Latest Book Obsession: Harper Perennial Olive Editions

I don't mind admitting that I'm a total sucker for pretty books, especially when it comes to classic editions. Usually I just buy a couple here and there from various different collections such as Penguin Drop Caps, Penguin Clothbound Classics, Folio Society, and Harper Perennial Modern Classics, just to name a few. Then in June, I came across an Instagram account that had a shelf filled with Harper Perennial Olive Editions and I was immediately obsessed.

In case you didn't know, the Olive Editions release a new set of covers each year and the books are a mix of classic and modern bestselling novels depending on the theme. The covers are usually illustrated, which is a look I adore, but what I love most are the spines. Those striped spines look beautiful together on a shelf and when I saw them, I knew I wanted to start buying them.

Which I did, a day later.

Turns out, these books are hard to come by since they're a limited release each year. I skipped over 2019 because I didn't like the red and black color scheme, so I focused on the 2018 set instead. Any year before that was impossible to find anyway. But luckily, I was able to find all of the 2018 books. At the time, I didn't see any on Amazon so I relied on a mix of Book Depository and Abe Books to find them all. And this is one of those times where my impulsive buying was totally worth it! Plus I plan to buy some (but not all) of the 2020 books once they're released in October.

 

But looking at the Olive Editions made me evaluate the random classics I owned because I realized I loved having a "complete" set, or at least, a fuller one. I ended up culling all my Penguin Clothbound ones (I only had 3) and I decided that I'm pretty much good with my Penguin Drop Caps as well (I have the books I've read and loved plus the letter R; once I get the letter "D" to complete my initials, I'll be set). I'm keeping the rest I have for now since I bought them for the book (for example, Anne of Green Gables and A Wrinkle in Time) and not so much the edition it happened to be. But from now on, I'm going to focus on the Olive ones and hopefully one day I can have a whole shelf dedicated to them too! 

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Are there are any editions you're obsessed with?
I'd love to hear what they are!