Author James Ellroy joins Walter Kirn on BylinerTV for a conversation where nothing is restrained and the boundaries of polite conversation are obliterated.

Ellroy testifies to the vile and glorious corners of L.A., and shares his visions of history without refracting the present day. With all the confidence of a shotgun blast, he tears through the politically correct limits on discussion and breathes fire with each admission and opinion. From his roots in writing, crime, fame fascination and current events, it’s an interview that could be measured on the Richter scale.

We have some important “Publishing News” to share here that is both kind of sad and also a reason to celebrate. Doubleday Books (Random House) has plans to posthumously publish David Rakoff’s last book, “”Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel”, and it should be available at your favorite bookstores around mid-July, 2013.

Sadly, David Rakoff passed away last year but this is not keeping his latest book from making it to the presses. We’re sure that David would love knowing that his fans will get one more chance to be entertained by his stories. Seriously, David was truly an original and he always had a very unique writing style. He is one of the finest and funniest essayists of our time. He was also a really great guy.

Also, as a side-note, we want to mention that the cover for this book was designed by Chip Kidd, who was both a business colleague, and most importantly, a good friend. Knowing this is what makes everything sort of bittersweet. But this book getting out there is really a tribute to David Rakoff’s genius, we hope you enjoy reading it.

Hey Everybody!! Here’s a quick post to inform you that we have just added a ton of new photos of Chip Kidd’s “Book Cover Design” work over at the GALLERY PAGE. Actually, some of them were also even added to Page Two. About half of them are ones he just completed for brand-new books coming out in 2013 and then there are a few he designed awhile back. Sort of like, “something old, something new”. Anyways, Please feel free to check them out and we hope you enjoy them. Please remember to always check back because we’re obsessed with adding more all the time, ha!

You can just click the Gallery TAB up above or please CLICK HERE!

Also, please remember to share this website with all your friends and family on your favorite social network website ( Like: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, etc…) Thanks!

Over at the NEW YORK TIMES Style Section they recently posted an extremely interesting “interactive” article showcasing some of the various book covers created over the years for THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Of course the main one is the rare First Edition, in blue, with the stylistic set of eyes & mouth floating over the Boardwalk. This book jacket was originally designed by Francis Coradal-Cugat and it’s not only beautiful, but it’s also a complete icon of book design.

Well, the fun part of their article is that they report about a book collector, and F. Scott Fitzgerald biographer, named Matthew J. Bruccoli who recently donated his HUGE collection of GREAT GATSBY books. What’s great is that it showcases nearly 83 years of book design. Sadly, he died in 2008. But his collection, which is considered to be one of the most complete in the world, lives on at the University of South Carolina.

When asked why he didn’t sell his collection (it’s worth millions) and why donate it, Bruccoli replied, “You don’t buy books as an investment, you buy them because it gives you pleasure to read them, to touch them . . . to see them on shelves.”

As an example of some of the book covers/jackets featured at their site we have posted a few pics down below, but if you CLICK HERE you can enjoy even more eye candy!

Gavin Aung Than is a freelance cartoonist who lives in Melbourne, Australia. He runs a website called ZEN PENCILS where he shares his wonderful art and also sells limited-edition art prints and posters. Shown up above is one such item. This is his “CREATE GOOD ART” Poster which is based on one one his comic strips.

OK, I’m sorry, I’m getting a little way too ahead of myself. Please check out this back story:

Back in May of 2012 Gavin had seen the (now famous) speech of the bestselling author, Neil Gaiman, who delivered a special commencement address at Philadelphia's University of the Arts, in which he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength. He encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to break rules and think outside the box. Most of all, he urged them to “Make Good Art”. Now, after seeing this speech, Gavin was inspired to create a special comic strip quoting a small portion of Gaiman’s address. I mean, the speech was about, “Hey! Go Make some ART”, so he did! You can read that COMIC STRIP by clicking right HERE.

Now, long story short, the comic strip went totally viral and so Gavin decided to contact Neil Gaiman for permission to print the strip as a special poster. Neil gave his blessing, under one condition, that a portion of the purchase price be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). Hey, no problem! Now we have this wonderful poster I’ve been rambling on about forever, ha!

The poster is available for purchase RIGHT HERE. It is available in a vast multitude of sizes ranging from MINI (10″ X 7″ at $17.00) to X-LARGE (39″ X 28″ at $60.00) with 50% of the purchase price going right to CBLF, whose work fights censorship and saves free speech in America!

Now, we should also mention that Neil Gaiman’s famous speech is being made into a book (unrelated to the comic strip we have been talking about). The book is titled, Neil Gaiman’s MAKE GOOD ART Speech, and was designed by graphic artist Chip Kidd. The book will contain the full text of Gaiman's inspiring speech, all done in a unique clever way. Here’s Neil, holding the book fresh off the press from the Publisher, William Morrow!

Look for the book to hit Bookstores around May 18th, 2013 or you can always pre-order from TFAW (Just CLICK HERE) or from Amazon, link provided down below. Also, if you want to view a High-Def Photo of Chip Kidd’s Book Cover Jacket, then please be sure to visit this site’s GALLERY PAGE.

Oh yeah, and if you have NOT seen the VIDEO of Neil Gaiman’s Speech then please be sure to do so by CLICKING HERE!

Check out this extremely interesting video posted by KNOPF DOUBLEDAY where they show the process of creating a special Foil-Embossed Book Jacket for Dan Brown’s THE LOST SYMBOL. This book was published by Anchor Books back in 2009 and it had a first printing of 5,000,000 copies! (Whoops! I guess should make a special note here stating that Chip Kidd did not design this book cover, we’re just sharing a fun video for you to enjoy).

Yes, the title of this post is kind of confusing but looking at the photos here should explain everything! A Company called STANDARD DESIGNS has released a series of Art Prints where they have made “Book Cover Spines” that are parodies of actual Record Albums originally done by two bands, Joy Division & New Order. Well, they have done other bands too, but who cares!

Just to clarify, the second photo, is not one of the print images but a very close-up detail shot of the 1st photo.

We thought these parodies were wacky, clever, & fun. So, if you do too then please be sure to visit their site for more information & eye candy!

Hey, just CLICK HERE!

This is exciting news! Well, it’s fun news for all of us here at CHIPKIDD.COM anyway, ha! Yesterday we added a nice new selection of BOOK COVER DESIGN photos to our Gallery Page. This brings the total to about 146 designs & we have many more to go! So, please be sure to check back every now and then. Also, I bet you yourself even own a book or two that Chip Kidd has designed. Go take a look! Please CLICK HERE!

Chip Kidd was featured in an episode of ARTS IN CONTEXT titled, “Paint, Design, Find, Reassemble”. Chip talks about the role of Book Designers and answers some questions about the process of creating. This PBS TV Program’s main focus is on both Fine Art and Graphic Design. We have embedded the video down below for you to enjoy… for a limited time. Chip Kidd pops in at about the 6:07 mark, but we suggest just watching the whole thing because it’s really very interesting.

Oh yeah, this post is a quick shout out to let y’all know we have added a ton of fresh Book Cover Photos to the CHIPKIDD.COM Gallery Page. Some of them have been added to the first page & then there are some more on the second. So, please be sure to check them out and also remember to share them with all your friends and family!

Hey, Just click the “Gallery” Tab up above or simply, CLICK HERE!