Smriti Malhotra
Despite the popular saying, people often judge the book by its cover. Well, it is that time of the year again. Books in the olden times were leather laden and hardbound which perfectly found their spot in avid collectors’ libraries, however, that changed when images appeared on the covers of books in the 19th century. With the Arts Nouveau art movement taking momentum and the advent of print-making, book covers were made.
Celebrating the legacy of artistically made book covers, the coveted book cover design awards are back, with Oxford Bookstore announcing this year’s Longlisted Book covers which are up for the Oxford Bookstore’s Art Book Prize. The Bookstore is celebrating the beautiful cover art of eleven Indian books. This is in collaboration with Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre (IHC) and the Jury comprises of eminent curator, Dr Alka Pande who has written profusely on Indian arts and aesthetics, Gautam Bhatia, a painter, Sanjay Bhattacharya; Director of Apeejay Surrendra Group, Priti Paul, an art historian, and Brazil’s Ambassador to India, H.E. André Corrêa do Lago; who is an artist and architect and appreciates Indian arts.
Geeta Khanna’s Style of India (L) and Roda Ahluwalia (editor) of Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture(R ) are in the list. Courtesy: Oxford Bookstores
The longlist of books are:
- Style of India by Geeta Khanna (Hatchet India)
- Parsi Kitchen; A Memoir of Food and Family by Anahita Dhondy (HarperCollins Design)
- Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture by Roda Ahluwalia (Editor) (Niyogi Books)
- Scenography: An Indian Perspective by Satyabrata Rout (Niyogi Books)
- Amritsar: A City in Remembrance by Raghu Rai and Gurmeet S Rai (Om Books International
Raghu Rai with Gurmeet S Rai (L), Amritsar; City of Remembrance (R) Courtesy: Ukhpa.org
- Vehicles of God: Shiva and Nandi The Bull by Shubha Vilas (Om Books International)
- Dugga by Rajiv Eipe (Pratha Books)
Dugga by Rajiv Eipe is on the longlist as well. Courtesy: Indian Express
- CPKA: Five Decades of India’s Built Environment by Diksha C. Kukreja (Roli Books)
- Sikh Art: From the Kapany Collection by Paul Micheal Taylor and Sonia Dhami (Roli Books)
- Inspired by India: How India Transformed Global Design by Phyllida Jay (Roli Books)
Inspired by India: How India Transformed Global Design by Phyllida Jay. Courtesy: Rolibooks.com
11. Ammi: An Expression of Love … From the Kitchen of My Mother by Prasanna Pandarinathan (Rupa Publications)
