What are the Chiltern Classics?

Chiltern Publishing issued their first books in 2018, and are strongly achieving their mission to create beautiful editions of the classics. The famous 1800s “peacock edition” of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a clear inspiration for their delightful designs, both in size and style.

What are they like to read?

Chiltern Classics books are on the smallish side (think pocket book) – reflecting the size and format of the original books when they were printed in Jane Austen’s time. They all feature wonderfully detailed and textured covers, sparkling gilt edges, smooth creamy pages, a built-in ribbon bookmark, and they are robustly made with strong stitched bindings. They feel surprisingly weighty in your hards (due to the quality materials) and are a real joy to read. I highly recommend them. Note that the paper is slightly glossy – not enough to be annoyingly reflective, but enough to make annotating directly on the pages a little more difficult if that’s your thing.

Are Chiltern Classics illustrated?

Most of the books are unillustrated, but there are a few exceptions. I’ve noted these below, but some of the key illustrated titles include A Christmas Carol (Arthur Rackham), Alice in Wonderland (John Tenniel), The Little Prince (author’s own drawings), Peter Pan (Gwynedd M Hudson) and The Art of War (illustrated throughout).