Modern Masters

                                                       

                                                 

Although this is exactly the type of "beginner's guide to thinker X" book I would have devoured as a young hungry mind, I don't think I ever actually read a single one of the Fontana Modern Masters series. But I sure remember these alluring covers - particularly the orange-y hued ones. 

Is it just me or is there a sly hint of the swastika to this Nietzsche cover?

Not sure if Robert Conquest would be the first person that would spring to mind as the fellow to do a balanced consideration of Lenin... 

Written and edited by Frank Kermode

As I scoured the internet for Modern Masters, was surprised to see the series extended to the French  deconstruction / post-structuralist / critical theory crew. I associate them lot with the Eighties, and Fontana Modern Masters feels very Seventies to me,

Then they went and spoiled it with a design overhaul.

tape heads

                                       

strictly for heads

                                            

                                            


                                          


                                               

                                             

I have the first two records in this post and covet the rest of them. They were released in the early Seventies through Orphic Egg, a sub label launched by London Records (I think only in America; certainly I've only ever seen copies floating around - dirt cheap - over here) in hopes of turning the younger generation onto classical music. This was attempted via the spectacularly misconceived strategy of packaging the records in trippy / proggy covers, and the possibly slightly less misconceived strategy of commissioning rock critics to write the liner notes. So you get exuberant appreciations of Stravinsky and Debussy and so forth penned by the illustrious likes of Lester Bangs and other name writers of the era like Dave Marsh and Ed Ward, who do their manful best to translate the appeal of the great composers into terms that would engage rock fans.

Warehouse Coats

Stuck for xmas pressie ideas?  Try the Kennedy's building supplies catalogue, circa I-don't-know, but I'm guessing 1979 given the Mark E Smith clone up there (or that could be David Yow in pic 6).