, Joy Cowley and Jo Davies / Joy Cowley and Sarah Davis

This post is a bit of compare-and-contrast between the 1984 and 2010 versions of Joy Cowley’s The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate. This story was originally published by Shortland Publications Limited with illustrations by Jo Davies, and in 2010 was republished by Gecko Press in a new format, with new illustrations by Sarah Davis. Overall, Gecko Press’ edition has far higher production quality and a superior design, creating a far more appealing book.

NEWTONS SLEEP, Daniel O'Mahony

I’m always saddened by books like this. Regardless of quality of writing, poor design puts me off picking a book up, let alone reading it. Unfortunately for Newtons Sleep, the unappealing exterior design continues inside, with cramped typesetting and a lack of footers and headers making both reading and navigating the book difficult.

The front cover

ATHFIELD ARCHITECTS, Julia Gatley

Books about design bear the greatest expectations when it comes to their own design – it’s hard to sell a reader on your subject if you fail to live up to it yourself (and you are a book). Athfield Architects ably lives up to the challenge. This solid coffee-table book has slick design inside and out, with plenty of well-presented images and attention to detail.