What are your all-time favorite book covers?
I know I'm a sucker for bound books with hard covers, gilt lettering and softly fraying edges. Those covers are a bit more of a mystery than the ones with bright images, and you have to head inside with nothing but your own imagination. I really don't like photo-style images of the characters. I want an impression, or a powerful image from the book.
But I think, in the end, my favorite book cover is the paperback of Mossflower.
This is the version that I own, the one that is pretty beat up on the outside, with worn pages that smell a little dark and sweet. I love the medieval feel to it, and the illustrations on the back as well. You pick it up and you just know that it's going to be epic and complex and powerful, and then it is.
"Mossflower lay deep in the grip of midwinter beneath a sky of leaden gray that showed tinges of scarlet and orange on the horizon..."
And it just gets better from there.
It reminds me of a child friendly Du Duc De Berry Book of Hours! That's what popped into my mind immediately! It's lovely!
ReplyDeleteI've never read this book, but it's now added to my to-read list. I might not be a huge fan of the cover, but your description of the book makes it sound really good.
ReplyDeleteAwww I love this choice! I also went with a cover that tugs at my heart, perhaps more for how much I love the story than anything to do with art. But I adore the old-fashioned style here, and the illustrations are so rich. Great choice!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cover. It feels like the old illuminated texts like the Book of Kells. Great choice!
ReplyDeleteI love the covers of the Redwall series! I have fond memories of reading Mossflower.
ReplyDeleteooooh, that cover is gorgeous! It makes me think of a book that Mo would read in Inkheart, for some reason :-)
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