It's not often, but there are times when you see something that is so striking, so elegantly beautiful, that it takes your breath away. It hasn't happened to me in a very long time. But, yesterday, there it was – a Tumblr post of a new series of book covers from Penguin Books.

A colleague pointed me to this site, and there it was: drop to your knees, gorgeous typographic design from Jessica Hische and the very design savvy folks at Penguin Books. The two were previewing a new series that appear to be reissues of classic novels: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Brontë's Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, etc., each with cover art that is an extraordinary "drop cap" (technically, an initial letter – but no matter) drawn by Hische. If you love books, or type – or just things that are extraordinarily beautiful, this is a treat that you should not miss.

Allan Haley is Director of Words & Letters at Monotype Imaging. Here he is responsible for strategic planning and creative implementation of just about everything related to typeface designs.