So what is it that makes this this particular iteration of the jacket so iconic? For me it’s the perfect blend of design elements that suggest both the excitement of futurism and the (then) cutting edge modernity of Art Deco. You’ll find plenty of references to this original in the designs that have come along subsequently and which seem to offer something of a homage. In addition, Holland’s artwork seems to dominate the imagination of many of the artists who have followed in his wake. Some jacket designs seem to help define the way a novel is perceived – which is, I think, especially true in this case. He produced posters for London Transport, greetings telegrams for the Royal Mail, and a number of designs for book jackets, including the highly-praised cover for the first edition of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. But he never read the book.”

“he embarked on a career as commercial artist, entering the world of illustration and design. Holland (1907 – 2005) trained at the Royal College of Art and, as the website for the Purton Artists Society tells us: There must be literally hundreds of different cover designs that have appeared over the decades since it was first published but, in my view, none of them better the original 1932 jacket conceived and executed by the artist, Leslie Holland. Huxley’s novel of a future dystopia seems to especially attract book designers and book jacket artists who want to engage in a bold or daring conceptualisation of the author’s vision. Posted on Classic Covers: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Brave new world book covers