This is a fantastic book for anyone who loves children's books, but also for those interested in style and design throughout the 20th century. It charts the evolution of Puffin's image from 1940 to the present, and spares no expense on the quality and number of images reproduced. However, it is not really a gallery of all your favourite cover art - rather, the book is a survey of cover styles, with a generous selection of examples from each period. Phil Baines provides a sometimes critical commentary on the innovations made, and how well he believes they worked in terms of graphic design. The contents of the books illustrated are not discussed, beyond identifying whether they are fiction or not.

It was fascinating to me to see the beautiful covers from the very first Puffins - way before my time, and which I have never seen even second hand. As the designs became more familiar to me from my own library, there were plenty that brought back memories, and some that made me cringe! The teen imprints, Peacock Books and Puffin Plus, are also discussed, as are plenty of Picture Puffins.

This would make a great gift for a book lover or for someone interested in graphic design history. This was published to celebrate Puffin's 70th birthday, but it is we who have received a lovely gift! ( )