University Presses Exhibit Judges Books by Their Covers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 9, 2017) — Each year, the American Association of University Presses (AAUP) Book, Jacket, and Journal Show recognizes meritorious achievement in design, production and manufacturing of books, jackets, covers and journals by members of the university press community. This free public exhibition featuring the best in 2016 covers from university presses has arrived in the Bluegrass and is on display now through Nov. 17, at University of Kentucky’s Pence Hall and at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Among the winning covers showcased is “Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era” by James Bawden and Ron Miller and published by University Press of Kentucky (UPK) in April 2016.

Four nationally-recognized designers and educators selected approximately 70 publications from more than 600 submissions in categories including scholarly typographic and illustrated, trade typographic and illustrated, poetry and literature, reference, journals, and book jackets and covers. This display of book design coincides with the celebration of University Press Week, Nov. 6–11, sponsored by the AAUP as a recognition of the extraordinary work of nonprofit scholarly publishers and their many contributions to culture, the academy and an informed society.

Before the exhibit travels to another city, it will make its way to the Central Branch of the Lexington Public Library for “Judging a Book by its Cover: Book Design and the Art of Reading and Bookselling,” a talk to be given by Linda Secondari, creative director and principal at Studiolo Secondari in New York. She was most recently creative director at Oxford University Press, where she managed a large international design team and supervised a yearly title output of more than 3,000 titles. The lecture and discussion will begin 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, at Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library located at 140 East Main St. The talk is also free and open to the public.

UPK, a member of AAUP, is the scholarly and general interest book publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is connected to each of Kentucky’s public universities, five private colleges and two major historical societies. The press publishes approximately 50 new books per year in the areas of film studies, military history, Appalachian studies, African-American studies, selected poetry and prose, and the history and culture of Kentucky and the region. Offices for the administrative, editorial, production and marketing departments of the press are found at UK, which provides financial support toward the operating expenses of the publishing operation through the UK Libraries.