A Few Favourite Book Covers.
I went through my ever-growing book collection and realized that I was extremely happy with some of the books I owned and the versions I had of them; so that being said, I decided to share it with you guys! I noticed that to pick every single one of my favorite books was just a ridiculous idea, since that would be pretty much all of them and it would make this blog post longer than the Harry Potter series!
1. 'The Making of Penny Dreadful' by Sharon Gosling.
This book is amazing for any Penny Dreadful fan, (I am an obsessive one!), it is noted as the official companion book to the Showtime series and it is indeed. I get excited every time I open it, not in that way naughty!, but it is just as magical opening this book as it is watching the series; there are some fantastic chapters in this book that explain how they created the dark, Gothic and classic world through the literature and special affects. You can feel like part of the team with this book and become a fully educated Dreadful! Also, there are chapters on each character and I loved that, to really get to know the birthing of these characters and how they created new shoes, rather than having to fill the old ones.
Even if you are a fan but not a huge lover of reading, this book is still just as great as an adult picture book; the stunning cast, the amazing sets and seeing the image of present and past in the same place. I also love the fact that the inside of the cover is an old map of London in this blood red color and the next page shows you an original illustration of Frankenstein that you can find in other republished copies of the classic monster story.
2. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley.
This of course is one of the most classic, technically horror, pieces of literature ever written and quite easily one of my favorite books of all time. Shelley grasped true sadness within this insane story that is original and inspiring to many people of many ages, in many professions. It has made a world question life and death and science since the 19th century and in my opinion that makes Shelley an overall genius, not just a literary one.
This is one of my favorite book covers because of the old rendition of the Frankenstein monster beautifully painted here, I imagine that the readers in the 19th century would of imagined something like this; creepy, large and terrifying, whereas now in the generation with movies, TV shows and new artistic ideas I think we can find more beauty within the Frankenstein monster. There are many covers of this book that I wish I owned, but I have a soft spot for this one since it adds to the 'old' feeling of the story and is definitely a book that everyone should read at least once in their lives.
3. 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde.
I adore this cover and knew I had to have it the second it caught my attention and luckily enough it's mine! This story is very much like Frankenstein, it's an absolute classic that built the foundations for Gothic sadness, sexuality and originality. Wilde is, of course in my opinion (-and my opinion is true because it is!), one of the best writers to ever have lived.
This cover has beautiful Gothic patterns on both the front and back that represent branches with skulls as the leaves. Also you have the sinister and well fitting cameo silhouette in the middle, which gives it even more in common with the book and that is the concept of that Dorian is as beautiful as you make him, he is who you perceive him to be.
Definitely one of my most loved books on me shelf!
4. 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S. Thompson.
This front cover is crazily entertaining to look at, since I have seen the film, the cover says a lot, but I can't help but think how the hell someone managed to put into words what happens in that movie. Obviously the book was first and I imagine S. Thompson is more than capable even if it wasn't, but even before reading this insane roller coaster drug ride, I can't even guess how he would portray such mental genius.
I am so happy that this is the cover my copy has, the illustration (which is also throughout the book) is so perfectly fitting and original, I adore that scribble, sketching form of art, it reminds me of pieces of memories you're trying to put back together, ya know?
There is not much I can say about this cover without writing several paragraphs saying the same thing, which is that it is frickin' awesome! So to save a rant, just look at it for a moment and bask in the glory it!
5. 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman.
This is one of the most beautiful and entertaining fairy tales I have ever read. I was a fan of the movie when I was a kid and I still am now, with my small collection of movie memorabilia and this awesome book of the original story.
Again, like most of my books it has the subtle Gothic pattern surrounding it, showing both beauty and darkness; the font of the title and author is great and the rendition of the Dread Pirate Roberts is what I imagine the character to resemble before he was put into the flesh and blood of Cary Elwes. If you know the story than you know that each point of design on this cover is relevant to it's genres; the Gothic-ness mentioned before showing beauty and darkness, the writing resembling a western giving the idea of fights and heroes, and the costume of the character in the middle giving the era of the story and the mystery within it.
See it? Or have I just gone in far to deep for a cover?
6. 'Mother, Mother' by Koren Zailckas.
This is a very sinister cover and for some reason it slightly reminds me of Insidious, I have made some weird connection there, thanks brain!
It's going to sound crazy, but this book found me, I was shopping around, looking for cheap books and for some reason I decided that I was going to move this random crime book out the way, FOR NO REASON, and when I did this book was revealed to me; coincidence? I THINK....maybe.
This is a dark story, I believe about kids with many issues but their main one is their over possessive Mother; I think it is more sinister than that, but I haven't read this yet and I surprised, I love the idea of this story and it's a very "me" book as I would say. The cover is just creepy and mysterious and it puts me on edge and get's me excited to read this book at the same time!
7. 'The Hobbit' by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Now everybody know this an absolute classic, and I know that because everybody moans at me for the fact I have not read this little gem yet! But I will!
As much as I love vintage covers and secondhand books, I love this brand new shiny version I have and I hear like most of Tolkien's books, it has maps and illustrations in it as well.
I just think this is a smart cover that looks old and modern at the same time and I enjoy the fact that such an unforgettable story is being taken care in such beautiful binding. Also, I only bought this recently and I love the feel of a new unread book, so I have been seen awkwardly caressing this book, but it's so puuuuurty!
8. 'Inferno' by Dante.
Inferno is the first part in Dante's trilogy that is his travels and rendition of hell, through to purgatory and ending in heaven.
Now I love the Inferno version of The Divine Comedy, it's imaginative, inspiring and almost persuading. The idea of his seven circles of hell and the fact that he put the sinful categories in an order and spoke of designated punishments within his journey, his story, his both insane and genius.
This cover is a special one, these images are almost the only way to explain parts of Dante's famous words and I love that it's simple and so overwhelming that you don't know where to focus on but it is perfect for this piece of literature. This art is on both the back and the front.
This is a one in a million piece and is fantastic, but saying that it did take me a while to understand the writing, due to age and the fact it has been translated, but with time and more pages you start to understand the writing without even realizing you have taught it to yourself.
9. 'The Tell Tale Heart and Other Stories' by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Tell Tale Heart is my all time favorite Poe story and has been since I was young and I saw that episode of The Simpsons about 10 years ago! This was bought for me last Christmas and is a very beautiful and unique version; it is completely illustrated, with the text, in a comic style and is illustrated by the very talented Gris Grimly who draws in an almost Tim Burton-esque style, but in a sense, slightly better and subtly darker.
I love the Poe signature on the front cover and the shiny red images of a heart that is on both the back and the front, not to mention a image of Poe's sinister and genius eyes.
A lot of people know Poe for his horror and the infamous poem The Raven, but this is a piece of his work that horror and old literature lovers will enjoy and appreciate.
10. 'W. B. Yeats: Selected Poetry' by Yeats & Poems selected by Seamus Heaney.
This is a very good book of classic poetry by a writer that is noted as one of Ireland's greatest.
I am a huge lover of the Beat Generation authors such as Burroughs and Kerouac and that love has helped me find certain movies about these authors; one was called Kill Your Darlings, in which they talked a lot of Yeats and his famous piece of work titled A Vision. I do own that book but I bought this to help me get to know Yeats and his writing style and every poem was very enjoyable and I would recommend this to any poetry lover.
This cover is one of my favorites as it is a republished version of many old books in which his poetry was first published in and the old style of art is very cool, it reminds me of old Ireland, like the hills and the farms which is the kind of image you got with some of Yeats's poetry.
So, there are 10 of covers that I enjoy staring at for pointless hours when I am not actually opening the book to read it! I have many more but these seemed the best to share with you and I hope you like them as much as I do; please consider looking into some of these books, since they are stories I have adored for many years and think that everyone should read them! No pressure of course!
What's your favorite book cover?
VF.
1. 'The Making of Penny Dreadful' by Sharon Gosling.
This book is amazing for any Penny Dreadful fan, (I am an obsessive one!), it is noted as the official companion book to the Showtime series and it is indeed. I get excited every time I open it, not in that way naughty!, but it is just as magical opening this book as it is watching the series; there are some fantastic chapters in this book that explain how they created the dark, Gothic and classic world through the literature and special affects. You can feel like part of the team with this book and become a fully educated Dreadful! Also, there are chapters on each character and I loved that, to really get to know the birthing of these characters and how they created new shoes, rather than having to fill the old ones.
Even if you are a fan but not a huge lover of reading, this book is still just as great as an adult picture book; the stunning cast, the amazing sets and seeing the image of present and past in the same place. I also love the fact that the inside of the cover is an old map of London in this blood red color and the next page shows you an original illustration of Frankenstein that you can find in other republished copies of the classic monster story.
2. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley.
This of course is one of the most classic, technically horror, pieces of literature ever written and quite easily one of my favorite books of all time. Shelley grasped true sadness within this insane story that is original and inspiring to many people of many ages, in many professions. It has made a world question life and death and science since the 19th century and in my opinion that makes Shelley an overall genius, not just a literary one.This is one of my favorite book covers because of the old rendition of the Frankenstein monster beautifully painted here, I imagine that the readers in the 19th century would of imagined something like this; creepy, large and terrifying, whereas now in the generation with movies, TV shows and new artistic ideas I think we can find more beauty within the Frankenstein monster. There are many covers of this book that I wish I owned, but I have a soft spot for this one since it adds to the 'old' feeling of the story and is definitely a book that everyone should read at least once in their lives.
3. 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde.
This cover has beautiful Gothic patterns on both the front and back that represent branches with skulls as the leaves. Also you have the sinister and well fitting cameo silhouette in the middle, which gives it even more in common with the book and that is the concept of that Dorian is as beautiful as you make him, he is who you perceive him to be.
Definitely one of my most loved books on me shelf!
I am so happy that this is the cover my copy has, the illustration (which is also throughout the book) is so perfectly fitting and original, I adore that scribble, sketching form of art, it reminds me of pieces of memories you're trying to put back together, ya know?
There is not much I can say about this cover without writing several paragraphs saying the same thing, which is that it is frickin' awesome! So to save a rant, just look at it for a moment and bask in the glory it!
5. 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman.
Again, like most of my books it has the subtle Gothic pattern surrounding it, showing both beauty and darkness; the font of the title and author is great and the rendition of the Dread Pirate Roberts is what I imagine the character to resemble before he was put into the flesh and blood of Cary Elwes. If you know the story than you know that each point of design on this cover is relevant to it's genres; the Gothic-ness mentioned before showing beauty and darkness, the writing resembling a western giving the idea of fights and heroes, and the costume of the character in the middle giving the era of the story and the mystery within it.
See it? Or have I just gone in far to deep for a cover?
6. 'Mother, Mother' by Koren Zailckas.
This is a very sinister cover and for some reason it slightly reminds me of Insidious, I have made some weird connection there, thanks brain!It's going to sound crazy, but this book found me, I was shopping around, looking for cheap books and for some reason I decided that I was going to move this random crime book out the way, FOR NO REASON, and when I did this book was revealed to me; coincidence? I THINK....maybe.
This is a dark story, I believe about kids with many issues but their main one is their over possessive Mother; I think it is more sinister than that, but I haven't read this yet and I surprised, I love the idea of this story and it's a very "me" book as I would say. The cover is just creepy and mysterious and it puts me on edge and get's me excited to read this book at the same time!
7. 'The Hobbit' by J. R. R. Tolkien.
As much as I love vintage covers and secondhand books, I love this brand new shiny version I have and I hear like most of Tolkien's books, it has maps and illustrations in it as well.
I just think this is a smart cover that looks old and modern at the same time and I enjoy the fact that such an unforgettable story is being taken care in such beautiful binding. Also, I only bought this recently and I love the feel of a new unread book, so I have been seen awkwardly caressing this book, but it's so puuuuurty!
Now I love the Inferno version of The Divine Comedy, it's imaginative, inspiring and almost persuading. The idea of his seven circles of hell and the fact that he put the sinful categories in an order and spoke of designated punishments within his journey, his story, his both insane and genius.
This cover is a special one, these images are almost the only way to explain parts of Dante's famous words and I love that it's simple and so overwhelming that you don't know where to focus on but it is perfect for this piece of literature. This art is on both the back and the front.
This is a one in a million piece and is fantastic, but saying that it did take me a while to understand the writing, due to age and the fact it has been translated, but with time and more pages you start to understand the writing without even realizing you have taught it to yourself.
9. 'The Tell Tale Heart and Other Stories' by Edgar Allan Poe.
I love the Poe signature on the front cover and the shiny red images of a heart that is on both the back and the front, not to mention a image of Poe's sinister and genius eyes.
A lot of people know Poe for his horror and the infamous poem The Raven, but this is a piece of his work that horror and old literature lovers will enjoy and appreciate.
I am a huge lover of the Beat Generation authors such as Burroughs and Kerouac and that love has helped me find certain movies about these authors; one was called Kill Your Darlings, in which they talked a lot of Yeats and his famous piece of work titled A Vision. I do own that book but I bought this to help me get to know Yeats and his writing style and every poem was very enjoyable and I would recommend this to any poetry lover.
This cover is one of my favorites as it is a republished version of many old books in which his poetry was first published in and the old style of art is very cool, it reminds me of old Ireland, like the hills and the farms which is the kind of image you got with some of Yeats's poetry.
So, there are 10 of covers that I enjoy staring at for pointless hours when I am not actually opening the book to read it! I have many more but these seemed the best to share with you and I hope you like them as much as I do; please consider looking into some of these books, since they are stories I have adored for many years and think that everyone should read them! No pressure of course!
What's your favorite book cover?
VF.
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