Vintage Irish Book Covers

I’m a vintage book cover fiend.

I have stacks of books brought home from car boot sales,charity shops,second hand shops and markets which I’ve bought mainly for the cover.It’s not as expensive as you might think.I’ve very rarely spent more than €6 on a book and the average cost of a book is much lower than that,about €3-4 if you haggle or go to the right places.Considering that 98% of the books I buy are books I’ll read anyway it doesn’t work out too bad.

And then there’s my father’s collection.Dozens of books dealing with 20th century Irish history fill the shelves in the living room.Ernie O’Malley,Tom Barry and Dan Breen were all names I learned early on in my life,by flicking through these books and studying their covers.The pulp inspired painted covers of 50s and 60s Anvil Press publications like Guerilla Days in Ireland by Tom Barry were a regular sight when I was a younger lad and looking back,it may well have been my father’s collection of vintage paperbacks that lit the spark in my little noggin and made me want to draw.

Being surrounded by vintage Irish book covers for many years before I even knew what a vintage Irish book cover was,I was delighted to see the fantastic Vintage Irish Book Cover blog run by Niall McCormack.I’ve learned a massive amount from reading this blog.I’ve even learned some things about books in my own collection!It’s important to have people like Niall who know what they’re on about to enlighten us about that often forgotten,but vital,component of Irish publishing history:the cover.Needless to say it should also be of great interest to all my illustrating peeps as well.

So inspired by Niall’s work,and feeling more than a little guilty about keeping some of these gems to myself,I’ve decided to post up a few vintage book covers(this first batch will be completely Irish interest,but I’ve plenty of foreign goodies as well which I’ll post up soon).I’m no expert on this stuff in terms of identifying individual designers so any information would be welcomed.

Guerilla Days in Ireland by Tom Barry,Anvil Books (Anvil Books edition late 1950s) (Designer:Uncredited)

Guerilla Days in Ireland by Tom Barry,Anvil Books late-50s (back cover)

Rós Fiáin Lios an Daill le Caitlín Bean Uí Thallamhain,Clódhanna Teoranta 1967 (Designer:Seán Ó Brádaigh)

Irish Songs of Resistance by Various,unknown publisher,undated (most likely 70′s-80′s) (Designer:uncredited)

Reminiscences of a Maynooth Professor by Walter McDonald,Mercier Press 1967 (Designer:John Skelton)

The Insurrection in Dublin by James Stephens,Sceptor Books 1966 (Designer:Ronald Watson)

Halo on The Sword by Mary Purcell, M.H Gill and Son Ltd of O’Connell Street,1951 (Designer:uncredited)

Field and Fair by Padraic Ó Conaire,Mercier Press 1966 (Designer:signed “CK”)

Field and Fair by Padraig Ó Conaire,Mercier Press 1966 (back cover)

Dúil le Liam Ó Flaitheartha,Sáirséal agus Dill 1969 (Designer: Anne Yeats)

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