Favourite Book Covers

Lots of people comment on how pretty certain covers are, often buying a book purely on the strength of that beauty. I know of some other people that keep books on their shelves purely for their aesthetic value. I don’t judge anyone on why they choose to keep or get rid of books. But I do understand the joy of reading a book that looks and feel so good under the fingers. So although it’s not normally something I fixate upon, I thought I would have a little discussion about some of my favourite book covers.

Penguin Clothbound Classics are a classic example of this. I originally started collecting these editions purely for joy of running my fingers along their cloth spines every time I walked down the hallway at home. It’s rare for me to walk past without my eyes at least caressing their titles. I love knowing I have at the ready some of the best literature ever written. I’ve only read a handful of them but every few months or so I’ll choose one I’ve always wanted to read and with a firm hardback in hand I’ll settle down for a new journey.

I have to say, I am often a big fan of how a series will look on the shelf, all lined up in a neat matching row. I used to be one of those people that simply couldn’t cope with my series being mismatched. However as time passes (and I mellow in my old age) and some authors (I’m looking at you Gail Carriger) don’t release the series in the same format, I have accepted this as something that I will need to live with. There is always one cover in particular though out a series that will catch my eye, so I have photos of their glory below to feast your eyes on.

One particular personal love for me are the books that are re-released with new and exciting covers! Harry Potter being of course the classic for constant re-releasing with different covers. A Ravenclaw version of Philosopher’s Stone came into the shop recently and I almost started drooling. Reminding myself that I already HAD the complete Harry Potter at home (and no room) I reluctantly put the beautiful book in the shelving pile. The releases of Liane Moriarty’s back catalogue to match in style with her favourite Big Little Lies was a definite good choice and they do make me smile when we (rarely) have them all in stock, matching sizes and colours.

So what do you say? Do you keep books just for the sheer delight of how beautiful they look? Or does the guts of the book have to mean something for you to give it valuable shelf space? Comment at our facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/dogearedbooks.com.au/