New Work: James Kelman Cover Art

Angus Hyland, with assistant Masumi Briozzo, has designed four book covers for Polygon’s re-issue of the novels and short stories of James Kelman, the controversial Booker Prize-winning author.

The books span Kelman’s early career from 1973 to 1985 and include An Old Pub Near the Angel, a collection of short stories which has never been published in the UK, but has remained in print in the US since 1973. A further five titles are planned for release in 2008, also with covers designed by Pentagram.

The spare cover imagery, which uses bold typography and individual icons to hold the series together, echoes Kelman’s direct writing style. The lettering for the titles is scanned from a collection of wood-cut type, alluding to Kelman’s apprenticeship as a printer, while the cover notes are set in Gill Sans.

Kelman, described as “Scotland’s greatest living writer” by Sunday Herald columnist Alan Taylor and “Godfather of the Scottish Beats” by The New York Times Magazine, is appearing at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival on Friday 17 August.

Photography by Pentagram