Penguin UK has reissued the Penguin Modern Classics paperback edition of Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited with a new cover. This is part of a redesign of this line of books adopted earlier this year:
In 2017, the [Penguin Modern Classics] series takes its most recent step forward. Jim Stoddart has given his own 2007 design a new livery: the back covers, spines, Penguin roundel and cover text have all turned a pale blue-green, a shade known as âeau-de-nilâ, âwater of the Nileâ. This colour is a reference to the seriesâ original palette and its brief blue-green incarnation as Twentieth-Century Classics.
The colour âeau-de-nilâ emerged in the late 19th century, associated with fashionable dĂ©cor, clothing and ladiesâ toilettes. Over the last hundred years it has become more peppermint, and is widely used by âclassicâ brands including Fortnum and Mason, Laura Ashley and Hunter wellingtons. It resembles âCambridge blueâ. This new combination of bold images and avant-garde font with a classic colour sums up the enduring yet radical spirit of the Modern Classics. To launch the new look, fifty titles have been selected to represent of the breadth and depth of the list. These are the first books to be given eau-de-nil covers, and more will follow over the coming months.
Brideshead was one of the first titles to appear in the makeover.
