Book Porn: Penguin Drop Cap Classics

I'm coming 'round to the idea of a Kindle, but only because I think it'll mean that I read more. I'm not ready to give up my book-buying habit and I still want to buy beautiful editions of my favourite books. Especially these (not yet released, but waaaaay too exciting to keep quiet about) Penguin Drop Cap editions.

Penguin Drop Caps will be a series of 26 editions (check out more covers over on Imprint), each one designed by San Francisco designer Jessica Hische. She's the lady behind the Daily Drop Caps blog, where she illustrates a new capital letter each day. The blog has been going since 2009 but the Penguin designs are all original works art directed by Paul Buckley, and they're gorgeous.

They're not all being launched at once, and it looks like we're going to have to wait until the end of November before they're out. But you can pre-order some of them from Amazon, for about £12. I've got my eyes on Great Expectations and Madame Bovary, but I worry that once I've bought one I'll have to buy the whole alphabet.

These are so shiny that even the Amazon listings don't have images on yet. These are going to fly of the shelves so if you want them, you're going to have to be quick. I could download all of these classic onto a Kindle in super speedy time, but I might just be patient and stick it out. I think these are worth the wait.

Book Porn: Kevin Stanton's Cut-Paper Shakespeare

Juliet would never have topped herself if she'd owned a book this beautiful

Today's post is basically by longtime DS reader and friend, Helen, who sent me a link to a post from the wonderful Brain Pickings as well as to the shop selling them. Thank you Helen, your fee is in the post.

I'm so glad she did though because I am SQUEALING with joy like a malfunctioning burglar alarm. Laser-cut editions of Shakespeare! Crikey.

Dear lord, but I love people who are clever with paper. Roger La Borde and Rob Ryan are huge faves around these parts, but I never thought that anyone would actually do it with BOOKS.

That is a historical, glorious meeting of things that deserves a moment of silence while we reverently watch the video to Katy Perry's Firework.


Kevin Stanton is an American artist with incredible paper-cutting skills. Seriously, I could stare at his Tumblr until slackjawed and drooling - he's even done Kirby!

Each book has stunning cut-paper illustrations inside by Stanton, as well as classic illustrations from older volumes, and photographs from film versions. Each cost £25, but you can get them for about £17.50 on Amazon.

"The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of fit books under my battlements"

Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth are available to buy now, with Much Ado About Nothing (yay!) and Hamlet (hoorah!) due out in December.

Book Geekery: Cire Trudon Fairy Tale Boxes

When I imagine Siany Dream House (I do this lots), it has the best ever dressing room and the most amazing library complete with secret passageway to a reading room with lots of red wine and whisky. They're the things that are always right at the top of my list. Don't get me wrong, I'd settle for a loft apartment above Borough Market, but it's my imagination so let's play along for a bit.

Because amazing scent company Cire Trudon have clearly been rummaging about in the imagination part of my brain in amongst the wizards and pretending to be a superhero. Their fairy tale candle range is just the most divine thing ever and it mixes my love of great stories and amazing things that smell nice.

The idea is that you read your copy of Little Red Riding Hood while the candle is burning. The candle apparently smells of all things mossy and green and foresty and you'll be transported to a fairy tale world where wolves eat grandmothers and have very big teeth.

I really love this idea.

I know Cire Trudon have done more than one of these box sets, but despite my hunting I can only find one available in the UK. It's just £56.54 from the Chateau de Versailles boutique on Culture Label. Who wants to read me a story?

Book Geekery: White's Fine Editions

There's a little bookshop on Exmouth Market in London called Clerkenwell Tales. It's one of the most lovely bookshops I've ever been in. It's small, but it's eclectic. It feels like every single book has been chosen for the shop and there's a very curated feel to it.

They had a selection of White's Fine Editions and I nearly walked out with all of them (in a canvas tote bag, which comes free with your purchases).

The books are all hardback, but they're covered in gorgeous canvas illustrations. Canvas covered classics aren't particularly new, but these really blew me away.

It's a gorgeous range, this Sherlock Holmes design is very cool.

I thought these would be so much more expensive than they are, they certainly look very fancy. Actually, they're around £15. If you're not near Clerkwenwell, you can buy a whole bunch of White's Fine Editions on Amazon, and a couple are even cheaper at The Book Depository. These are the perfect gift. Find your best friend's favourite and send it to her in the post for absolutely no reason.

Want more book stuff? You can read about our brand new Sluttery book club or use the box in the sidebar sign up to our weekly newsletter (you get free wine!) - today's edition is inspired by all things bookish.

Book Geekery: Classic Novel iPhone Docks

I wanted to find something really special to write about today, World Making Kat Thrilled Day - or World Book Day as it's more prosaically known. We've got so many beautiful book-related posts on Domestic Sluttery that it was going to take something ridiculously wonderful to impress me.

And lo, Rich Neeley Designs did not let me down. What this American-based company (I know - but wait!) do is take stunning editions of classic novels...and turn them into £45 iPod and iPhone charging docks. In case you're going "But...but how could they do that to such pretty books?" they only use books that haven't been appreciated elsewhere. Clearly by complete imbeciles.

Peter Pan

HOLY MOTHER OF HELL! Is what Wendy would have said if she'd seen this Peter Pan book dock instead of a bunch of Lost Boys. The charge cord is hidden inside the book but you can still synch away merrily.

Anne of Green Gables

Another ridiculously beautiful edition - Folio, watch out! This morning I was very disloyally thinking how much I prefer L.M.Montgomery's Emily of New Moon series to Anne - what do you think?

A Little Princess

I'm focusing quite heavily on children's books here, but that's probably because I read My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece last night and haven't quite recovered from how good it was. Or how beautiful these are.

Jane Eyre

You know. For grown-ups.

There are tonnes of different books to choose from, from Dickens to To Kill A Mockingbird, to one of my all-time favourites, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Just gorgeous! Each costs between £30 and £35, with shipping being £10 for a sensible-sized book, and the gulp-inducing "price on request" for the really large ones. It's a very special book treat indeed.

World Book Day book porn bonus:

Remember that post I did about beautiful shelf brackets? Well, my bookshelf is now up, and after staring forlornly at my books and wondering why they looked like a disorderly bring and buy sale, I ordered them by colour. I realise a gazillion people before me have done this, but it looks so lovely I wanted to share it with you.

This is very much a beginner's effort, so if you've organised your books into a beautiful order, or love having favourites to hand in a higgledy-piggledy fashion, leave a comment below.

Happy World Book Day!