Beautiful Book Covers

The title says it all. ;) I follow several book-related Tumblr blogs and though I'd share some of the pretty covers I see over there. Like these ones:



Aren't they gorgeous? You can find more info here.

Yes, they are very nice. And a great idea for a thread, too. I hope others will post some of their favorites.

Ohh, I really like those covers. Lovely.

I love the covers of the Twilight series, even though I've never read them.

I really, really like the cover of 1Q84's hardback edition. How the dustjacket lines up with the printed photo on the cover itself. And then the colorful title on the spine. The only thing that saddens me is the fact that the dustjacket is such a delicate paper that it's started to tear around the edges. And also, since I removed it so I wouldn't damage it when reading the book, the book's face itself has soiled a bit... (Would this classify as a first world grievance?) :(

Kinuko Craft is my favourite. I just love her covers:
htt

I love John Howe's artwork for Robin Hobb's books, particularly The Mad Ship:

Nice thread! I have some good ones, too.
How do I add pics to my post?

I love this cover for Scott Lynch's upcoming book Republic of Thieves

Also, this version of Gardens of the Moon

>5, 6: Those are some of my favourites too. I'll buy pretty much anything with a Kinuko Craft cover.

#7 Ennas: Just Google the image you want, copy the image URL and then insert it here like this:

(img src="imageurl.jpg"/)

Just be sure to use angle brackets instead of round parenthesis -- ( and ).

You can find this and more info on this topic: How to do fancy things in your posts.

Oh, Severn, those are gorgeous!

YA book covers are more designed to shock than impress the reader with beauty. Two covers over the years have really stopped me in my tracks:



and



The first time I saw this cover I thought it was just a black hoodie being zippered up (every other student on this campus wears a black hoodie). Then I realized it was a body bag. It sat me back in my chair!

Thanks, Delirium!

Some of my favorites:







And I think a topic with ugly covers would be interesting, too. :-)

Sorry pardon, but one of my favourites is one of my own. I think Elizma Fouché (the designer) did me a brilliant favour with this one:

Oh, that's lovely, Hugh! I adore maps and all things map-related and old-timey illustrations like that... :)

This one isn't exactly beautiful as it is clever. The cover alludes to the fact that the book covers subjects such as synesthesia and other quirky brain phenomena:

#5

Again, a sign that taste is in the beholder. These covers are too busy! i'd avoid the books.

#16 gilroy
Exactly. That's why there's a "Beautiful Book Covers" thread and a complementary "Ugly Book Covers" thread. So everyone can post whatever covers they themselves, individually, think are either beautiful or ugly.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," or as we say in Spanish "Para los gustos, los colores" (there is a color for every taste).

;)

I've certainly noticed trends in covers. One of the recent ones (for fantasy) is like the first one Ennas posted - a white background with an ornate object in the foreground (or a shapely person) and a wispy, ghostish design in the background, usually in luscious, dark colours.

That's not to say it isn't pretty - it works well! I've just noticed it being very common recently. Like epic, highly detailed ones like Severn's post in the early 90s was common then. The SF ones of the 50s to 70s are fun too!

This cover is what got me into fantasy originally:


Cant remember how well it realtes to the story, but I still love it - so pretty :)

:)

Apparently, this is just an art project and not actual covers of books for sale, but aren't they pretty? Just click on the picture to see more info on other covers.

Wow!

@16 - not that I mind that you don't like the covers...but ...you'd avoid the books entirely just because of their covers?

Interesting.

#23 And that's where the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover." ;P~

I can understand to a degree. There are some styles of cover that will turn me off a book, because it's a cover that turns up on a book aimed at a particular demographic, and I'll be very wary of reading anything aimed at some demographics. A topless muscleman with flowing locks and a half-naked pouting woman on a cover will generally tell me that it's not the sort of book I'm going to like.

A topless muscleman with flowing locks and a half-naked pouting woman on a cover will generally tell me that it's not the sort of book I'm going to like.

I avoid those books like the plague. I don't care how good it is supposed to be. No way, no how.

I, too, judge books by covers; but really, since I've joined LT I very seldom go shopping for books according to book covers. I shop according to reputation, reviews, authors, or if it is part of a group read. Some older science fiction books have some amazingly bad covers and yet are very good reads!

These James Bond covers are simply gorgeous. (Click on the image for more.)

Here's a taste -- my favorite because it's purple ;)

Sweet!

#31 Hmmm... spam much?

Not exactly covers as spines, but aren't they soooo pretty? :)

Those are really, really pretty. I'd love to have them. And I like reading those, too.

Me too :)

And these, I really need to get started on these:

#32 - I want!!!!

#34 - ???

Seanie: sorry, you must have posted that right when I was trying to fix the image. It's now fixed. ;)

28: Those Bond covers are amazing.

34: I love the simplicity of these, with the family crest animal only. Where did you find them?

#37
I follow several book blogs on Tumblr, so I got the pictures from one of them, can't remember which one, sorrry! :(

Gorgeous hardcovers/hardbacks:

#39 *wants them all*

Call me weird, but I like this one:



and this one:

You're not weird, those are beautiful (and cool)!

I especially like the steampunk vibe of the last one.

I love (32) and (39).

I have never read the (color) fairy books...just Grimm's and Anderson's. I guess I am deprived...

There's a TED talk about cover design, including the 1Q84 cover:
Chip Kidd: Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is.

39: I love this Leatherbound series from Barnes & Nobles.

I was going to post a picture of the ones I currently have, beat me to it. I think they look really nice on the shelf, of which I already have six of them.

#45 Oh, right, B&N! *facepalm* I totally forgot that's where I got my leatherbound copy of The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll. That's the only one I have, though... so far. :D I don't live in the US, and there's no B&N where I live. But next time I visit my aunt in Miami I'm so going in to get more of these. I could order them online, but the shipping costs for those heavy books would be kind of on the expensive side...

#44 Thanks! *bookmarks link*