preload
Apr 01

Times are tough in the publishing industry for the German megacorporation Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA which owns Penguin Random House. Even publishing the Morrissey Autobiography as a ridiculous “Penguin Classic” couldn’t reverse their financial woes. You might have read that as part of a major restructuring they recently sold off the venerable Penguin Classics line to, of all publishers, Baen Books.

Baen, being Baen, was quick to reissue many of the Penguin Classic titles with more alluring covers to attract the less discriminating literati. Unbeknownst to Baen though, they recently hired our sometime social media guru Tweet Jane as a copy editor and she was able to forward us the galley proofs prior to their publication. What a sad day for the publishing industry but a major scoop for Good Show Sir!
 

He's dead JimMoby Dick

 

He's dead JimLady Chatterley’s Lover

 

He's dead JimLittle Women

 

He's dead JimLord Jim

 
To confuse the readers even more, Baen is re-issuing some of their own catalog titles and pairing them with traditional Penguin Classics art masterpieces on the cover. Case in point:

He's dead JimThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress

 
Tag Wizard Comments: I’m sure our talented team of GSSers can do Baen one better. Try your hand repurposing your own favourites and send them along with our lovely submit button. I’ll check in during the day update this post with your submissions.

Actually, that cover IS a classical work of art!I would touch it without protective gloves.I've seen worse. Far, far, worse.Interesting, but I would still read it in public.Middlng: Neither awful nor awfully goodWould not like to be seen reading that!Awful... just awful...That belongs in a gold-lame picture frame!Gah... my eyes are burning! Feels so good!Good Show Sir! (Average: 7.64 out of 10)
Loading...

Tagged with:

18 Responses to “Penguin Classics”

  1. fred Says:

    Why go through all this trouble when Penguin did it to itself.

    https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ESgWzc3ZvHoC&gl=us&hl=en-US&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKT-FDR-na-us-1000189-Med-pla-bk-Evergreen-Jul1520-PLA-eBooks_Reference&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgszryozd7wIVBr_ICh3vUghJEAYYASABEgLhvPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

  2. Bibliomancer Says:

    I assume Good Show Sir acquired the rights to this cover art before posting them on the blog. I think Baen is facing some legal jeopardy here. Tell the GSS barristers to dust off their powdered wigs!

  3. Ryan Says:

    I vote the Moby Dick revised edition for the greatest gulf between the cover portrayal and the actual text.

  4. Raoul Says:

    @Ryan – Are you sure about that? I don’t recall “Little Women” being anything like this new Baen Classics cover. OTOH, the “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” cover is surprising accurate.

  5. Tag Wizard Says:

    From Bibliomancer, via our lovely submit button:

    Steppenwolf

  6. Tag Wizard Says:

    This just in from B. Chiclitz:

    Femiinist Mistake

  7. GSS ex-noob Says:

    Bra-VO and GSS, especially to Tweet Jane!

    And well-spotted to @fred #1.

    The machine I’m on can’t handle making my own, but I’d like to see “War and Peace” with the art of the toddler trying to wield his Tactical Teddy Bear against the tank.

  8. Tag Wizard Says:

    daard23 sends along this classic. More like The Brothers Katamazov, amirite?

    Karamazov

  9. Tag Wizard Says:

    Tat Wood sends in this beauty:

    Howard

  10. Tag Wizard Says:

    From Ryan, for your consideration:

    Agricola

  11. Tag Wizard Says:

    From Bruce A Munro, a real page turner:

    Slave

  12. Tag Wizard Says:

    Raoul sends in a hot bestseller:

    Inferno

  13. Tat Wood Says:

    The other one I tried to send wouldn’t load so I’ll offer it as a small Bank Holiday teaser for everyone: which of the many, many possible covers on this site did I choose to be the new artwork for ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’?

  14. GSS ex-noob Says:

    Continued GSS to you all.

    @Tat: all of them?

  15. Tor Mented Says:

    I sent one in. Did you get it?

  16. Tag Wizard Says:

    Tor Mented’s entry:

    Naked

  17. Ryan Says:

    @Tor Mented – One extra hard laugh for “Mormon Nailer”.

  18. GSS ex-noob Says:

    @Tor: what Ryan said. Also good synch between title and art.

Leave a Reply