Final published design

From the publisher:

“Master of language” (The New York Times) John Edgar Wideman uses his unique generational position to explore what he calls the “slaveroad,” offering “a fresh perspective of slavery’s impact and a confirmation of Wideman’s exalted status in American letters” (New York magazine).

Alias Elephant is used for cover type. This published cover uses Elephant Light, a pre-published layout uses a hand-rendered Elephant Black.

Pre-release layout using a hand-drawn Elephant Black

From Macmillan:

For fans of Shuggie Bain and A Burning, a queer coming-of-age novel set in 1990s India, about a young man who joins a traveling street theater troupe, seeking to outrun the dark secrets of his past

“An exquisite novel destined to be a classic.” ―Eric Nguyen, author of Things We Lost to the Water

Shagun knows he will never be the kind of son his father demands. After the sudden deaths of his beloved twin sisters, Shagun flees his own guilt, his mother’s grief, and his father’s violent disapproval by enrolling at an all-boys boarding school. But he doesn’t find true belonging until he encounters a traveling theater troupe performing the Hindu myths of his childhood.

Alias Harbour is hand rendered for the title type

Dave Litman’s book jacket for An Honest Living features custom lettering (cut out with an X-Acto knife and loosely based on FF DIN Condensed Bold, the designer explained by email) and lightly-distressed Cortado, with Adobe Garamond for supporting text.

The noir crime novel features a missing antiquarian bookseller in mid-2000s Brooklyn. From the official description:

Set against the backdrop of New York at the tail end of the analog era and immersed in the worlds of literature and bookselling, An Honest Living is a gripping story of artistic ambition, obsession, and the small crimes we commit against one another every day.