We know it well: you should never judge a book by its cover — but when it comes to a book published by Iperborea, it’s very, very hard not to.
When Iperborea was founded in 1987 by Emilia Lodigiani, the goal was to introduce Northern European literature to Italy, through beautiful stories told within unmistakable books. Since then, alongside the publisher’s main series, Gli Iperborei, many others have been added — all characterized not only by careful editorial curation, but also by a strong and recognizable aesthetic identity.
Gli Iperborei stand out for their distinctive format — later known as the Iperborea format — measuring 10 × 20 cm, easy to hold in one hand or slip into a coat pocket, and for their covers made with laid paper. It’s no coincidence that in 2017, to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the publishing house launched the series Luci using the same format, but with covers entirely in black and white.
In 2018, The Passenger was launched — a book-magazine dedicated each time to a different place in the world (and of the heart), from Tokyo to Venice, from the Ocean to the Arctic, which is the focus of the latest issue. In recent years, the series COSE Spiegate bene has also gained wide popularity, offering in-depth articles created in collaboration with Il Post.
In short, many different series, all sharing a common denominator: beautifully illustrated covers.
The high-quality stories — including classics and Nobel Prize winners — are all represented through illustrations that often place nature at the center of the composition, whether snowy fields, pink-hued skies, or bodies of water that evoke the Arctic climate. Over the years, many artists have collaborated with Iperborea, some of them well established, with past collaborations with major brands and editorial publications. Notable names include Toni Demuro, Alice Beniero, Emiliano Ponzi, and Iker Ayestaran, who illustrated the covers of cult Finnish author Arto Paasilinna for Iperborea, an author admired worldwide.
If you walk into a bookstore without knowing what to read, without even an idea of which story to begin, in some cases letting yourself be guided by the cover might not be such a bad idea.
Read also: Tom Adams and the mysterious illustrated covers of Agatha Christie
