Peter Pauper Press’s Masterpiece Library series offers readers elegantly designed editions of classic literature, honouring this NY-based company’s tradition of publishing beautiful books. Each hardcover volume features embossed covers with iridescent highlights, gold foil-stamped spines, foiled page edges, and reinforced rich jewel-toned cloth quarter-bindings for durability. 

The first book in the series was the enduring classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, published in Jun 2023 clad in forest green with a delicate floral border. Although a little slow to take off (I think not a lot of advertising dollars pushing it into people’s feeds), the books have proven popular and are already starting to sell out. (There’s no limitation stated, so presumably they will eventually come back into stock.)

Although most titles are text only, a few do include carefully reproduced classic illustrations, notably Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, A Tale of Two Cities, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland, and Winnie the Pooh.

The use of premium acid-free archival-quality paper ensures longevity, while cream-colored pages, a bound-in satin bookmark, and thoughtfully chosen fonts provide a comfortable reading experience. These editions are both aesthetically pleasing and affordable (at least in the US – imported books temd to be rather more expensive).