This week Neil Gaiman’s MAKE GOOD ART Book came out (which was designed by Chip Kidd) and one cool thing to happen is that the Philadelphia Weekly not only did a great interview all about the creation of this book, but they put Neil’s face on the cover! Oddly, this is only the second time that has happened (the first was on WIRED Magazine).

Neil Gaiman was interviewed by Kyle Cassidy. The article covers many topics all related to the new MAKE GOOD ART book like how did the, now famous, graduation Speech even come about and what prompted the creation of this book. It’s a great interview with this fun Author. Here’s a LINK to check it out, just CLICK HERE!

NPR Radio’s Talk of the Nation recently interviewed Neil Gaiman about his latest Graduation Gift book titled, “Neil Gaiman’s MAKE GOOD ART Speech”. The new book, designed by Chip Kidd and published by Harper Collins, is set to be released on Wednesday, May 15th, 2013.

Click here to listen to the NPR Radio Interview with Neil Gaiman:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I thought this would be a good idea for a post, just posting some of the many book review videos that have been done for Chip Kidd’s Graphic Novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN (DC Comics). The interesting thing about “video reviews” is that, since the format is so visual, the reviewers can also focus quite well on the amazing artwork of Dave Taylor. Besides the compelling storyline, the book’s other main interest is that the art is also a very enjoyable part of the book. So, this is really cool. Thanks to everybody who took the time to create these videos.

As a side note:

One of the videos (the 4th one) is an “Audio Only” Interview with Chip Kidd that was done BEFORE the book came out. So, in contrast to the other ones, which were obviously done by readers of the actual book, it’s kind of interesting. Hey, here they are… please enjoy.

WOW! We’re really excited to report that Chip Kidd designed the main graphic for the cover to today’s New York Times BOOK REVIEW. The image, shown up above, is obviously a parody on the famous British World War Two “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster, but it also does a very good job of conveying the basic message of the main book review they are featuring on the cover. It’s the latest Triller Novel from John Le Carr titled, A DELICATE TRUTH.

The book will be released by Viking on May 7th (Yes, that’s in 2 days, ha!). As an important side note we should mention that Chip Kidd did not design the cover for the actual book.

So, please be sure to read today’s New York Times BOOK REVIEW by OLEN STEINHAUER, just CLICK HERE!

Cartoonist and MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Fellowship winner Ben Katchor was recently interviewed by Gil Roth in a episode of “The Virtual Memories Show” Podcast. The main focus was Ben Katchor’s brand-new graphic novel recently published by Pantheon Books in 2013 titled, HAND-DRYING IN AMERICA AND OTHER STORIES, which collects his monthly comic page from Metropolis magazine. During this special episode, Ben even “performs” several of his comics. Plus, he gives us all some really great insight into his creative process. Also, as a side-note, we should mention that this book cover was designed by Chip Kidd.

We have embedded the podcast down below, but for even MORE information we suggest a visit to VIRTUAL MEMORIES.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ben Katchor
Hand Drying in America and Other Stories
Pantheon Books / Random House
ISBN 978-0-307-90690-8
160 Pages

Here’s some really great Publishing News! Over at the NPR BOOKS website they recently did a very excellent Book Review for Brian Kimberling’s debut novel, SNAPPER. The article was written by Petra Mayer and we could not be happier with the way she really understands the people in this story. The book’s main focus is very character driven & her insight is smart & clever. So, please check it out very soon, here’s a LINK!

Oh yeah, this book was just recently released by Pantheon, a division of Random House.

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!

Over at the HTML GIANT website James J. Fitze just got done writing a really great Book Review on “How Literature Saved My Life” (Knopf) by David Shields. The book is doing very well and we could not be happier. As a side-note I should mention that Chip Kidd designed the cover and the Photography was done by Geoff Spears. If you have an interest in this book then please read their review. Even if you don’t, then you should scan it anyway because it will MAKE you want to read the book, ha ha! Just CLICK HERE!

While enjoying some recent “book-related” articles posted over at the BOOKSLUT website the other night I came across this very excellent Book Review for “How Literature Saved My Life” by David Shields. Of course this is the latest book written by David Shields for Knopf (and Chip Kidd designed the book cover) so we were really excited about this! The article is very in-depth and looks at both the book, and Author, from many different angles. It’s pretty interesting. Plus, we always love a great review! Thanks Bookslut! (Yes, I’ll admit it, I thoroughly enjoy saying the word, “Bookslut”. Hee Hee!)

Here’s a link to check it out, please CLICK HERE!

Over at the OTHER PEOPLE PODCAST With Brad Listi they recently posted Episode # 157 which turns into a very interesting interview with Ayana Mathis. Yes, I bet you know who she is. Ayana Mathis is the Author of THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE (Knopf). The new book just came out last December and is still going strong. It’s been reviewed by almost every major news outlet out there and you might have heard about it because this novel became the second book chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her new OPRAH BOOK CLUB 2.0. We also need to mention that Chip Kidd did not design the cover. Sometimes, when we feature books on this website that Kidd didn’t design, there is some slight confusion. So, we want everybody to know that a very talented Graphic Designer named KELLY BLAIR (gifted/beautiful) designed the wonderful book jacket you see here and she did an amazing job.

Whoops, OK sorry to ramble on, ha! The main focus of this post is to share the link for the OTHER PEOPLE Podcast where Brad Listi interviews Ayana Mathis about many things like: Being a Writer, What the success of her first debut novel is like, What was it like to meet THE Oprah Winfrey, and so on. In fact, the story of meeting Oprah is really fun! So, please check it out by clicking RIGHT HERE.

Oh yeah, the book is out right now. You can find it at your favorite Bookstore or, if you’re too busy, just click the Amazon link down below. Thanks.