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Beautifully designed classics editions are a dime a dozen, but it’s rare to find a publisher that presents classic literature in a way that is truly new and unique. Pulp! The Classics repackages the same old wonderful stories in penny dreadful style. The result is a delightfully kitsch novelty item with some real intellectual meat on its bones.
Each Pulp! The Classics volume features a sensationalized caricature of the main character (or characters) based on a celebrity portrait. For example, Colin Firth appears on the cover of Pride and Prejudice in his role as Mr. Darcy, ciggy dangling seductively from his lips and looking for all the world like a renegade heartbreaker. (Actually, come to think of it, there is a lot of smoking in general on these covers.)
Books in the Pulp! The Classics series range in price from $8 to $14. Their construction matches the quality of a mass market paperback, so you’re paying a premium for the novelty of the design.
Pulp! The Classics Are Clever + Colorful Novelty Editions (A Photographic Review)Click To TweetAre they worth it? Absolutely! I’ve collected a handful and change of these little volumes and I love them. I don’t actually read from these editions. (They’d probably fall apart after a handful of reads anyway.) I just love the covers and sensationalized synopses on the back. And I would definitely pull them out at a party or book club just to show off.
What do you think of Pulp! The Classics? Which classics editions are your favorite?
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I love old pulp covers, but in this case seeing the classics reimagined is so neat! I might want a few of these. “Darcy’s in town” lol- love the take on him as a a ne’er-do-well! And Robinson Crusoe as well. How fun.
Don’t know if you’ve ever seen these, but I discovered these reimagined classic covers a while back- they have some good ones. http://www.rockpaperbooks.com/
I thought you might like them, Greg!
The Rock Paper Books are stunning! They almost have the vibe of graphic novels. Very cool. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve seen one of these on another blog, and I was so confused at first as to the celebrity thing lol. These are fun though! And I hadn’t even realized they had colored page edges.
I know! When I first saw them, I was like, “Wait, is that Ryan Gosling?!”
These are very cool. I wonder about the marketing strategy. One might think that some lovers of the classics would be put pff by the packaging. Folks attracted to the covers and might not like the slow pace of most classics. On the other hand maybe these will tun people on to good literature.
Maybe they figure people who like the classics will like a throwback look.
They sure look different…I like the back covers too, very clever! 🙂
Me too. 🙂