University Park, PA -- "Smart Books, Smart Design," an exhibition spotlighting the contributions of design and production to scholarly publishing, is on display March 19 through May 3, 2002, in the Diversity Studies Room, 109 Pattee Library. It showcases books and journals from Penn State Press along with award-winners in the 2001 Book, Jacket, and Journal Show sponsored by the Association of American University Presses (AAUP).

The book show will feature a lecture by Chip Kidd, celebrated book designer and author, on April 4, 2002, at 5:30 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library. His presentation will feature a reading from his debut novel The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters, a portrait of the designer as a young man at a not-so-anonymous "State U." Local readers will immediately recognize Penn State and the State College community.

Kidd, a Penn State alumnus ('86), will sign copies of The Cheese Monkeys following the talk. His other books include the recently released Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz and Jack Cole and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits, as well as Superman: The Complete History and Batman Collected.

The lecture is sponsored by the Penn State Press, the University Libraries, and the Graphic Design program, School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture. For more information call, 814-865-1327.