What are some beautiful paperbacks?

[AlpacaTheBags]

I want to treat myself to some attractive paperback books, perhaps classics or modern classics but I'm open to anything. Due to disabilities paperbacks are more practical for me than hardbacks.

Are there any particular publishers or even individual books that you'd recommend? TIA

Persephone books.

Reprints of women writers, many of them forgotten, in their trademark dove grey covers with endpapers taken from contemporary prints.

Have a look at Persephone books OP. They specialise in finding neglected women authors and republishing them. Many of them are in plain grey covers with beautiful old wallpaper designs on the inside of the covers, however they do have some with paintings on the covers, Mariana by Monica Dickens being one.

Otherwise, books on my own shelves with lovely covers are:

Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan
The Still Point by Amy Sackville
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Sharak
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
The Razor's Edge and The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham (both Vintage classics)

And a hardback as it's a recent publication, but very small and light so might be OK for you:

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.

I appreciate a beautiful cover myself and I'm pleased that this is becoming more of a thing.

Cross-posted about Persephone and also got distracted mid-post by looking through my bookshelves

I meant to add, they are a small publisher's and you could give them a ring and ask which of their books have the pretty covers rather than the grey. I used to call in in person when I worked round the corner and they were always rather posh and very helpful.

oops stray apostrophe there

I do love the Penguin ones..the blue,green,orange covers...classics.

Current penguins are gorgeous too. I have just read the Cost Of Living but Deborah Levy and it is a fabulous rich yellow orange colour. Gave me such joy. Bit more expensive are the clothbound penguins, they seem to really hold their value secondhand , so may be worth buying as an investment.

Agree that the current penguins are lovely and nicer in real life than online photos

www.waterstones.com/book/wuthering-heights/emily-bronte/9780141199085

This is a beautiful cover and has lovely illustrations inside too. And it's a lovely read.

I like the Daunt published paperbacks - I do like a French flap!

Thank you all so much. I'm very grateful for the recommendations. I'm going to treat myself to a few of each. I am interested in the contents too but having beautiful books on my shelves makes me happy, and sometimes I enjoy just looking at the covers.

IntermittentParps I should have mentioned that I'm interested in non fiction too so the seaweed book looks perfect, and very interesting as someone who loves eating the stuff.

I like the Daunt published paperbacks - I do like a French flap!

Me too. I'm a total sucker for a French flap. I almost always have to buy a book if it has them. The other day I was in a charity shop and bought two books with French flaps for 50p each. They're in near perfect condition too. That made my week.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Ohh what were the charity shop finds OP?

This is fabulous - and was recommended to me on mumsnet years ago

www.virago.co.uk/titles/elizabeth-jenkins-7/the-tortoise-and-the-hare/9781844084944/

CheesePlantJungle

These two. Hopefully you can see the pic. I don't know anything about either of them, but I'm looking forward to reading them anyway and I'm very pleased to get them so cheaply.

Some of the Russian classics e.g. Anna Karenina, War and Peace etc are in lovely paperbacks with a floral design on the covers, publisher is Vintage Classics.

This is very pretty and a good read!

The Fourth Estate matchbook classics are nice - I've included a photo. I read a lot of translated fiction and the small publishers do some lovely covers, I've got Three Aples fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan published by One World and it has a lovely cover complete with French flaps.

I bought this book partly because I loved how beautiful it looks.

www.waterstones.com/book/the-ten-thousand-doors-of-january/alix-e-harrow9780356512464?awaid=3787&utm_source=redbrain&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=css&gclid=Cj0KCQiAieWOBhCYARIsANcOw0w_7C9aFvZ4nrHX5zRAMuAtA3AoYOMID5_PM8GJ-RpPgrl0WM4InN0aAnK-EALw_wcB

I got a beautiful set of Kate Morton books (The Distant Hours, The House at Riverton, The Secret Keeper) with covers designed by Sophie Allport

Oh, I’m pleased! I hope you like it. I thought it was a joy.

I've just discovered the British Library publications - there's an undiscovered women writers section eg - shop.bl.uk/collections/british-library-fiction/products/tension
and great sci-fi

Also Alma books almabooks.com/product-category/american-classics/?imprint=2

I know you don't want hardbacks but I'm taken with the Chiltern classics www.chilternpublishing.co.uk/product-category/classics/ and the penguin paperbacks russian special edition shop.penguin.co.uk/products/vintage-classics-russian-series

This is a fantastic book with a gorgeous cover

Little by Edward Carey is a gorgeous paperback book cover (and illustrations inside). And a good read too

I also like Entangled Life by Melvin Shardlake if you like dramatic covers and non-fiction science/nature books