• The Hub

    News, Notes, Talk

    This artist creates gorgeous paintings on the edges of hardcover books.


    November 30, 2021, 12:21pm

    Here’s something pleasant for a cold autumn Tuesday: Maisie Matilda, a UK-based painter, has amassed a following for her fore-edge paintings, scenes painted on the side of hardcover books’ pages. Focusing mainly on Dune, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, Maisie Matilda paints the magical-feeling settings of the books she’s painting.

    Could fore-edge painting be considered reverse ekphrasis? Who could say? (Maybe for it to be reverse ekphrasis it would need to be a huge, huge canvas . . . I’m going fully off of feel here.) Regardless, Maisie Matilda’s paintings make the potential of a book visible—readers gaze into little, alternate worlds.

    Take a look at some of her fore-edge paintings, and how she creates them, below:

    [h/t Scroll.in]

  • We Need Your Help:

    Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member

    Lit Hub has always brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for your contribution, you'll get an ad-free site experience, editors' picks, and our Joan Didion tote bag. Most importantly, you'll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving.