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Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

Favourite book covers of all time.

34 replies

FeliciaFancybottom · 02/08/2026 15:28

I thought it might be fun to share our most favourite book covers of all time.
My first one is The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. It's absolutely stunning in real life, though possibly not to everyone's taste.

OP posts:

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Bichette · 06/08/2026 08:07

Not particularly for the artwork, but this book cover brings back lovely memories for me

Jungfraujoch · 06/08/2026 08:12

I can still see it in my old desk at high school.

Waawo · 06/08/2026 19:54

Jungfraujoch · 06/08/2026 08:12

I can still see it in my old desk at high school.

Love that edition of The Hobbit. I have the Esperanto edition, "La Hobito," which has the same cover.

In school I read this version, which is nice too, but gives main billing to Smaug...

Dappy777 · Yesterday 16:39

When I was at my sixth form in the 1990s, Penguin used to publish a 20th-century classics range. They were gorgeous books with a lime green back and a photo that took up the entire front cover. I loved them. They published everyone from Virginia Woolf and D H Lawrence to Evelyn Waugh and Aldous Huxley. I still look out for them now. We had to study Capote's In Cold Blood, and I can see the cover to this day.

clary · Yesterday 16:45

Great thread!

I have a secret passion for the Tom Adams 1970s Fontana covers of Agatha Christie novels (it sounds niche but I am not alone) and this is a favourite – rather disturbing but iconic.

ETA I should read properly I see a PP has aready mentioned him haha

clary · Yesterday 16:50

The Great Gatsby is one of my very favourite books, but I really do not like the cover with the eyes on the blue background you see so often. So here is my OG copy (OG for me at least) from about 1982

Purplebunnie · Yesterday 16:54

@Bichette I read and had all these books, loved them.

@Waawo and @Jungfraujoch I didn't have either of these covers. I need to go and find my copy. It probably needs a re-read - it's been a while

Original poster

FeliciaFancybottom · Yesterday 17:01

clary · Yesterday 16:45

Great thread!

I have a secret passion for the Tom Adams 1970s Fontana covers of Agatha Christie novels (it sounds niche but I am not alone) and this is a favourite – rather disturbing but iconic.

ETA I should read properly I see a PP has aready mentioned him haha

Edited

Oooo, that's creepy, I love it.

OP posts:

tobee · Today 04:25

Jungfraujoch · 06/08/2026 08:12

I can still see it in my old desk at high school.

That book conjures up memories of going to the children’s department of the local library; the books were usually covered in a slightly blurry plastic wrapping. You got given coloured card disc tokens (3 I think?) and that was your passport to exchange for new titles to read; yours for 3 weeks.

I occasionally try to find old library books - especially ones i remember getting out from the library myself. Love to smell their smell, see the date stamps on the sheet on the frontispeice, the slightly foxed edges.

They would often have great illustrations as well.

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