Asterios Polyp grew out of a story idea that would have filled the entire fourth issue of Rubber Blanket.[3]
It was published as a hardcover, with an architectonic design that alluded to themes of form and function within the text, including a dust jacket shorter than the size of the book that revealed the structure underneath. Questioned about the impracticality of his design, Mazzucchelli joked that it was "the most frustrating package [I] could come up with".[4]
