Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!
This weekly feature
showcases beautiful book covers,
and provides information,
if available, on their very talented creators!
For more information
about Shelf Candy Saturday,
just click HERE.
Here's my choice for this week!
Well-Read Women: Portraits of
Fiction's Most Beloved Heroines
Samantha Hahn
Hardcover, 112 pages
Chronicle Books
August 27, 2013
Art, Classics, Historical Fiction,
Literary Fiction
Why do I love this cover?
This stunning cover just glows with its brilliant, lovely tones of color! It was done in watercolor, by the enormously talented Samantha Hahn, who is also the author of this jewel of a book.
Of course, I love the blue background, which also softly colors the woman's fur coat. The entire image is superbly painted. The bobbed hairdo is just exquisite, with its glowing highlights. The eye shadow, as well as the shadow below the jawline, are just right. The font is typical of the Art Deco style, which was very popular in the 1920's. The woman's haughty bearing is a clear indication that she is either very wealthy, or wishes to be. Indeed, this is Daisy Buchanan, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
The entire book is a collection of Hahn's stunning illustrations of some of literature's most famous heroines, such as Daisy Buchanan, mentioned above, Clarissa Dalloway, from Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, Emma Woodhouse, from Emma, by Jane Austen, Alice, from Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, Hester Prynne, from The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Jane Eyre, from the novel by the same name, written by Charlotte Bronte, and many others. Each illustration is accompanied by a quote, rendered in equally beautiful calligraphy, from the novel that features the heroine.
Samantha Hahn is a fashion illustrator. She holds a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University, and an MFA in Art Education from Columbia University. Her work has been featured in You Are So Loved and Watercolor: Paintings of Contemporary Artists, published by Chronicle Books, The Great Big Book of Fashion Illustration, published by Batsford, Print and Pattern, published by Laurence King Publishers, Crafting A Meaningful Home, published by STC Craft, and many others.
Samantha Hahn lives in Manhattan (New York City) with her husband and toddler.
Samantha Hahn Online
What do you think of
my choice?
Leave me a comment
and let me know!
This seems like it would be a great book to own. In this case the cover is almost part of the content. Though illustrations based upon children's literature, as well as science fiction and fantasy are very popular, I have not heard much about such art being produced based upon this type of literature.
ReplyDeleteHey, Brian!
ReplyDeleteI really like the concept behind this book. It's very original. And yes, the cover IS indeed part of the content, since the illustration is also found inside the book. If you go to Amazon and open their online reader, you'll be able to see some of the other illustrations, as well as the quotes.
My only quibble with the author/artist is that the book should be longer!
Thanks for another great comment!! : )