Graham Greene
It could be argued that, generally speaking, the dust-jackets of Graham Greene’s novels are a bit – well plain, to put it politely. In fact, he was very particular on this matter, perhaps thinking that a more sober wrapper added a certain gravitas. For example, he strongly disapproved of the suggested panoramic scene on the draft jacket design for The Honorary Consul and demanded that it should discarded (see bottom left). And it was, of course
It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, that the thirteen titles in the Library Edition of the Works of Graham Greene all feature pictorial dustjackets – and are all the excellent work of artist Peter Edwards. Simon Brimson has drawn our attention to a fascinating article about the Library Editions which we thoroughly recommend. It can be found by following the link: https://Existential Ennui: The Library Edition of the Works of Graham Greene, 1959-1960, Peter Edwards Dust Jackets
If you are thinking of building a collection of Greene’s books this would be an excellent starting point. The colourful and imaginative artwork on the jackets would look really attractive on anyone’s bookshelf – and the books themselves aren’t bad either!
