Book covers are important as they create a strong first impression for readers with just a glance. Book covers can have distinct typography, hand-drawn illustrations, doodles, meta-design, minimalistic layout, absurd form, or some are so iconic, and some books are just so pretty that you’d buy them just for the cover.
So, in honor of judging a book by its cover, here are our 21 favorite and incredible book covers (subjectively and objectively) you should definitely check out!
#1 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
About the book
Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Cover Artist: Francis Cugat
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 180
Goodreads Rating: 3.93/5
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, the novel depicts narrator Nick Carraway’s interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby’s obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
Gatsby continues to attract popular and scholarly attention. It is widely considered to be a literary masterpiece and a contender for the title of the Great American Novel.
Why do we recommend this book?
I couldn’t find a better way to kickstart this list except with The Great Gatsby. This was the only book cover designed by the Spanish artist Francis Cugat. He caught the attention of Fitzgerald, and it is said that the cover actually influenced the book a little. This “Great American Novel” has one of the most recognizable and iconic book covers in the history of American literature.
To buy The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald now:
#2 Jaws by Peter Benchley
About the book
Title: Jaws
Author: Peter Benchley
Cover Artist: Paul Bacon
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 320
Goodreads Rating: 3.96/5
The classic blockbuster thriller of man-eating terror that inspired the Steven Spielberg movie and made millions of beachgoers afraid to go into the water. Experience the thrill of helpless horror again—or for the first time!
Why do we recommend this book?
Another iconic book cover—Jaws by Peter Benchley, has cover designs by two artists, Roger Kastel and Paul Bacon, and the one in the image is designed by the latter, who also designed other notable book covers like Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five, etc. This chilling and terrifying book cover became synonymous with the book itself (and the movies). Truly iconic.
To buy Jaws by Peter Benchley now:
#3 Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Marlon James
About the book
Title: Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Author: Marlon James
Cover Artist: Pablo Gerardo Camacho
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages: 640
Goodreads Rating: 3.44/5
In the first novel in Marlon James’s Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child. Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, James has written an adventure that’s also an ambitious, involving read.
Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: “He has a nose,” people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard.
Why do we recommend this book?
This jacket captivated me immediately. The bold colors—red, purple, green, against black—the illustrations of wolf, leopard, and Tracker intertwined with the snake, and those eyes! Perfect!
To buy Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James now:
#4 Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson
About the book
Title: Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy
Author: Eric G. Wilson
Cover Artist: Jennifer Carrow
Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books
Pages: 166
Goodreads Rating: 3.25/5
We are addicted to happiness. More than any other generation, Americans today believe in the power of positive thinking. But who says we’re supposed to be happy? In Against Happiness, the scholar Eric G. Wilson argues that melancholia is necessary to any thriving culture, that it is the muse of great literature, painting, music, and innovation―and that it is the force underlying original insights.
So enough Prozac-ing of our brains. Let’s embrace our depressive side as the wellspring of creativity. It’s time to throw off the shackles of positivity and relish the blues thatmake us human.
Why do we recommend this book?
This cover cleverly uses a blinding yellow background that contrasts with the only text, the title, and the author’s name written in an inverted smile. Its minimalistic but profound design conveys the book’s message effectively.
To buy Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson now:
#5 A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Judy I. Lin
About the book
Title: A Magic Steeped in Poison
Author: Judy I. Lin
Cover Artist: Sija Hong
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 3.88/5
For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it’s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.
When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning’s only chance to save her sister’s life.
But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.
Why do we recommend this book?
Need I say more? Just look at that beautiful cover! It is just so pretty with all the soft pastels and a beautiful portrait of Ning. All those details on the cover and the general design itself perfectly suit its fantasy genre.
To buy A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin now:
#6 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
About the book
Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath / Victoria Lucas (pseudonym)
Cover Artist: Shirley Tucker
Publisher: Heinemann
Pages: 244
Goodreads Rating: 4.04/5
The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther’s breakdown with such intensity that Esther’s insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.
Why do we recommend this book?
There have been many beautiful and haunting covers of the book The Bell Jar over the years, but nothing beats this classic designed by Shirley Tucker for Faber and Faber publications edition. Notably, this edition is the first to publish the book under Plath’s real name. Bearing hypnotic concentric circles for the most part of the jacket, it symbolizes the depressive state of the protagonist, Esther. This cover has gone on to become one of the most popular and recognizable book covers ever.
To buy The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath now:
#7 The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell
Paraic O’Donnell
About the book
Title: The Maker of Swans
Author: Paraic O’Donnell
Cover Artist: Sinem Erkas
Publisher: Tin House Books
Pages: 368
Goodreads Rating: 3.31/5
In the dead of night, shots ring out over the grounds of a sprawling English estate. The world-weary butler Eustace recognizes the gunman—his longtime employer, Mr. Crowe—and knows he must think and act quickly. Who is the man lying dead on the lawn? Who is the woman in his company? Can he clean up his master’s mess like he always has before? Or will this bring a new kind of reckoning?
Why do we recommend this book?
This cover immediately caught my attention due to its color palette and rich use of negative space. I love its style.
To buy The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell now:
#8 A House for Mr Biswas by V. S. Naipaul
V. S. Naipaul
About the book
Title: A House for Mr Biswas
Author: V. S. Naipaul
Cover Artist: Stephen Russ ( for the first edition)
Publisher: Picador
Pages: 623
Goodreads Rating: 3.81/5
Mr Biswas has been told since the day of his birth that misfortune will follow him – and so it has. Meaning only to avoid punishment, he causes the death of his father and the dissolution of his family. Wanting simply to flirt with a beautiful woman, he ends up marrying her. But in spite of endless setbacks, Mr Biswas is determined to achieve independence, and so he begins the gruelling struggle to buy a home of his own.
Heart-rending and darkly comic, V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas has been hailed as one of the twentieth century’s finest novels, a classic that evokes a man’s quest for autonomy against the backdrop of post-colonial Trinidad.
Why do we recommend this book?
This cover is simply breathtaking! Other major editions of this book are cool too, but this one takes the cake. The color scheme, the house, the details in it, and its surroundings—everything is simply beautiful.
To buy A House for Mr Biswas by V. S. Naipaul now:
#9 Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
About the book
Title: Jurassic Park
Author: Michael Crichton
Cover Artist: Chip Kidd
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 466
Goodreads Rating: 4.08/5
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.
In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller.
Why do we recommend this book?
This is another iconic book design that has become synonymous with the book and the movie adaptations.
To buy Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton now:
#10 If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
Ann Liang
About the book
Title: If You Could See the Sun
Author: Ann Liang
Cover Artist: Gigi Lau, Carolina Rodríguez Fuenmayor
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5
Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price. But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.
Why do we recommend this book?
Half the reason I decided to read this book was due to the gorgeous book cover. It perfectly compliments the plot point of Alice feeling a rush of cold engulfing her while turning invisible. The colors match the beautiful portrait of Alice. This is one of my personal favorites.
To buy If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang now:
#11 Of That Which Makes Glass by Ayo Tijani
Ayo Tijani
About the book
Title: Of That Which Makes Glass
Author: Ayo Tijani
Cover Artist: NA
Publisher: Today is About
Pages: 70
Goodreads Rating: 3.79/5
Of That Which Makes Glass is Ayo Tijani’s debut collection of poetry. In this 38-poem collection, you will find honesty, humor, anger, fragility, and strength. Exploring themes of friendship, identity, and healing, the collection is nostalgic and evocative. Reflections on society are also prominent in this debut. Succinctly written and split into four sections, this collection intricately describes the human condition.
Why do we recommend this book?
The simple and intricately aligned mosaic design with a splash of different colors is truly eye-catching. The glass mosaic complements the title well and suits pretty good for a poetry collection.
To buy Of That Which Makes Glass by Ayo Tijani now:
#12 The Colony by Audrey Magee
About the book
Title: The Colony
Author: Audrey Magee
Cover Artist: Jack Smyth (for original cover)
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Pages: 376
Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5
It is the summer of 1979. An English painter, Mr. Lloyd travels to a small island off the west coast of Ireland. He doesn’t know that a Frenchman follows close behind. Jean-Pierre Masson has visited the island for many years, studying the language of those who make it their home. He is fiercely protective of their isolation, deems it essential to exploring his theories of language preservation and identity.
But the people who live on this rock—three miles long and half a mile wide—have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken, and what ought to be given in return. Over the summer, each of them will wrestle with their values and desires. Meanwhile, all over Ireland, violence is erupting. And there is blame enough to go around.
An expertly woven portrait of character and place, a stirring investigation into yearning to find one’s way, and an unflinchingly political critique of the long, seething cost of imperialism, Audrey Magee’s The Colony is a novel that transports, that celebrates beauty and connection, and that reckons with the inevitable ruptures of independence.
Why do we recommend this book?
This cover is simply outstanding! The painting of the woman, the hand painting it, the image of the island peeking from the page rip, the color coordination—everything is precise and stunning.
To buy The Colony by Audrey Magee now:
#13 The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
About the book
Title: The Flatshare
Author: Beth O’Leary
Cover Artist: NA
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 336
Goodreads Rating: 4.03/5
Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window.
Why do we recommend this book?
When I saw the cover for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. The soft colors, the pretty and simple illustration, and the overall casual, feel-good, and light tonality of the cover pleasantly surprised me.
To buy The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary now:
#14 A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri
About the book
Title: A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea
Author: Dina Nayeri
Cover Artist: Atticus Waller
Publisher: Riverhead
Pages: 432
Goodreads Rating: 3.37/5
Growing up in a small rice-farming village in 1980s Iran, eleven-year-old Saba Hafezi and her twin sister, Mahtab, are captivated by America. They keep lists of English words and collect illegal Life magazines, television shows, and rock music. So when her mother and sister disappear, leaving Saba and her father alone in Iran, Saba is certain that they have moved to America without her. But her parents have taught her that “all fate is written in the blood” and that twins will live the same life, even if separated by land and sea.
As she grows up in the warmth and community of her local village, falls in and out of love, and struggles with the limited possibilities in post-revolutionary Iran, Saba envisions that there is another way for her story to unfold. Somewhere, it must be that her sister is living the Western version of this life. And where Saba’s world has all the grit and brutality of real life under the new Islamic regime, her sister’s experience gives her a freedom and control that Saba can only dream of.
Why do we recommend this book?
Well, I’ll eat up anything with blue accents you’ll throw at me. And this cover is certainly pretty and calming with all those shades of blue with white fonts—a classic combination.
To buy A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri now:
#15 The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise
About the book
Title: The Ghost Sequences
Author: A.C. Wise
Cover Artist: Vince Haig, Olga Beliaeva (Illustrator)
Publisher: Undertow Books
Pages: 358
Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5
A lush and elegant collection of tales—many having appeared in various “Best Of…” anthologies—teeming with frightful and tragic events, yet profoundly and intimately human, these chilling tales will engross and enthrall.
Why do we recommend this book?
Another addition to love at first sight book covers, this stunning cover boasts of a haunting illustration of two girls playing what I assume to be an equally haunting game, all wisely shaped into a skull, all in white against a pitch-black background. This cover is truly a work of art.
To buy The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise now:
#16 The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
About the book
Title: The Priory of the Orange Tree
Author: Samantha Shannon
Cover Artist: David Mann, Ivan Belikov (Illustrator)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 848
Goodreads Rating: 4.23/5
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
Why do we recommend this book?
When it comes to over-the-top book covers, Fantasy books have total freedom and broad scope, and this book does its job perfectly without being all over the place. It’s simply gorgeous to look at and would make an excellent addition to your bookshelf.
To buy The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon now:
#17 Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
About the book
Title: Lore Olympus: Volume One
Author: Rachel Smythe
Cover Artist: Rachel Smythe
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 4.32/5
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
Why do we recommend this book?
This beautiful cover of the retelling of Greek myths perfectly balances ancient and modern elements with its eye-catching colors.
To buy Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe now:
#18 The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan
About the book
Title: The Painter of Signs
Author: R.K. Narayan
Cover Artist: Abner Graboff
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 153
Goodreads Rating: 3.68/5
For Raman the sign painter, life is a familiar and satisfying routine. A man of simple, rational ways, he lives with his pious aunt and prides himself on his creative work. But all that changes when he meets Daisy, a thrillingly independent young woman who wishes to bring birth control to the area. Hired to create signs for her clinics, Raman finds himself smitten by a love he cannot understand, much less avoid-and soon realizes that life isn’t so routine anymore.
Set in R. K. Narayan’s fictional city of Malgudi, The Painter of Signs is a wry, bittersweet treasure.
Why do we recommend this book?
This clever meta book cover is beautiful in every aspect from the colors to the illustrations to the typography. Truly pretty.
To buy The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan now:
#19 The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates
About the book
Title: The Water Dancer
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Cover Artist: Calida Garcia Rawles
Publisher: One World
Pages: 416
Goodreads Rating: 4.07/5
Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.
So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.
Why do we recommend this book?
This book cover is stunningly beautiful, from the visually pleasing use of colors—blue, black, white—to the typography to the subtle waves and bubbles; everything is perfect. It feels like a painting stuck to a book cover.
To buy The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates now:
#20 Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde
About the book
Title: Vagabonds!
Author: Eloghosa Osunde
Cover Artist: Khari Turner
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages: 320
Goodreads Rating: 3.68/5
As in Nigeria, vagabonds are those whose existence is literally outlawed: the queer, the poor, the displaced, the footloose and rogue spirits. They are those who inhabit transient spaces, who make their paths and move invisibly, who embrace apparitions, old vengeances and alternative realities.
Eloghosa Osunde’s brave, fiercely inventive novel traces a wild array of characters for whom life itself is a form of resistance: a driver for a debauched politician with the power to command life and death; a legendary fashion designer who gives birth to a grown daughter; a lesbian couple whose tender relationship sheds unexpected light on their experience with underground sex work; a wife and mother who attends a secret spiritual gathering that shifts her world. As their lives intertwine—in bustling markets and underground clubs, churches and hotel rooms—vagabonds are seized and challenged by spirits who command the city’s dark energy.
Whether running from danger, meeting with secret lovers, finding their identities, or vanquishing their shadowselves, Osunde’s characters confront and support one another, before converging for the once-in-a-lifetime gathering that gives the book its unexpectedly joyous conclusion.
Why do we recommend this book?
As the author herself said, this book cover is an “explosion of colors.” With striking colors and illustrations forming into a sort of abstract blend, this cover is more than captivating.
To buy Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde now:
#21 The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita
Natsu Miyashita
About the book
Title: The Forest of Wool and Steel
Author: Natsu Miyashita
Cover Artist: NA
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 224
Goodreads Rating: 3.37/5
Tomura is startled by the hypnotic sound of a piano being tuned in his school. It seeps into his soul and transports him to the forests, dark and gleaming, that surround his beloved mountain village. From that moment, he is determined to discover more.
Under the tutelage of three master piano-tuners – one humble, one cheery, one ill-tempered – Tomura embarks on his training, never straying too far from a single, unfathomable question: do I have what it takes?
Set in small-town Japan, this warm and mystical story is for the lucky few who have found their calling – and for the rest of us who are still searching. It shows that the road to finding one’s purpose is a winding path, often filled with treacherous doubts and, for those who persevere, astonishing moments of revelation.
Why do we recommend this book?
I stumbled upon this book a few days ago, saw the cover, and immediately added it to my TBR without even checking what it is about. As I said earlier, I love anything blue, and I’d like to add that I like winter, and also add that I like music. So seeing all that into a perfect combo of a book cover that is absolutely stunning was a jackpot!
To buy The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita now:
I hope some of these books will get added to your bookshelf. Concluding, this is a list of all the books I’ve mentioned above and the links to buy them on Amazon:
| 1 | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | Buy now |
| 2 | Jaws by Peter Benchley | Buy now |
| 3 | Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James | Buy now |
| 4 | Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson | Buy now |
| 5 | A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin | Buy now |
| 6 | The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath | Buy now |
| 7 | The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell | Buy now |
| 8 | A House for Mr Biswas by V. S. Naipaul | Buy now |
| 9 | Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton | Buy now |
| 10 | If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang | Buy now |
| 11 | Of That Which Makes Glass by Ayo Tijani | Buy now |
| 12 | The Colony by Audrey Magee | Buy now |
| 13 | The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary | Buy now |
| 14 | A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri | Buy now |
| 15 | The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise | Buy now |
| 16 | The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon | Buy now |
| 17 | Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe | Buy now |
| 18 | The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan | Buy now |
| 19 | The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Buy now |
| 20 | Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde | Buy now |
| 21 | The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita | Buy now |
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