George Saunders | Tenth of December

»Nobody writes like George Saunders. He has cultivated a genuinely original voice, one that is hilarious and profound, tender and monstrous, otherworldly and deeply familiar, much like the American psyche itself. With each of these stories, you feel in the hands of a master – because you are.« New York Times

Our choice
Tenth of December by George Saunders is the first collection of short stories we’re adding to our library — and we couldn’t have wished for a better title. The rave reviews? All true. 
Not just about the craftsmanship of his short stories—that’s only one layer, but he’s everything you want in an author: witty, surprising, mind-bending, and deeply compassionate—not only toward individual lives but also the society we all share.

About the design
As the tenth edition in our collection, this is a milestone for us. Susanna approached the jacket design first by exploring optical illusions, where things are not what they appear to be. With a sharp, deliberate eye, she selected patterns and color, evoking shifting perspectives: three-dimensional waves resting on a contrast of blue-green linen, complemented by pistachio colored endpapers. 

It was Erik, our typographer, who first saw the chance to push design boundaries much like Saunders pushes narrative. Yet he quickly realised that Saunders’ boldness always serves the story and honours literary craft. He chose Filosophia, a typeface designed by Czech-American type designer Zuzana Licko, for the body text—based on Bodoni, classic, refined, and perfect. Still, the temptation proved irresistible, and Erik opened his “dirty fonts” folder. All chapter headings are now set in wildly different, playful fonts, creating delightful contrasts that capture Saunders’ spirit.

About the author
George Saunders was born in 1958 in Amarillo, Texas, and raised in Oak Forest, Illinois. His stories have appeared regularly in The New Yorker since 1992. His short story collection Tenth of December was a finalist for the National Book Award and won the inaugural Folio Prize in 2013 (for the best work of fiction in English) as well as the Story Prize (for best short story collection). 
Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for best work of fiction in English, was also a finalist for the Golden Man Booker, in which one Booker winner was selected to represent each decade from the fifty years since the prize’s inception. In 2013, he was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine. 

Printed in green ink with matching green sewn binding.