C.S. Lewis Gets a New Look from HarperOne
NEW POST, 2:25 pm, EST

The two recent movies adapted from The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis have brought renewed attention to Lewis's books for younger readers.  

HarperOne, the publisher of Lewis's adult books since 2001 (of which they have sold 3.7 million copies), decided to repackage the nine Lewis books it publishes to give them "a look that's in keeping with the classic magisterial image of C.S. Lewis, but also to make it more contemporary," according to Claudia Riemer Boutote, v-p and associate publisher of HarperOne. These nine books--including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters and A Grief Observed--are widely considered to be among the major works of 20th-century Christian thought.

HarperOne redesigned both the paperback and hardcover editions of the books. The paperbacks of all nine books received a smooth, simplistic look featuring a black-and-white drawing for each title and a band with Lewis's signature cutting across the cover. For the hardcovers--of The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed and, for the first time, The Great Divorce--are all off-white, with the title in bold black letters, and Lewis's name in gold foil; each features a small black icon. Boutote said, "I think this look has more of a cool factor than our previous look, and I think it's more likely that young browsers who haven't read Lewis before would just pick these books up." HarperOne will also offer boxed sets of both the paper and hardcover editions, the latter of which will be available for Christmas, as well as a single-volume paperback edition of all nine books. The new editions went on sale on in early March.

The publisher has also created a new Web site--cslewis.com--to promote Lewis, who Boutote called "a major brand." In addition to descriptions of and excerpts from the books, the site features a blog with original posts by Lewis scholars and other authors. These titles will soon be available as e-books, but for now, HarperOne is courting an audience interested in volumes that are, according to Boutote, "very tactile, nice to hold, very classy to give as a gift."

Source: Publishers Weekly

Comments | RSS  |  | More