Apiqoros
The Last Essays of Salomon Maimon
by Timothy Sean Quinn
CLIENT: Hebrew Union College Press, Academic Press
YEAR: 2021
YEAR: 2021
Conceptualized and designed book cover, designed template for the book interior, typeset the book
BRIEF: This book is about a philosopher named Salomon Maimon from the 18th century. The publisher made some great suggestions about images for the cover, including a historical essay page of Maimon’s writings and/or his portrait. But I was also free to do some more of my research and design an appropriate cover for this book.
I started my research by reading the manuscript. Maimon’s life was not only influenced by a lot of contemporary philosophers but also by various relocations to different cities throughout his life. One of those cities that he had hoped to be his city of opportunities was Berlin.
Next, I did some historical research. I went to the national library to look through old 18th-century paintings. I looked up old Berlin maps and other images related to this period. I even took several strolls through the city and took some photos for reference. In the end, I found the perfect fit. An 18th-century artist who lived and worked in Berlin at the time, Maimon resided there.
About the title font: The classic-looking and round title font, Worthington Arcade, was initially chosen (for another Apiqoros cover draft) to complement the Fraktur font used in a historical Maimon essay page. Ultimately, the font suited the image of the 18th-century artist Rosenberg very well.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: This volume makes available in English for the first time the last essays of the extraordinary philosopher, Salomon Maimon (1753-1800), one of Kant’s most important interlocutors, and the founder of post-Kantian Jewish philosophy. In this valuable collection, we see Maimon reflecting with his well-known acuity on the nature and grounds of morality, in conversation with Kant and, as always, with Maimonides, even when he stands in the shadows. Timothy Sean Quinn has made an important contribution, and this volume will be essential reading for anyone who is interested in ethics, especially but not only Kantian ethics, and Jewish philosophy.
—Paul Franks, Professor of Philosophy and Judaic Studies, Religious Studies, and Germanic Languages and Literatures, at Yale University
Tools used: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign
