There’s nothing we love more here at Flavorpill HQ than judging books by their covers. Be it plausible-seeming but tonally inappropriate covers or dust jackets that scream “don’t date me!”, we admit that it’s awfully fun to pooh-pooh the cliché adage. Dear readers, mark your calendars, for today — thanks to your help — we’re going to set all snark and judgement aside and take a look at excellent reads that also happen to have extraordinarily well-designed covers.
In honor of the adorably outfitted, exceptionally designed (inside and out) Prius c, design love is all around, so join us as we round-up engaging prose combined with exceptional design. Showcasing the work of legendary typographers, art directors and graphic designers alike, click through to see what stunning contributions the literary world has made to design, and vice versa. Tell us your favorite from our selection in the comments below!
Pass Thru Fire by Lou Reed
Design by Stefan Sagmeister. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
Leave Me Alone by David Karp
Design by Paul Rand. Image credit: WAXN & MLKN
Amerika by Franz Kafka
Design by Alvin Lustig. Image credit: Melville House Books
On Seeing and Noticing by Alain de Botton
Design by Laura Oakden. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Design by Paul Sahre. Image credit: Office of Paul Sahre
Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton
Design by Leanne Shapton. Image credit: Blue Print Pree
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Design by John Gall. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Design by Chip Kidd. Image credit: GOOD IS DEAD
Black Beauty by Annal Sewell
Design by Jillian Tamaki. Image credit: Black Eiffel
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Design by Alvin Lustig. Image credit: Mid Century Blog
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Design by Coralie Bickford-Smith. Image credit: Coralie Bickford-Smith
The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
Design by Paul Sahre. Image credit: Jason Fulford
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Design by Rodrigo Corral. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories
Design by John Gall. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
Image credit: ISO50
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Design by Carol Devine Carson. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Design by Stephen Doyle. Image credit: The Book Cover Archive
Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith
Design by Richard Bravery. Image credit: The Composite
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Design by David Pelham. Image credit: Smashing Magazine
The Elements of Style by Strunk, White, and Kalman
Design by Peter Buchanan-Smith and Maira Kalman. Image credit: Maira Kalman