Article: The Making of TBL (SPOILERS?)
Sept 9, 2006 8:28:24 GMT -5
Poe's Coats Host Toast likes this
Post by Dante on Sept 9, 2006 8:28:24 GMT -5
Slight content spoilers, if you haven't read it yet, or figured out the hidden image on the cover, or don't want to know anything about TBL before you read it, if you haven't yet read it. But slight. Hence the ? following my spoiler tag.
"Unfortunate Mysteries Finally Revealed"
When The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room, the first two titles in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, were published in August 1999 in a paper-over-board format, something groundbreaking had taken place. HarperCollins had done what no other publisher was doing at the time—publishing a series of books in a format that was seen, at the time, as less than serious.
Seven years later, the series is not only taken very seriously, it has been mimicked in both style and format, and the series (numbers 1 through 12) has 26.5 million copies in print. Due out on October 13 (Friday the 13th, no less) is The End, the final book in the series, which, author Daniel Handler has revealed, will see the death of at least two characters.
But before the end comes The Beatrice Letters, a collection of letters to and from the elusive Beatrice, whom each of the books in the series are dedicated to. Letters, published this month by HarperCollins, is meant to solve the mystery of just who Beatrice is.
The book, akin to Griffin and Sabine, is more than a compilation of letters, but also a puzzle to be solved. For Alison Donalty, who designed the title, working on such a detailed project was a labor of love. She says that because the design of the series was so original when it was first published, she wanted to bring that same tactile experience to the The Beatrice Letters.
The author, Lemony Snicket.
"This book embodies that combination of beautiful simplicity and complicated mystery," Donalty says. "The magic of Lemony Snicket is that, at first blush, everything seems simple—until you start investigating, and then it all becomes wonderfully mysterious. The manuscript is nothing more than 13 letters, but embedded in those letters are countless secrets, codes, references and shocking revelations."
In order to make The Beatrice Letters feel authentic, Donalty says she and editor Susan Rich, along with production manager Lillian Sun, spent hours discussing ideas for the package. Once the vision was clear, Donalty says she hit the streets of New York with design assistant Chloe Fogila, poking around in rare bookstores, antique stores and flea markets. "They provided a bounty of materials and inspiration," she says. "For me, the authenticity was critical in order to make the documents and the reading experience believable."
One book in particular, found at Argosy Book Store, became highly influential. "I found a book [Fandango; Ballads of The Old West] with such a striking design; it was both contemporary and timeless and it became my inspiration for the cover of The Beatrice Letters."
Donalty and Brett Helquist, the illustrator for all the SUE books, decided to put a silhouette of Beatrice on the cover, and also added in an optical illusion element. If you look closely at the cover, you can see two silhouettes. "That's the first 'ah ha' moment of dozens in this book," Donalty says. "We came up with a package that brings the reader on a journey that is full of signature Snicket surprises."
According to Donalty, there are numerous details and add-ons in the book, including "a double-sided poster, an extravagant gatefold, secret messages and a file folder to store everything in until you return to explore the book more. We were just able to create so many moments of discovery for the reader."
Overall, the experience was a very positive one for her and everyone involved. "I was so lucky to have the opportunity to design a book like this," she says. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime project. For a designer, Snicket's writing is challenging in the best way; it is so strong that it demands that the design be just as strong."
"Unfortunate Mysteries Finally Revealed"
When The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room, the first two titles in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, were published in August 1999 in a paper-over-board format, something groundbreaking had taken place. HarperCollins had done what no other publisher was doing at the time—publishing a series of books in a format that was seen, at the time, as less than serious.
Seven years later, the series is not only taken very seriously, it has been mimicked in both style and format, and the series (numbers 1 through 12) has 26.5 million copies in print. Due out on October 13 (Friday the 13th, no less) is The End, the final book in the series, which, author Daniel Handler has revealed, will see the death of at least two characters.
But before the end comes The Beatrice Letters, a collection of letters to and from the elusive Beatrice, whom each of the books in the series are dedicated to. Letters, published this month by HarperCollins, is meant to solve the mystery of just who Beatrice is.
The book, akin to Griffin and Sabine, is more than a compilation of letters, but also a puzzle to be solved. For Alison Donalty, who designed the title, working on such a detailed project was a labor of love. She says that because the design of the series was so original when it was first published, she wanted to bring that same tactile experience to the The Beatrice Letters.
The author, Lemony Snicket.
"This book embodies that combination of beautiful simplicity and complicated mystery," Donalty says. "The magic of Lemony Snicket is that, at first blush, everything seems simple—until you start investigating, and then it all becomes wonderfully mysterious. The manuscript is nothing more than 13 letters, but embedded in those letters are countless secrets, codes, references and shocking revelations."
In order to make The Beatrice Letters feel authentic, Donalty says she and editor Susan Rich, along with production manager Lillian Sun, spent hours discussing ideas for the package. Once the vision was clear, Donalty says she hit the streets of New York with design assistant Chloe Fogila, poking around in rare bookstores, antique stores and flea markets. "They provided a bounty of materials and inspiration," she says. "For me, the authenticity was critical in order to make the documents and the reading experience believable."
One book in particular, found at Argosy Book Store, became highly influential. "I found a book [Fandango; Ballads of The Old West] with such a striking design; it was both contemporary and timeless and it became my inspiration for the cover of The Beatrice Letters."
Donalty and Brett Helquist, the illustrator for all the SUE books, decided to put a silhouette of Beatrice on the cover, and also added in an optical illusion element. If you look closely at the cover, you can see two silhouettes. "That's the first 'ah ha' moment of dozens in this book," Donalty says. "We came up with a package that brings the reader on a journey that is full of signature Snicket surprises."
According to Donalty, there are numerous details and add-ons in the book, including "a double-sided poster, an extravagant gatefold, secret messages and a file folder to store everything in until you return to explore the book more. We were just able to create so many moments of discovery for the reader."
Overall, the experience was a very positive one for her and everyone involved. "I was so lucky to have the opportunity to design a book like this," she says. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime project. For a designer, Snicket's writing is challenging in the best way; it is so strong that it demands that the design be just as strong."