Sirius by Olaf Stapledon

Sirius, a novel by English writer Olaf Stapledon, was originally published under the title Sirius: A Fantasy of Love and Discord in 1944. The story tells the tale of a dog, Sirius, who struggles because of his human-like intelligence.

Stapledon, who had a PhD in philosophy, began writing novels because he believed it would allow him to present his ideas to a wider audience. Many of his stories revolve around protagonists that struggle to manage the conflict between their base instincts and higher impulses. Writers like Arthur C. Clarke, C.S. Lewis, and Stanisław Lem have cited Stapledon as a major influence.

This version of the book was published by Penguin Books in 1972. This is Penguin’s second edition of Sirius, and it was released alongside several other Stapledon titles. All of these editions feature covers by artist David Pelham.

Pelham was the art director at Penguin Books from 1968 to 1979, and he created a number of covers during this time. Many authors, including J.G. Ballard, loved Pelham’s conceptual style and often insisted that he create covers for their Penguin publications. One of Pelham’s best-known works is his distinctive cover for the 1972 edition of A Clockwork Orange.

After Pelham left Penguin, he began creating pop-up books, including children’s books like Say Cheese! andSam’s Sandwich. He also worked with Pentagram Design to create innovative and educational pop-up books like the anatomy book The Human Body.