My Antonia

It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with "Penguin Drop Caps", a new series of twenty-six collectable hardcover editions with a gorgeous type cover for each letter of the alphabet. Featuring lettering by Jessica Hische, a superstar in the world of type and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson's films to Penguin's own bestsellers, "Penguin Drop Caps" debut with an A for Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", a B for Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", and a C for Willa Cather's "My Antonia". C is for Cather. "My Antonia" is considered one of the most significant American novels of the twentieth century. Set during the great migration west to settle the plains of the North American continent, the narrative follows Antonia Shimerda, a pioneer who comes to Nebraska as a child and grows with the country, inspiring a childhood friend, Jim Burden, to write her life story. The novel is important both for its literary aesthetic and as a portrayal of important aspects of American social ideals and history, particularly the centrality of migration to American culture. Willa Cather was born in Virginia in 1873 and raised on a Nebraska ranch. Known for her beautifully evocative short stories and novels about the American West, Cather became the managing editor for McClure's Magazine in 1906 and lived for forty years in New York City with her companion Edith Lewis. In 1922 Cather won the Pulitzer Prize for "One of Ours", the story of a Western boy in World War I. In 1933 she was awarded the Prix Femina Americaine "for distinguished literary accomplishments." She died in 1947. Jessica Hische is a letterer, illustrator, typographer, and web designer. She currently serves on the Type Directors Club board of directors, has been named a "Forbes Magazine" "30 under 30" in art and design as well as an ADC Young Gun and one of "Print" Magazine's "New Visual Artists". She has designed for Wes Anderson, McSweeney's, Tiffany & Co, Penguin Books and many others. She resides primarily in San Francisco, occasionally in Brooklyn, and can otherwise be found in airplanes en route to speaking engagements.