Every house has its books. They have become such company that their purpose is no longer contained in their text but are to please aesthetically, become part of the furniture, like a candlestick on the coffee table or a miniature on the mantlepiece. They are stylists’ props, designed and arranged to ‘go with the room.’ 

In my small hotel room in Montreal there are muted beige and cream tomes resting on an elegant black table. The white desk has a similar pile of books placed in a corner. The French titles give a hint as what to expect: poems, photography, histories, maps. Unlike what you might think, their content is irrelevant to Montreal, to its history or attractions, which a guest staying in this room must be particularly drawn to–the subjects are random. The elegant sobriety of the covers, their serif typography is the reason they furnish the room—chosen in the same careful manner the curtains and the nightstand are chosen and arranged.  

This specific minimalist design stands in contrast to the warmth of a jumbled colourful bookcase or library in an English parsonage, where the illustrated covers, each strikingly different, create a charming picture. It belongs to a long tradition in the French literary scene where the books are dressed in uniform, simple covers so the reader will not be attracted to the book only by the visual appeal of the cover. It might be slightly ironic then that this very design later made them attractive to interior designers as décor pieces. 

In the bookshops near McGill, these ‘two solitudes’ of book design are more distinctly visible to me than anywhere else in the country. The monochrome covers of Gallimard, Le Quartanier, Stock, and Les Éditions de Minuit lack the immediate allure of Penguin, Macmillan, or New York Review Books (NYRB), but when illustration is absent, the letterpress, each dot or ampersand stand out with a unique charm. As one might expect, these French and English books are shelved separately, and at first glance the traditional approach of the bigger publishing houses in these respective worlds is what catches the eye. But as I finger through each stack, I find there is more similarity, more influence between these worlds than one might think. Le Livre de Poche, with its illustrated paperbacks, has more in common with American cover designs and the Folio collection, a pocket edition collection within Gallimard, is a compromise between the classic style and the Poche. 

In the English world, there has been a recent shift in smaller publishing houses to print books in a minimalist style. The purpose here perhaps is not so much the snobbery that looks down on picture and colour, but an emphasis on this plainness as a sort of delicate aesthetic that draws the reader into collecting more books of the same publisher. The experience this design adds to reading of the text is also quite unique as the reader is left with no illustrations, no images to aid her mind in picturing what lies in the text. Below is a list of such publishers which you might like to check out:

Fitzcarraldo Editions specializes in both English and translated essays and contemporary fiction. These paperbacks with French flaps and a custom serif typeface are printed in uniform white or blue. The equally plain catalogues released on their website gives an idea on what to expect from each season’s release. 

Persephone Books based in Bath (UK) is chiefly a re-print of 19th and 20th century out of print books by female writers. Their elegant gray covers hide the colourful English endpapers and bookmarks. You might be able to find random Persephone books here and there but the best option is visiting the bookstore in London or ordering from their website. 

Slightly Foxed is also a British literary magazine and podcast which introduces books that are less known or in print. Their beautifully crafted hardcovers borrow the term “slightly foxed” which is common in the second-hand book trade to describe minor ‘foxing’ or the occurrence of brown spots on old paper.  

Flying Books is a local bookshop and publisher based in Toronto whose colourful book design has the simplicity of the French. They have only recently started publishing books.