Retreat from Sanity by Malcolm B. Bowers, Jr. (Penguin)
Shatter with its splintered letterforms, chosen as a visual metaphor for mental disorder. The fragmentation is echoed in the illustration.
Retreat from Sanity: The Structure of Emerging Psychosis was written by Malcolm B. Bowers, Jr., M.D. (1933–2008). Bowers was a member of the Yale University School of Medicine faculty and became a Professor of Psychiatry in 1976. Published in hardback by Human Sciences Press, this is the paperback edition by Penguin.
The cover design is by Walter Brooks (1922–1987). Born in Glasgow, Brooks came to the United States as an infant, and later studied at Cooper Union. After serving in the army in World War II, he pursued a career as a commercial artist, initially working for King Features Syndicate and various book publishers, before deciding on a career as a freelance artist in the early 1960s. Brooks designed book covers, greeting cards, and a number of postage stamps (incl. the 8-cent San Juan, Puerto Rico; the 9-cent, 10-cent, and 11-cent stamps of the Americana issue; the 3-cent, 5-cent and 5.2-cent stamps of the Transportation issue; and the 13-cent Indian Head Penny). In addition, he helped write, edit and illustrate a series of art instruction books for M. Grumbacher Inc. From 1970 to 1972, he served as president of the Society of Illustrators.
