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Like a record sleeve, a book cover is a crucial element of the reading experience.
It's the first thing you see, and a great cover can draw you in and persuade you to start that journey of discovery, page by page.
We've picked 50 of the coolest for you to enjoy. Some are iconic. Some are clever. Some are beautiful, some scary, and many have transcended their original home to become as famous as the book itself.
Upvote the designs you think are true classics. And you can suggest any designs you think we should add to this hall of fame below.
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Best book covers of all time
Jaws: £12.75 at Amazon
Title: Jaws<br /><strong>Author: Peter Benchley<br /><strong>Artist: Roger KastelWhat can you say about this cover that hasn't already been said - so good that Universal used the same design for the film. We've gone for the original cover, as the closed-mouth shark somehow looks even more menacing than the teeth-baring version.<em>We've linked to the current edition above. Keep an eye on eBay for the original cover version.<br />
1984: £3.26 at Amazon
Title: 1984<br /><strong>Author: George Orwell<br /><strong>Artist: Shepard Fairey1984 is a tale of Big Brother surveillance and, of the many great covers that have graced this, we like this one from 2008, designed by Shepard Fairey of Obey. The Soviet style of Obey's work suits the content of the book perfectly and the all-seeing eye gives that essential element of creepiness.
A Clockwork Orange: £2.09 at Amazon
Title: A Clockwork Orange<br /><strong>Author: Anthony Burgess<br /><strong>Artist: David PelhamDesigned ten years after the book's first publication, to coincide with the release of the 1971 film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, this iconic cover was designed and realised by Pelham in a single night after an illustrator's first attempt was deemed inadequate. The Cog-eyed Droog design was thus adopted and instantly became a design classic.
The Godfather: £5.47 at Amazon
Title: The Godfather<br /><strong>Author: Mario Puzo<br /><strong>Artist: S. Neil FujitaThe cover art for this classic was simple and striking - a heavy, gothic typeface and a puppeteer pulling the strings; so good that it was carried over wholesale for the film...and the rest is history.
Columbine: £11.99 at Amazon
Title: Columbine <strong><br />Author: Dave Cullen<br /><strong>Artist: Henry Sene YeeCullen's seminal non-fiction book - the definitive text about the Columbine High School Massacres of 1999 - deserves an iconic cover, and Henry Sene Yee provided it, with this minimalist design, incorporating a simple shot of the normal-looking school with a faintly ominous grey sky above it.
American Psycho: £5.42 at Amazon
Title: American Psycho<br /><strong>Author: Bret Easton Ellis<br /><strong>Artist: Marshall ArismanArtist George Corsillo, who designed the cover art for Bret Easton Ellis' first two books turned down the chance to design the artwork for American Psycho, stating "I was disgusted with myself for reading it". However, this just opened up the door for Marshall Arisman, who responded with this haunting, and very cool, representation of Patrick Bateman as part-man, part-devil.
Psycho: £1,500 at abebooks.co.uk
Title: Psycho<br /><strong>Author: Robert Bloch<br /><strong>Artist: Tony PalladinoLike so many great covers - simple, but hugely effective. Black and white starkness and a giant typeface, viciously slashed through. A portent of what was to come inside its cover, and carried through to the film artwork.<em>This hardcover edition is highly collectable nowadays. That price is not a typo.<br />
Farenheit 451: £6.67 at alibris.co.uk
<strong>Author: Ray Bradbury<br /><strong>Artist: Joe Mugnaini<br />An appropriately terrifying cover for this dystopian epic, the weeping figure standing over burning books has lost none of its power since being created back in 1953.<br />
<strong>Author: Ray Bradbury<br /><strong>Artist: Joe Mugnaini<br />An appropriately terrifying cover for this dystopian epic, the weeping figure standing over burning books has lost none of its power since being created back in 1953.<br />
When You Are Engulfed in Flames: £23.76 at Amazon
Title: When You Are Engulfed in Flames<br /><strong>Author: David Sedaris<br /><strong>Artist: Chip Kidd/Van GoghMost Sedaris covers could easily feature but his most recent just about won out in the cool stakes. It features an early Van Gogh painting. It's a painting of a skeleton. It's a skeleton smoking a cigarette. How could this not make it onto the list?
All My Friends Are Dead: £6.81 at Amazon
Title: All My Friends Are Dead<br /><strong>Author: Avery Monsen & Jory John<br /><strong>Artist: Avery MonsenWell, this book cover and title is certainly a way to get attention. Perfectly capturing the feel of the whole thing, the cover features a very forlorn-looking dinosaur making a brutally accurate and morbid statement. Poor dino.
Against Happiness: £6.09 at Amazon
Title: Against Happiness<br /><strong>Author: Eric G. Wilson<br /><strong>Artist: Jennifer CarrowA brilliant piece of graphic design, with this minimal design inverting the traditional yellow acid smilie to create a gentle melancholic frown, using just the title and author - a simple, but effective trick.
Porno: £2 at Amazon
Title: Porno<br /><strong>Author: Irvine Welsh<br /><strong>Artist: DJ DesignLurid, crass, striking but real - the artwork for Welsh's sequel to the legendary Trainspotting suited the book perfectly. No-one could not notice this cover on the bookshelves.
The Psychopath Test: £7.80 at Amazon
Title: The Psychopath Test<br /><strong>Author: Jon Ronson<br /><strong>Artist: Alex Merto A brilliantly cool cover for this book, with the two contrasting design styles even having different textures 'in the flesh'. Formal, stagnant and reserved on the left is 'ripped' away to reveal psychedelic, fluorescent and crazed on the right - a perfect Jekyll & Hyde design to suit the title.
The Great Gatsby: £4.20 at Amazon
Title: The Great Gatsby<br /><strong>Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald<br /><strong>Artist: Aled LewisWe've all seen an awful lot of covers for F. Scott Fitzgerald's widely read classic but none of them scream cool quite as much as this one does. From the yellow backdrop to the monochromatic man to the fact that he's using the damn 'Y' as a cocktail glass, it's an undeniably attention-grabbing image.<em>(This classic cover is now hard to get hold of, so we've linked to an alternative design but you can <a href="https://aledlewis.com/gatsby" target="_blank">head to Aled's website to get a print)<br />
Catch-22: £11.43 at blackwells.co.uk
Title: Catch-22<br /><strong>Author: Joseph Heller<br /><strong>Artist: Paul BaconCatch-22's iconic cover, almost as famous as the book itself, showcases Bacon's signature style of author and title in bold, large typeface, with a small, but memorable illustrative motif.
Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life: £7.50 at Amazon
Title: Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life<br /><strong>Author: James Hawes<br /><strong>Artist: Steve SniderA brilliantly self-referential cover for this book on Kafka (who we've all read extensively of course), with the insect Gregory, from The Metamorphosis, clearly getting some tips from his creator to try and help with his existential dilemma. If you haven't read The Metamorphosis, or indeed any Kafka, just point at the cover and smile wryly and everyone will think you're really smart.
Books Burn Badly: £8.20 at Amazon
Title: Books Burn Badly<br /><strong>Author: Manuel Rivas<br /><strong>Artist: Michael SaluA book about Franco's Spain, where book-burning was rife, consisting of the covers of 36 books in a beautiful patchwork effect. We're sure Alanis Morrisette wrote a song about that once.<br />
An Ethics of Interrogation: £120.43 at Amazon
Title: An Ethics of Interrogation<br /><strong>Author: Michael Skerker<br /><strong>Artist: Isaac Tobin DesignerTobin is responsible for a whole slew of great book covers, but this is his most simple and probably the most effective, with the single lightbulb conjuring up an image of a cold, dark room, with a detective who wants information...and is prepared to use any means necessary to obtain it...
The Bell Jar: £9.52 at Amazon
Title: The Bell Jar<br /><strong>Author: Sylvia Plaith<br /><strong>Artist: Shirley TuckerShirley Tucker's original 1966 cover of The Bell Jar is the most iconic, and the coolest of all the covers for this classic; the mesmerising concentric circle design perhaps being a metaphor for the tunnel of despair that the protagonist finds herself in.
Jurassic Park: £15.75 at Amazon
Title: Jurassic Park<br /><strong>Author: Michael Crichton<br /><strong>Artist: Chip KiddAnother book cover that has become absolutely synonymous with the book itself, and the subsequent enormous film franchise, Chip Kidd's Jurassic Park cover is absolutely, undeniably cool. The eerie dinosaur skeleton has become so famous that it's easy to forget how menacing it must have originally looked. Very small arms though.
Flowers in the Attic: £24.59 at Amazon
Title: Flowers in the Attic<br /><strong>Author: V.C. Andrews<br /><strong>Artist: Milton Charles/Gillian HillsThis classic cover perfectly echoes the harrowing tale of the book - a group of siblings locked in an attic together, with the black sky, and blood red bricks housing a single pained face looking forlornly out of the window. A unique and haunting image.
Brave New World: £6 at Amazon
Title: Brave New World<br /><strong>Author: Aldous Huxley<br /><strong>Artist: Leslie HollandThis dystopian classic has a beautifully designed cover to match; there have been many since, but our favourite is the first edition version, designed by Leslie Holland. And of course, perhaps the colour scheme foresaw the advent of Facebook, which many believe is the modern day realisation of Huxley's World...or maybe it just looked cool. Probably the latter thinking about it.<em>Search your local second-hand book store for the original cover. We've linked to the current edition, a lovely retro-inspired design.<br />
The Craftsman: £8.19 at Amazon
Title: The Craftsman<br /><strong>Author: Richard Sennett<br /><strong>Artist: Coralie Bickford-SmithPerfectly suiting a book dwelling on the use of simple tools to create great things, Bickford-Smith uses of a random stack of pencils to create an incredibly cool cover. Cooler still, the artist ended up making use of them after the cover shot: "I use them to highlight my lists, so I don't forget what I'm doing. It's hardly artistic."<br />
Periodic Tales: £21.65 at Amazon
Title: Periodic Tales<br /><strong>Author: Hugh Aldersey-Williams<br /><strong>Artist: Alison FornerColourful, playful and charming, this cover captures the fun elements (see what we did there) of the subject matter. We all know Chemistry is cool really.
On Seeing and Noticing: £0.83 at Amazon
Title: On Seeing and Noticing<br /><strong>Author: Alain de Botton<br /><strong>Artist: Laura OakdenThis 2006 cover of Alain de Botton's philosophy text is perfectly suited to the book; the clothes hanger and question mark perhaps hinting at questions of self-worth and the search for oneself which Monsieur de Botton investigates in the pages beneath. Either way, a very cool cover.<br />
The Stranger: £3.01 at Amazon
Title: The Stranger<br /><strong>Author: Albert Camus<br /><strong>Artist: Helen YentusEminent designer Helen Yentus was given the task of creating new covers for the complete works of Albert Camus, and we think this is the coolest. The utilitarian type contrasts with the optical illusions of the black and white shards, creating a neat sense of vertigo; something which sits well with Camus' subjects and, well, just looks great.
Kidney For Sale By Owner: £16.78 at Amazon
Title: Kidney For Sale By Owner<br /><strong>Author: Mark J. Cherry <strong><br />Artist: David DrummondAn intriguing look into the issues and merits of selling body parts on a free market, this book has an equally intriguing cover: the subject of the book mocked up into a classified newspaper advert. Clever and cool.
In Cold Blood: £15.14 at Amazon
Title: In Cold Blood<br /><strong>Author: Truman Capote<br /><strong>Artist: S. Neil FujitaA pioneering work in the True Crime genre, Capote's classic needed a sober cover - Fujita provided it, with simple, classic typefaces and a hatpin with a drop of blood. The drop was originally a brighter red, but Capote requested it be made darker to show the time elapsed since the murders. Finally a black border was added, for extra gravitas - the finishing touch to an iconic cover design.<br />
Invisible Man: £17.99 at Amazon
Title: Invisible Man<br /><strong>Author: Ralph Ellison<br /><strong>Artist: Edward McKnight KaufferA design classic to rank alongside Catch-22, Kauffer's Invisible Man artwork perfectly represents the protagonist, struggling to find identity in a hate-filled world, existing amongst the shadows. Effortlessly cool.
The Brief History Of The Dead: £2.96 at abebooks.co.uk
Title: The Brief History of the Dead<br /><strong>Author: Kevin Brockmeier<br /><strong>Artist: Archie FergusonThis very cool cover makes a visual pun on the title, with the black and white colour scheme adding to the creepiness of the disembodied hands. The use of 'a novel' as the name tag on the top of the coat is a nice touch too.
The Road: £5.84 at Amazon
Title: The Road<br /><strong>Author: Cormac McCarthy<br /><strong>Artist: Nick LowndesLowndes brings his unique stick-figure style to the fore on this cover for McCarthy's The Road, with the post-apocalyptic landscape perfectly represented by the bare, skeletal trees.<br />
A Cultural Dictionary of Punk: £22.09 at Amazon
Title: A Cultural Dictionary of Punk<br /><strong>Author: Nicholas Rombes<br /><strong>Artist: Sarah RainwaterGetting bonus marks before it even starts by eschewing the clichéd 'cut-out letters from magazines' style of almost every other book about punk, this cover literally puts the music in the centre, with a DIY aesthetic surrounding it. As it should be.<br />
A General Theory of Love: £12.05 at Amazon
Title: A General Theory of Love <strong><br />Author: Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini & Richard Lannon<br /><strong>Artist: John GallA touching (literally) cover graces this scientific book, getting to the heart (literally) of the subject matter discussed within. It's cool. And love-ly (literally).
The Disappointment Artist: £1.85 at Amazon
Title: The Disappointment Artist<br /><strong>Author: Jonathan Lethem<br /><strong>Artist: Marc CozzaIs there anything more disappointing than an ice cream melting before you've got chance to get stuck in? We don't think so. Lethem writes in a variety of styles and genres, but this is a universal image and pretty damned cool.
Big Sur: £7.68 at Amazon
Title: Big Sur<br /><strong>Author: Jack Kerouac<br /><strong>Artist: UnknownIf retro chic is your thing, then look no further than this first edition cover for Kerouac's classic, Big Sur. Written in 1962, the cover is very much of the swinging-sixties school of design and thus very cool indeed.<em>This classic cover is not readily available online, so keep an eye out in your local second-hand book shop<br />
How The Dead Live: £47.04 at Amazon
Title: How The Dead Live<br /><strong>Author: Derek Raymond<br /><strong>Artist: Christopher KingA brilliantly haunting cover, with designer Christopher King enigmatically stating that inspiration came from "the paradox posed by the title...[it] incorporates visual elements found within the book itself. The illustration presents more clues to the mystery than readers may initially realize."
Loneliness: £10.99 at Amazon
Title: Loneliness<br /><strong>A<strong>uthor: John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick<br /><strong>Artist: Peter MendelsundProbably the best of all the minimalist designs in this gallery, the dot of the 'i' at first looks like a mark on the page, which you think must be a mistake, that should be erased. Look closer and you find that it is, in fact, a metaphor for the subject of the book and you feel sad for writing it off and ostracising it. Oh yes, we think very deeply here at ShortList.
Procession of the Dead: £4.38 at Amazon
Title: Procession of the Dead<br /><strong>Author: Darren Shan<br /><strong>Artist: Catherine CasalinoOur third book cover to feature the word 'dead' in title, we apologise if we're being a little macabre. But there's something about the ol' grim reaper that seems to bring out the best in designers. This one is simple and haunting, and we're sure El Muerte would approve.
The Humbling: £1.54 at Amazon
Title: The Humbling<br /><strong>Author: Philip Roth<br /><strong>Artist: Milton GlaserThis deceptively simple but clever cover perfectly represents the story within - the tale of an ageing actor who loses his power. The melancholy black and white theme together with the lonely spotlight makes for an extremely cool image.
Beowulf: £9.99 at wordery.com
Title: Beowulf <strong><br />Author: Seamus Heaney<br /><strong>Artist: Seth RubinBeowulf is an epic Old English poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines and tells the tale of a heroic Scandinavian helping the King of the Danes, whose mead hall is under attack (a worthy reason for any heroic behaviour). This brilliant, simple cover captures the feel of Beowulf, wearing his chain mail, preparing to head away from the reader, into battle. Lets face it - Scandinavian warriors are always cool.
The Book of Dead Philosophers: £3.48 at abebooks.co.uk
Title: The Book of Dead Philosophers<br /><strong>Author: Simon Critchley<br /><strong>Artist: John GallA book within a book cover. But the book is about dead people. So the book that is photographed is positioned to be look like a tomb. That's cool.
Heed The Thunder: £5.82 at Amazon
Title: Heed The Thunder<br /><strong>Author: Jim Thompson<br /><strong>Artist: UnknownThis 1946 classic has one of those great old-school Ronseal covers - it does exactly what it says on the tin. Big, exciting title in a funky typeface, serious author and novel credit in a far more sober one, and a flash of title-referencing lightening to tie the two together. Job done.<br />
South Of The Border: £29.43 at Amazon
Title: South Of The Border<br /><strong>Author: Haruki Murakami<br /><strong>Artists: Chip Kidd and Kapo NgThis retro cover for Murakami's quietly epic novel emulates a vinyl record, aka the quickest way to gain cool points. It's also massively helped by an array of vintage fonts that manage to work cohesively, making this cover one that you'd happily be seen grasping on the bus.<br />
Zoo City: £12.16 at Amazon
Title: Zoo City<br /><strong>Author: Lauren Beukes<br /><strong>Artist: Joey Hi-FiAwarded the 2010 BSFA Award for best artwork, Joey Hi-Fi's artwork has become almost as famous as the book. What, at first glance, is just typography turns out to be an incredibly detailed drawing of animals, people and buildings - together, but also tearing themselves apart. Joey has done some consistently brilliant work throughout his career, and we think the BSFA got this one very right.
Super Mario: £10.65 at Amazon
Title: Super Mario<br /><strong>Author: Jeff Ryan<br /><strong>Artist: Dan DonohueThe big little man is the coolest set of pixels to ever exist in the digital world, so it made sense for the cover of this exploration to use him. Retro 8-bit graphics and typeface, and a simple layout make this cover kitsch, understated and very cool indeed.
Burn This Book: £2.19 at Amazon
Title: Burn This Book<br /><strong>Author: Toni Morrison (editor)<br /><strong>Artist: Unknown<br />For a book of essays dedicated to the power of the word, this cover fits perfectly. No more words necessary.
Tree of Codes: £88.80 at Amazon
Title: Tree of Codes <strong><br />Author: Jonathan Safran Foer<br /><strong>Artist: Jon GrayWhile the whole book design is incredibly cool - a book that on each page has words literally cut out of the story in order to create a new one - the cover is also striking and worthy of attention in its own right.
Survivor: £3.70 at awesomebooks.com
Title: Survivor<br /><strong>Author: Chuck Palahniuk<br /><strong>Artist: Rodrigo CorralSince he's one of the world's unarguably coolest living writers, Chuck Palahniuk was bound to crop up on this list somewhere. This most recent cover of his iconic novel Survivor succeeds through simplicity and by doing something differently. Hands up if you're now desperate to make a paper plane?
Amsterdam: £8.99 at Amazon
Title: Amsterdam<br /><strong>Author: Ian McEwan<br /><strong>Artist: Herman Houbrechts/DooremanBelgian graphic designer Herman Houbrechts specialises in PopArt style typefaces and non-linear letter arrangements, none more successfully than this very cool design for McEwan's Amsterdam.<em>This Houbrechts cover is fairly rare, so we've linked to the standard edition above. Look out for this art deco version in your local book shop.<br />
You Only Live Twice: £9.99 at Amazon
Title: You Only Live Twice<br /><strong>Author: Ian Fleming<br /><strong>Artist: Michael GilletteCommissioned for the Ian Fleming Centenary Covers, these designs tried to capture that crucial, and cool, element of all Bond stories - the Bond girls. Artist Michael Gillette stating: "None of them are based on any one person or image, they are archetypes. I wanted a look of seductive murder about them."
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Content Director
As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.
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