In 1964-65 Penguin published two sets of ten Georges Simenon novels. Penguin and Simenon have had a long association dating back to 1950 and culminating in the recent publication of all 75 Maigret novels in new translations.
The designer of these 1960s covers was Denise York who had previously rebranded the Penguin Plays list in an assertively modernist design which I have posted about here. Unfortunately, she seems to have disappeared from history, at least on the internet and it would be interesting to see what else her career offered us.
The Marber grid was used on the covers, along with atmospheric collages of Paris made from black & white photos of Paris. Simenon’s dark take on human nature practically demands monochrome. The photographs were taken by Denise York herself plus two of the most notable figures of the French nouvelle vague cinema of the 1960s: Alain Resnais, director of Last Year at Marienbad (1961) and Chris Marker, director of La Jetée (1962).
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The Maigrets have their own heading at the top, ‘A Penguin Maigret’, which is a measure of their popularity following the excellent BBC television series featuring the Rupert Davies as Inspector Maigret. As further branding, each cover features a bronze plaque with the name Maigret – presumably from his (fictional) apartment on the Avenue Richard Lenoir.
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The year before, designer Alan Spain created covers for the Ed McBain series of New York police novels. His and Denise York’s collages share a gritty urban look, the visual elements crowded together, making the respective cities the real subject. In the bookshops of the early sixties they must have looked modern.
The Penguin Collectors Society in 2015 published Maigret and the Penguin Books, a comprehensive guide including a detailed bibliography, summary of the publishing history with numerous illustrations, and an introduction by the author Julian Barnes.
PENGUIN SERIES DESIGN 