Persephones in the States

So I was wandering through Amazon.com and saw several persephone titles that have never been available before. They don't have the lovely grey covers but I was pleased by the possibility of picking a few more up here. Is this an American release? Has anyone else picked some up yet.

Could you post links, marensr?

Are they the Persephone Classics editions?

Maren, they are the Persephone Classics series still published by Persephone though distributed in the US (and perhaps Canada??). The series started with Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day as a 'tie-in' to the US release of the film.

You can read more about them on their website. I think they're lovely editions so much more affordable!

bunnyb, if you type in 'Persephone Classics' in Amazon, you'll see them.

Maren

I too was confused by these. I thought they were the American editions and that (for once) the US had better covers than the Brits. I have bought 5 from Amazon so far and by engineering the amounts I've avoided p&p, so they have averaged about $11 a piece.

I have only one grey - which amazingly turned up on Paperbackswap in beautiful condition. They have an understated elegance, but the Classics covers are gorgeous!

Here's my question - I really want They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple and don't know whether to pay Amazon's $17 for a grey, or wait till it becomes a 'Classic'. Is that guaranteed or are they only releasing some as classics?

I'm glad for the sake of all our American friends that they're more widely available in the US now ... but I think the grey covers are MILES better! :)

I have four of the Classics; marensr said the titles hadn't been available before so I wasn't sure. They're lovely but I do prefer the greys overall (sometimes cost wins out though).

romain, the next Classics available in April will be Saplings, Cheerful Weather for a Wedding and The World That Was Ours but the Bi-annually sent around at same time as their release will tell us the next lot of Classics planned for November, if that helps you decide. I'm not sure whether they will all be released in that format.

Oh Miss Read - Someone at a Distance has a wonderful cover. As does the Strachey one. When the grey one arrived I was very surprised how elegant it was, but perhaps it depends on which you see first; in my case it was the illustrated ones. And, of course part of my attraction to Viragos was always their covers.

Comparing the two though I can see that the greys have a weight to them and a look of a hardback book. They also - at least the one I have - have a fancier typeface, and a much less mass produced look.

Price has to be a concern for me and I have reserved all the American releases on Paperbackswap. Unfortunately a hundred people got there ahead of me, and I will almost certainly wind up paying full price on Amazon anyway. Probably just as well they are still in limited release here.

I think you're right about it depending on which version you see first. I'm just so used to the understated elegance of the grey covers that the others seem a little ... I don't know ... "not right" is the best I can come up with.

Miss Read

I looked at the catalogue this morning and I take your point. The covers are somewhat jarring. I think this is because they have used contemporary paintings and these are definitely leaning towards either social realism and/or less subtle colors. I imagine this was a marketing ploy to repackage a relatively new product for a wider audience. From the plain dove grey to something that more or less leaps off the shelf as you enter the store. From subtle to slightly shocking.

Sorry for not replying early but I think it has been covered. I found them on Amazon but yes they appear to be pretty (but less pretty than the grey covers) paperback versions although oddly I saw a couple with grey covers but perhaps those were from individual sellers. It is nice to think I can get a few reasonably but it just makes me a little sad for the ones not available.

bunnyb perhaps they were availble before but the only one I had seen sold by American booksellers was Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day in the paperback version with the awful movie sticker on it. I only checked again the other day.

I have already half talked myself around to ordering a few choice ones directly with their lovely covers. . .