# Favorite book covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281 "2009-03-04T16:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/21 "2009-03-04T23:05:34Z")
I removed two links from your post, **CalMeacham** - you may have used the wrong URL, or the host of the imagine may have blocked hotlinking. Not sure which. Either way, the image you wanted wasn’t displaying. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/22 "2009-03-04T23:18:40Z")
Great idea for a thread! This is more of an appreciation of the dust jacket(s), but the hardcover edition of Michael Chabon’s [Maps and Legends](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9781932416893) has three different-sized and die-cut wraparound covers that fit very nicely on top of each other (the blue fits on top of the green, which fits on top of the brown) to make the overall design. Each of the covers has representations of characters or themes discussed in Chabon’s essays contained within the book. Most of the copies I’ve seen in stores have been shrinkwrapped. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/23 "2009-03-04T23:28:22Z")
Michael Wheland’s cover for **Foundations Edge**. [http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.html&usg=\_\_7p59e-vtTrK8v-271eo4co9wwkc=&h=683&w=503&sz=148&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=yl09l8KHDf05sM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3DfoundaTIONS%2BEDGE%2BWHELAND%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26ie%3DUTF-8](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.html&usg=__7p59e-vtTrK8v-271eo4co9wwkc=&h=683&w=503&sz=148&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=yl09l8KHDf05sM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3DfoundaTIONS%2BEDGE%2BWHELAND%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26ie%3DUTF-8) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/24 "2009-03-05T00:06:00Z")
Try this one for **Bored of the Rings** , then: > **[Bored of the Rings](https://ringlord.com/people/walrus/lotr/botr.html)** > > Udo's \`\`Bored of the Rings'' page about Harvard Lampoon's Parody of Tolkien's \`\`Lord of The Rings'' You can go from a link there to the original poster, too ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/25 "2009-03-05T01:45:43Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Michael Wheland’s cover for **Foundations Edge**. > > [Google Image Result](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/edgew.html&usg=__7p59e-vtTrK8v-271eo4co9wwkc=&h=683&w=503&sz=148&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=yl09l8KHDf05sM:&tbnh=139&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3DfoundaTIONS%2BEDGE%2BWHELAND%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26ie%3DUTF-8) Yes indeed! And all the more so because that series of covers shows Trantor slowly falling into ruins over centuries. The two earlier ones: [http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/found1.jpg](http://www.slawcio.com/foundation/found1.jpg) [http://www.michaelwhelan.com/catalog/images/large\_arkady.jpg](http://www.michaelwhelan.com/catalog/images/large_arkady.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/26 "2009-03-05T02:25:58Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > (…) > > The cover of the English translation of **Battle Royale** really struck me when I picked it up. I like the subtle details of the bombs and the gun between the girl and boy. [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/battleroyalecover.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/battleroyalecover.jpg) > (…) > I dig the clean, pop art colors on this edition of **A Clockwork Orange**. > [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/orangecover.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/orangecover.jpg) > > And, lastly, this book of short stories by Pierre Boulle (author of Planet of the Apes) grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it. The strange figures, the general air of menace - works for me. > [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/timeoutofmind.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/timeoutofmind.jpg) > > If you like cover art and the design skills behind it, I have to suggest the Caustic Cover Critic blog. > [http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/](http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/) Some nice ones, and the Caustic Cover site was also very nice. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/27 "2009-03-05T11:48:12Z")
The original cover to John Christopher’s [_The White Mountains_](http://www.thetripods.org/media/images/books/white1.jpg)…as well as a [later cover to the same book](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/04/d2/2d29810ae7a08ff952f7b110.L.jpg), done in a completely different art style, and a different focus on the subject of the picture. What can I say? And the cover to [The Martian Chronicles](http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/%7B55F65F5F-6A97-4F49-8BE5-31CD8C8535C3%7DImg100.jpg), too, of course. Though it doesn’t do it justice not to show the illustration as continued to the back cover. Though to be honest, I’m not sure if it’s the art itself (which is still gorgeous), or the heartwarming old memories of when I first got the book which are making the most impression. Maybe both. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/28 "2009-03-05T13:09:43Z")
[Elbow Room’s](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/Sa8LOIGd6yI/AAAAAAAAEec/iIF2_XUu90k/s1600-h/yellow2.jpg) cover is pretty amusing. (The link comes from **filling pages** above linky to caustic cover art thing. ( very cool! ) [The book of lost things](http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B0018SY6BW/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link) has an especially pleasing cover to me. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/29 "2009-03-05T13:13:38Z")
[Lookee at this!](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/SZ4MRaeJV1I/AAAAAAAAETc/Xd_TOafPeM8/s1600-h/00+morris.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/30 "2009-03-05T13:43:46Z")
[Poems for life](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/SZ4SG637KpI/AAAAAAAAEVU/gKw4UA-8zXg/s1600-h/poemslife.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/31 "2009-03-05T13:50:45Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > [Lookee at this!](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hvV0JHPYX_I/SZ4MRaeJV1I/AAAAAAAAETc/Xd_TOafPeM8/s1600-h/00+morris.jpg) That’s from the Kelmscott Chaucer? Or, at least, was designed by William Morris, who did the KC. He did gorgeous work, didn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/32 "2009-03-05T14:22:26Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > …And the cover to [The Martian Chronicles](http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/%7B55F65F5F-6A97-4F49-8BE5-31CD8C8535C3%7DImg100.jpg), too, of course. Though it doesn’t do it justice not to show the illustration as continued to the back cover… Yes!!! I’d forgotten that. One of the best unions of image to text I’ve ever seen in sf. Here’s the whole thing: [http://www.michaelwhelan.com/catalog/images/large\_descent1.jpg](http://www.michaelwhelan.com/catalog/images/large_descent1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/33 "2009-03-05T14:51:59Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > Great idea for a thread! [Not](http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/bn/board/message?board.id=fsf&thread.id=5909&jump=true)[mine](http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/bn/board/message?board.id=vpttn&thread.id=12021&jump=true). ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/34 "2009-03-05T15:01:13Z")
I like some of the covers as shown on [this page](http://www.prosekant.wdr.cz/katalog.php), especially the avantgarde stuff such as items around 6560. But this catalogue is a bit disappointing to be frank. There’s better books on [this site](http://www.antikvariaty.cz/index.php?action=ListBooks&kategorie=5&display=katalog). I actually own some of these books, although there not usually first editions - I am sort of cheap that way. Also, anything designed by Mayakovskij. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/35 "2009-03-05T17:17:23Z")
There has to be a market for book cover artwork out there. I know it intrigues me a lot. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/36 "2009-03-05T17:34:33Z")
I’m glad y’all enjoy the Caustic Cover Critic. I always paid attention to book covers, but reading that blog has opened my eyes to much of the design process and little details I wouldn’t have considered on my own. And one more cover, for the fun of it. I picked up this particular edition of Left Hand of Darkness because I like the design so much, especially compared to come of the newer paperback copies. [![](https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/LeftHandofDarkness.jpg) ](https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v618/pbarmy/LeftHandofDarkness.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/37 "2009-03-05T18:10:07Z")
Not great art, but I love the cover of a book I bought years ago called [The Physics of Star Trek](http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Star-Trek-Lawrence-Krauss/dp/0465005594/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=generic&qid=1236276299&sr=4#). It’s a rudimentary hologram, and tilting the book from side to side makes the figure on the cover appear and disappear as if being transported. Yes, I am easily amused sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/38 "2009-03-05T19:22:22Z")
I’ve always liked the covers on Kurt Vonnegut’s soft cover books. [http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/images/slaughterhouse5.jpg](http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/images/slaughterhouse5.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/39 "2009-03-06T00:27:12Z")
I was fifteen years old (almost 14 years ago, I am getting old). I was at a bookstore and no book caught my attention. Suddenly I saw [this](http://www.bnp.gob.pe/snb/img/rings.jpg). I thought the cover was lovely and so I opened the book and read the first line. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281/40 "2009-03-06T10:12:01Z")
[The Dead Zone](http://www.flickr.com/photos/35021279@N07/3332151483/) - Stepen King [The Songs of Distant Earth](http://www.flickr.com/photos/35021279@N07/3332151437/) - Arthur C. Clarke [Harvest Home](http://www.flickr.com/photos/35021279@N07/3332989134/) - Thomas Tryon. Couldn’t find a pic of the front and back covers together. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-book-covers/488281.md?page=3)