Columbia Publishing Course Book Covers

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During my time at the Columbia Publishing Course I was selected to be the Design Director of a fictional publishing house. My publishing house, One Train Press, came up with six finalized book ideas for which I designed covers. These covers were created over the course of four days with much advice from a team of publishing professionals.

The orthodox Jewish community has always defined God as elusive and intangible. But when 24 year-old Hamilton Morris, Vice’s drug critic, walked into a room full of Hasidic young adults in the throes of LSD rapture, it was his most profound trip yet.
Intrigued by this sight, Morris soon learns the motivation behind the “Magic Jews,” a group of Hasids who attribute their definitive understanding of God to the use of psychoactive drugs. Although a lapsed Jew, Morris immerses himself in this religious experience. Through his yearlong encounter with Aaron and Hershel, two young Hasids within this subculture, Morris discovers that rigid tradition often drives away those who seek spiritual fulfilment. Yet though these Hasidic rebels hazily commune in an “impossibly strange version of paradise,” their community is not carefree. Morris paints a disturbing portrait of the darker side of their lifestyle: how Aaron transitioned straight back into the psychedelic circuit even after a close friend overdosed.
Gateway to God is an eye-opening account of a highly unlikely yet strangely engrossing religious subculture. In it, Morris conveys the power of taking religious enlightenment into one’s own hands—even if it means losing your life and mind in the process.

In 1989 when the Berlin wall fell, many Europeans saw it as the dawn of a golden age of European unity. Yet according to one of our most renowned historians, that promise of unity will never be realized. Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, European economic unity remains a myth. The only country standing strong is Germany, while Italy, Greece, and Spain are plagued by riots and debt. In Disunion, Ferguson calls for the disintegration of the European Union before the the fall of the euro can cause wider economic disaster. With the insight of an acclaimed historian, this fascinating perspective proves that the European Union is a union only in name and warns readers that the economic struggles in Europe could and most probably will negatively affect the American economy in the years to come, if the EU is not disbanded.

When a firebomb was thrown at her office in March of 2012--an attack which was widely believed to be connected to her staunch support of Planned Parenthood--Texas State Senator Wendy Davis wasn’t deterred. A year later, she bravely led a 13-hour filibuster against a Republican statewide proposal to ban abortions. We have admired her strength, yet we know little about her story and how it fuels the beliefs she valiantly upholds. In her memoir, One Woman Standing, Davis tells of the journey that lead to her stand in pink sneakers, connecting her struggle to the larger feminist movement and contextualizing it within the longer history of abortion legislation and clinic bombings. In the defining book on twenty-first century reproductive feminism, Davis inspires and rallies, stating emphatically that though battles may be won, the war is far from over.

Known as the NBA’s most intellectual and strategic player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and NBA All-Star Jason Kidd was dubbed the “second coach on the court.” From his childhood in Oakland through his rise in competitive basketball, Kidd evolved as a point guard and as a person.
Growing up as the product of an interracial marriage, Kidd struggled with his cultural identity until his extraordinary athletic abilities gave him a sense of purpose and belonging. In his teen years, he was forced to choose between soccer and basketball—a decision that would end up defining his life. Throughout his twenty-year career, Kidd experienced soaring highs: the hard-won victory of America’s “Redeem Team” at the 2004 Olympics, his close relationship with coach and mentor Larry Brown, and his work with underprivileged youths. But he also had some crushing lows: the Nets’s loss to the LA Lakers team that included his rivals Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the media frenzy surrounding his stormy marriage. Here, Kidd revisits the ups and downs of his life on and off the court in fascinating detail.
When Jason Kidd heard the buzzer signaling the end of his last NBA game in 2013, he had only one thought: What next? After a brilliant basketball career that spanned two decades, Kidd couldn’t imagine what the next chapter of his life would bring. But only three days after he walked off the court to retirement, Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in an unprecedentedly quick transition that shocked fans and players alike. In this fast-paced and straight-talking memoir, Kidd recalls his journey from starry-eyed novice to seasoned professional.

When Princeton undergraduate Amy Cuddy woke up after a devastating car accident, she was catatonic. Her dreams of a promising academic career, and even her sense of identity, had been destroyed.
Refusing to accept this fate, Cuddy pushed herself to regain what she had lost. Relearning to walk and talk was the easy part. The challenge was rebuilding her self-confidence. Her breakthrough realization was that body language is the key--not only to self-esteem, but also to how others see us. She found that, “when we think of non-verbals, we think of how we judge others. We tend to forget, though, the other audience that’s influenced by our nonverbals—ourselves.” Cuddy visualized a healthier, fully functional version of herself and brought that vision to life.
As a classically trained dancer, Cuddy had always appreciated the power of movement. But now she drew on physical dynamics to change her body chemistry and trick her brain. She found that simple tweaks in body language and posture had a profound effect on the brain’s production of chemicals such as testosterone and cortisol, boosting confidence and reducing stress in a way that helped her triumph over personal setbacks and revolutionize her life.
Twenty years after her life-changing accident, Cuddy is a professor at Harvard Business School, renowned social psychologist, and presenter of a much-lauded TED Talk. In this revelatory account, Cuddy shares the wisdom and science behind methods that can help us all, urging readers: “Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.”

From renowned celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez of Chopped and Iron Chef comes a hot, colorful little book of Mexican street food. In the spirit of his first cookbook La Comida del BarrioI, and inspired by the flavors of his new downtown taco restaurant Tacombia, Sanchez now presents quick, delicious recipes straight from the streets of Mexico to your kitchen at home. This cookbook is a delicious representation of the prominence and appeal of Latin American flavors in US food.

Prospectus Cover