Case 1
- Poetry 1
Alistair Campbell. Mine eyes dazzle. Christchurch: Pegasus Press, 1956.
Mine eyes dazzle was the first collection of poetry by Alastair Te Ariki Campbell (1925-2009). It was praised by James K. Baxter as “one of the defining events of recent New Zealand poetry.” This work reflected the darkness and melancholy that pervaded much of Campbell’s poetry.
The jacket design is by Geoffrey Nees (1923-1999), a leading figure in the promotion and professionalisation of New Zealand design. The title lies between two small landscapes in oval frames upon a watery background. The use of frames and background patterns is a recognizable feature of Nees’ jacket designs.
Hubert Witheford. Shadow of the flame. Auckland: Pelorus Press, 1950.
Shadow of the flame is the first book of poems by Wellington writer Hubert Witheford (1921-2000). It is illustrated with wood-engravings by Ernest Mervyn Taylor (1906-1964), one of which is repeated in the jacket design.
A.R.D. Fairburn. Strange rendezvous. Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1952.
The jacket design of this book of poems by Arthur Rex Dugard Fairburn (1904-1957) is by Leo Bensemann. Bensemann had joined founder Denis Glover at the Caxton Press as a partner in 1937, and his involvement continued for 40 years. The cover art features flames, seemingly alive with movement – a recurrent feature of Bensemann’s jacket designs.
James K. Baxter. The fallen house. Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1953.
The book covers of Leo Bensemann (1912-1986) often contain graphic elements and typographic arrangements that interpret the title. On the cover of James K. Baxter’s The fallen house the type is tilted at contrasting angles within a jagged shape giving the impression of instability and downward movement.
--Hamish Thompson. Coverup: the art of the book cover in New Zealand. Auckland: Godwit, 2007.
