By Kavita Mistry 
What makes a classic a classic? Many of what we consider classics today seemed out of place when they were first published. Some books are assigned the title “classic” long after the fact, and some are deemed “instant classics.” Our interactions with so-called classics—the ways we discuss, teach, and package works of significance—define them and keep them alive. Publishers play a crucial part in this process, and some go the extra mile when it comes to shedding new light on old books, introducing underappreciated writing to a modern audience, or simply creating beautiful updated editions. Below are some imprints and series focusing on established, overlooked, and freshly dubbed classics bound (no pun intended) to get you excited about rediscovering old favorites or discovering new ones for the first time.
Penguin Random House publishes a wide variety of classic books with quality supplemental material, including the beloved Penguin Classics, reader favorites and solid go-tos if you find wading through all the different classics imprints out there overwhelming. Among recent releases are a new collectible edition of Virginia Woolf’s iconic feminist work A Room of One’s Own with an intro by Xochitl Gonzalez and a translation by Julia Lovell of Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West, known as one of China’s great classical novels.
Another excellent classics line under the PRH umbrella is the Modern Library Torchbearers series, featuring “women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance” and tasteful contemporary cover art. Set to publish soon is a new edition of Plum Bun by the Harlem Renaissance writer and editor Jessie Redmon Fauset, whom our First Impressions reviewers loved reading about in Victoria Christopher Murray’s historical novel Harlem Rhapsody. This iteration of Fauset’s novel includes an intro from Glory Edim, author and founder of Well-Read Black Girl. Within the series are many other tantalizing pairings of modern writer commentary with both popular and overlooked classics, such as Carmen Maria Machado introducing Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, C Pam Zhang introducing Mrs. Spring Fragrance by Sui Sin Far, and Layli Long Soldier introducing American Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa.
Smith & Taylor Classics is a relatively new imprint of Unnamed Press co-founded by editors Allison Smith and Brandon Taylor that “seeks to reintroduce titles that pushed the boundaries of their time, and whose themes continue to resonate today.” While relatively limited in scope so far, Smith & Taylor notably focuses on engagement with literature. Each title features an accompanying discussion between two readers with literary expertise (for example, writers or critics), along with unique and striking aesthetics. This gives the editions the feel of being a relevant part of current conversations and makes them great starter fuel for book clubs. Publications so far include Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Edith Wharton’s “oft-forgotten novel of modern motherhood” Twilight Sleep.
New York Review Books Classics, the oldest imprint of New York Review Books, is one of the best-known names in the game of reissuing classics with recognizable and intentional branding. It’s difficult not to want to collect all their paperbacks, or at least a couple of shelves’ worth. NYRB Classics has a significant international focus and a history of publishing titles first written in languages other than English, such as Rumi’s Water in a recent translation from Haleh Liza Gafori. Another release from this year is a new collection of work by the acclaimed short story writer Mavis Gallant.
Pushkin Press Classics offers a smallish curated collection with a broad range, including both newer and older literature, as well as books originally published in English and books in translation. Here, you can find fresh editions of works by world-famous figures like Nikolai Gogol and Rainer Maria Rilke alongside important historical writing that may be less well-known to American readers, like Alba de Céspedes’ Her Side of the Story (with an afterword by Elena Ferrante). Jhumpa Lahiri has referred to Céspedes as “One of Italy’s most cosmopolitan, incendiary, insightful, and overlooked writers.”