The Book Cover: 150 Years of Batsford Design

A beautiful collection of classic twentieth-century Batsford book covers, from Art Deco gems to cool-looking mid-century architecture titles and quirky designs from the ’60s and ’70s.

This rich treasure trove of twentieth-century Batsford book covers showcases the very best of Batsford’s design heritage.

Founded by Bradley Thomas Batsford in 1843, Batsford has forged a strong reputation for niche publishing, in subjects such as textile art, practical art and craft, architecture and design, heritage, and chess. Batsford books are both accessible and beautiful, and their quality means they sell for years, often decades.

The covers in this beautiful book have been chosen by a design expert from the extensive collection of book collector Paul Dimond. The collection includes the iconic covers of Brian Cook, which are recognized and collected worldwide, as well as beautifully tooled cloth bindings, Art Deco gems, cool-looking mid-century architecture titles, and quirky designs from the ’60s and ’70s. Rich with stunning photographs of these iconic jackets, The Book Cover explores the development of book cover design over the twentieth century.

This book is a labor of love that will showcase the very best of Batsford’s design heritage and will delight book collectors and design enthusiasts alike.

Paul Dimond CMG was a British diplomat for 42 years. A language student in Tokyo in the 1960s, he served for 16 years in Japan, including four years as commercial counsellor, then as deputy ambassador at The Hague, HM consul-general at Los Angeles, and HM ambassador at Manila. A collector of vintage Batsford books for 35 years, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and honorary secretary of the Anglo-Netherlands Society.