Art of American Book Covers

Richard Minsky's work is collected internationally by major museums and libraries. He is the founder of the Center for Book Arts in New York City (1974), which has mounted over two hundred exhibitions during the past thirty-six years and offers a hundred classes and workshops. He has taught and lectured at many universities and art schools. In 2010 Yale University, repository of The Richard Minsky Archive, presented an exhibition of a half century of his work.

There's an appealing element of mystery to these designs, which rarely announce exactly what content lies within, of course enhanced by the fact that many of the books are long out of print and forgotten. Minsky makes clear that these covers weren't typical even of their own time, but they still might hold a good lesson for today. ...a fascinating book for anyone with a keen interest in books and cover art. This insightful collection of cover art, spanning 55 years and straddling two different centuries, shows masterfully crafted covers that have an incredible amount of detail and in many cases are quite beautiful. ... All in all, this is the perfect coffee table book for any lover of books. You'll be sure to get plenty of enjoyment from each and every page. -- (10/17/2013)