Sexy, punning, gloriously pulpy revamps of literary classics
Oldcastle Books has repackaged classics of the canon as racy pulp fiction. The garish colours, faux-tattered paper, dangling cigarettes and smouldering stares add up to an excellent imitation of the covers that sold popular, naughty novels of the 1950s and 60s.
But sexy as these pulped classics are, the winning ingredient is the tagline puns. Cheap in a literary way, and (sort of) rewarding prior reading, you can’t fault the fun here. Slutty Tess is “No Angel…”, while with Gatsby flagged by babes, we’re reminded that “When it came to loving… He knew which Daisy to pick!” Pride and Prejudice simply cautions readers: “Lock up your daughters… Darcy’s in Town!” You can’t call the book dead when it gets your heart pulsating like this.