What is your favourite cover of a book ever?

[Jtolj]

Like movie album covers and movie posters, the art of encapsulating the essence of a story into an image can be breathtaking, and can serve as a grand thematic compliment to a story.

Which is the best you think? I must go with my favorite, the Catcher in the Rye.

http://www.cas.buffalo.edu/classes/eng/willbern/BestSellers/Catcher/CATCHCOV.JPG
It just is an awesome abstract picture.

[cuppajoe_9]

I love the cover of Animal Farm.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Animalfarm2.jpg
(I've read it twice in the past three days.)

I was also planing to say The Catcher in the Rye but you beat me to it.

[Idril]

I don't know if I could say they are the best covers ever but I've always really liked the covers Tolkien drew himself for his books:
http://mysite.orange.co.uk/Idrilsplace/images/5-picture1.gif http://mysite.orange.co.uk/Idrilsplace/images/5-picture4.gif http://mysite.orange.co.uk/Idrilsplace/images/5-picture5.gif

[cuppajoe_9]

Yes, that does somewhat clarify which two towers the bloke was talking about.

[Jtolj]

Why do they remake the covers? I have a new LOTR with covers that aren't nearly as good. They should just keep the awesome ones.

[Woland]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0802150594.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1122575010_.jpg


For some reason I think I've met that guy before...

[grace86]

It's funny how two of you would say Catcher in the Rye, when truth be told, I never really looked twice at that cover....hmm...

nice idea for a thread by the way.

[Woland]

Those Tolkien covers are so much better than recent covers.

[Idril]

Yes, that does somewhat clarify which two towers the bloke was talking about.

Which two towers he was talking about seems to change, even in Tolkien's own correspondence. I have his Letters and at one time, he says he likes the ambiguous title, claiming it can mean several things, another time he says he didn't like the title (He didn't pick the titles, the publishers did) because it was misleading and then another time, he said the two towers must be Orthanc and Cirith Ungol but the picture he drew shows Minas Morgul, in it's original form as Minas Ithil and Orthanc so even Tolkien himself had no idea which two towers they were talking about. :lol:



Why do they remake the covers? I have a new LOTR with covers that aren't nearly as good. They should just keep the awesome ones.

All the new covers have pictures from the movie on them, I try to avoid those if I can. I don't like book covers that have actors on them. :rolleyes:

Oh, and Woland, I love that cover of Heart of a Dog. I ordered the book through amazon and when it came I was immediately struck by that cover, by the expression of the face, the colors and of course the fact that the face was stuck on a human body...wonderful cover.

[randy]

hi to all,
beautiful pic's,so many covers available,but image selection is important,it's relavent to book content.

[Logos]

I think James Frey's cover for A Million Little Pieces has been the most striking and powerful cover I have seen in a long time, very simple and very effective.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/c7767/misc/amillionlittlepieces.jpg

[Petrarch's Love]

Gee, it's hard to choose. I judge so many books by their covers. ;)I think I have a soft spot for the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz cover because it reminds me of childhood, and it's the one first edition I own:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e386/LeonardoD/250px-Wizard_title_page.jpg

Of course, the illustrations inside are even better.

I also like the cover of the Seamus Heaney Beowulf translation because, as anyone who owns the book knows, the silver parts of the cover are raised so that you can feel the "chain mail" on the cover:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e386/LeonardoD/1565114264.jpg

Strangely enough, as I was sorting through my literary theory the other day, I was thinking that I really like the cover of Derrida's Of Grammatology. It has a deceptively constructive look about it:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e386/LeonardoD/thgrammat.gif

[Pensive]

http://www.thechildrensbookcase.com/images/book_covers/0750006285.jpg

It remained my wallpaper for quite a long time. :)

[miss tenderness]

what a nice thraed, new idea, I love it:) I'll soon bring my fav cover! wait soon...

[cuppajoe_9]

Which two towers he was talking about seems to change, even in Tolkien's own correspondence. I have his Letters and at one time, he says he likes the ambiguous title, claiming it can mean several things, another time he says he didn't like the title (He didn't pick the titles, the publishers did) because it was misleading and then another time, he said the two towers must be Orthanc and Cirith Ungol but the picture he drew shows Minas Morgul, in it's original form as Minas Ithil and Orthanc so even Tolkien himself had no idea which two towers they were talking about. :lol:

Perhaps it should have been The Three Towers, eh?

Yes, I've heard that Tolkein objected to the title of the Return of the King on the grounds that it tells you what happens at the end. He didn't know very much about book publishing at the time, but he gathered that that's bad.

My brother has a later edition of The Lord of the Rings with some very beautiful covers. I'll try to track down some pictures.

[cuppajoe_9]

Woland: "One of the very few truly great writers produced by the Soviet Union"? What are they smoking over at the Saturday Review?

[Don Ferdinand]

got an old copy of Moby Dick at home with old whaling picture on it... i like that one (i reckon there are about a million different covers though!)

did a google search, couldnt find my one

i think Penguin put some cool covers on their classics

i like St Augustines "City of God" book cover too. (old renaisance pic) http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/college/images/college_cover_cityofgod.jpg

[Woland]

Yea, I think that is a typo, it should read: "One of the very few truly great writers not killed by the Soviet Union."

But seriously, there were several excellent writers during the soviet period.

[miss tenderness]

I think James Frey's cover for A Million Little Pieces has been the most striking and powerful cover I have seen in a long time, very simple and very effective.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/c7767/misc/amillionlittlepieces.jpg

cool one,Logo:thumbs_up

here's the book which I like it's content and its cover:
http://www.br2h.com/up/uploads/82f822a4a3.jpg (http://www.br2h.com/up)
here's acloser look:
http://www.br2h.com/up/uploads/d3bc9fa79c.jpg (http://www.br2h.com/up)

[Taliesin]

Speaking of Tolkien, one can't forget this one either:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Hobbit_cover.JPG/384px-Hobbit_cover.JPG

And you can say what you want about the ugliness of the newer covers, but
this (http://www.john-howe.com/portfolio/gallery/details.php?image_id=488) one We have always liked.

[Idril]

Oh, yes! The Hobbit. Tolkien was really quite the artist. I have a book with all his drawings, pictures from LOTR, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, all his emblems and a few just random sketches and he was quite talented.

And Taliesin, I love John Howe! :thumbs_up

[Nick Rubashov]

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/covers_450/9780679405450.jpg

Simple and elegant. Leaves you wondering what adventure lays inside.

[jessezzel]

http://www.fadedgiant.net/assets/images/Salinger_j_d_catcher_rye_cover_3c.jpg

the horse kinda creeps me out. but i dig this cover alot anyways. plus the book is just great!

[Don Ferdinand]

well, its not a real book....but hows about the book with the Orion symbol ,from the film "The Never-Ending story" ?

the symbol represents infinity i think..

http://www.geocities.com/uni_midnight/obook1.jpg

[jessezzel]

i just realized the person who started this actually already put up a link for the cover i just posted (my bad). so here is the newer cover for the same great book.

http://img.timeinc.net/time/2005/100books/jackets/the_catcher_in_the_rye.jpg

personally i think both are really cool. even if this one is really simple. i think its grand.

[Eulalia]

Maybe too classic a choice on my part, but definitely the most easily recognizable cover ever.

http://www.lib.unc.edu/rbc/images/petit2.jpg


I´ve found a charming Chinese (or is it Japanese, no idea...) version:

http://www.blsh.tp.edu.tw/unit/e000/images/petit-prince.jpg


And this has never been the cover, but of all the illustrations of the book, I´ve always had a weakness for this one:

http://svr-www.eng.cam.ac.uk/~kmk/fin1.gif

[THX-1138]

the best cover ever simple and perfect for the novel's theme.

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/large_images/656/30072656.jpg

[THX-1138]

and i just love this one also one of my fav books
http://www.burburinho.com/img/nc050417.jpg

[~Maude~]

I've always liked black and white covers or sepia (I think that's the correct term) like this one. http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1448/435551372ql2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Arguendo]

http://www.lettera.com/img/libri/ID-5213.gif

The Italian edition of JT LeRoy's Harold's End.

I find clean-looking, tidy covers very appealing. This is a minor drawback for a fantasy fan, since the average fantasy cover makes me cringe...

[Nick Rubashov]

I agree with THX-1138, while reading fahrenheit 451 I would often look at the front cover and just think about what bradbury was saying. It's a great piece of artwork that shows the struggles of civilization and man within the novel.

[Annamariah]

Michelle Magorian - A Little Love Song
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0749710616.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
I like the colours and photos very much.

[Sir Bartholomew]

this is silly but here it goes.

Who says don't judge a book by its cover? An airhead celebrity here answered "Don't judge a book, cover it."

So what's your favorite book cover, something you can proudly display while reading inside a bus. Or post your own creations here.

Here's my favorite (ignore the white things on the sides

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OcxzNaeyL._SS500_.jpg

[Niamh]

I love the new covers for mary stewarts Merlin Trilogy.
This is the one for the Last Enchantment.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q268/niamhking/MaryStewart_TheLastEnchantment.jpg

[*Classic*Charm*]

Silk by Alessandro Barricco. The yellow one with the Japanese woman on the front.

Did they make a film of this novel? If so, is the novel worth reading? The film was...interesting, but I think it would be better to read than see.

[vheissu]

Did they make a film of this novel? If so, is the novel worth reading? The film was...interesting, but I think it would be better to read than see.

I haven't seen the film, but I've read the book as well (the italian copy didn't have a nice cover though...at least not that edition). The book's really short, it took me about an hour or so to read, so it's worth a try. Can't say I found it amazing though...

[vheissu]

I loved the book. Unlike the poster above, I did find it amazing, but I realize we all have different tastes. I have the DVD and I liked the film, but I thought the book was a lot better.

Let us know if you read it, okay?

I think I was expecting just a bit more....I much preferred Without Blood by Baricco. But I'm curious to see the film now! :)

[Cellomaster2238]

I think my vote for best goes to that Metamorphosis cover.

[*Classic*Charm*]

I loved the book. Unlike the poster above, I did find it amazing, but I realize we all have different tastes. I have the DVD and I liked the film, but I thought the book was a lot better.

Let us know if you read it, okay?

I have a long readng list right now, but I'm finished school tomorrow (YESSS) so reading will pick up so who knows? I'll let you know if I do:) I wans't a big fan of the film. I thought Keira Knightley was better in her role than any other aspect of it.

[johann cruyff]

http://www.knjiga-znanja.hr/Foto/naslovnice/150/86.jpg

The cover of The Death and the Dervish.This is the edition I have,and I can tell you,it is a bit disturbing looking at it.It perfectly represents the main themes of the novel though.

[kasie]

I know it's showing my age but the cover for the first English (?British) edition of Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago was a Mondrian style design of blue and yellow with a single square of red, with a grid of thick black lines - it was so distinctive and instantly recognisable that the publishers kept it for the paperback edition. (My pb copy cost me 6/- about 30p,? about 75c in 1963 - a lot of money to me in those days!)

[kelby_lake]

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/amlit/trimalchio/gg1a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/amlit/trimalchio/trimalchio2.html&h=495&w=342&sz=29&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=FLS9UjwSzwtb_M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfirst%2Bedition%2Bof%2Bgreat%2Bgatsby %26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26sa%3DG

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/d/dc/300px-Loveinacoldclimate.jpg

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0141182601.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&imgrefurl=http://strangeknight.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/a-clockwork-orange/&h=500&w=326&sz=13&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=6_pt1e_pXEE0hM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpenguin%2Bmodern%2Bclassics%26gbv%3D2 %26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26sa%3DG

I adore most of the penguin modern classics covers.

[Kafka's Crow]

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n0/n3568.jpg

Excellent book, lovely cover.

[moose gurl]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0679720200.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10740000/10746187.jpg

Excellent books, too.

[mayneverhave]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/AmericanPsychoNovel.jpg/392px-AmericanPsychoNovel.jpg

http://hepzibah.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/the-sound.jpg

The two Catcher in the Rye covers are very nice as well.

[THX-1138]

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51m39MxLQWL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU02_AA240_SH20_.jpg


2-the trial

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KQAC9CQEL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU02_AA240_SH20_.jpg

3-the idiot

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YJ8RKVF9L._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU02_AA240_SH20_.jpg

4-Ulysses

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/714E4RNW2YL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.gif

5- clockwork orange
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71S9K5KJXAL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.gif

6- The Handmaid's Tale
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417SV938KJL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

[djy78usa]

I've always enjoyed this one

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh120/bkl298/Main%20Page/The-Great-Gatsby.jpg

[*Classic*Charm*]

Me too! But it does bother me that the eyes aren't green...

[silversea]

I tend to like covers that use famous paintings. And I get really turned off by "non-covers" -- just a colored cover with the title and author. Yawn.

[JBI]

Me too! But it does bother me that the eyes aren't green...

It actually is a highly symbolic cover. If you look closely the irises of the eyes are in the shape and appearance of nude women.

[aeroport]

In general, I actually try not to look at the cover too much, and, if it's a hardback, I tend to remove the dustjacket and place it in a drawer with the others. I'm aware that this is thoroughly superstitious and fussy, but I try to think about a book strictly in terms of the text, away from any ideas that the colors or content of a cover might put in my head; plus the author apparently has next to no control over the cover in most cases...
That said, I still find Ozick's Heir... irresistably pretty:
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/Trevor87_2006/heir.jpg
(You can't tell in a photo, but it's all shiny-like.)

And this one has always made me laugh, for some reason...


4-Ulysses

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/714E4RNW2YL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.gif

[tractatus]

That said, I still find Ozick's Heir... irresistably pretty:


I like this, i d like better if it was a bit lively.

Check out this link, It could be a great cover(depending on the theme), however
much shiny for the industry.

http://risachantag.deviantart.com/art/Original-Tranquility-Animated-40567572

It has interactivity, roll over your mouse on work, though, you can notice easily.

[*Classic*Charm*]

It actually is a highly symbolic cover. If you look closely the irises of the eyes are in the shape and appearance of nude women.

I know. That's the cover of the copy I studied.:) I still think they should be green.:D