way back in the day i did a post called Covers, etc all about an awesome collection of vintage book covers curated by a gentleman named Richard. there are now almost 1500 book covers in his collection, so it’s well worth a second look. i was just thinking this past weekend how grateful i was to be a kid growing up in the eighties and early nineties, when there was hardly any tech, so i read a LOT. and as i got older of course my taste starting shifting into adulthood, and i would sometimes peruse my parent’s collection to see if there was anything suitable for me to read.
i was really drawn to Roald Dahl’s adult short stories, especially because they were often pretty risqué (who remembers the ending of Bitch?). it was sort of thrilling to learn about very adult things in that way. in fact all of Dahl’s books are so great for a kid, i loved that his children’s books never mollycoddled us. there were some horrible characters, and bad things unfolded throughout the stories – i just loved them.
so back to those Covers, i love the design aesthetic of these books from the 50s, 60s & 70s. some of them are pretty saucy, too (and i had to throw a cat in for good measure). i know that if i ever found one of these in my parent’s bookshelf i would totally have snuck it under my pillow for some secret reading.