This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt, sponsored by The Broke and the Bookish, is “Top ten book covers I’d frame as pieces of art.” I love beautiful book covers, so this was a fun list to create! Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order).
1. I love the work of Elena and Anna Balbusso so much I’m posting more about them this Friday. Here’s their cover for Hild by Nicola Griffith.
2. Niroot Puttapipat’s art for Luka and the Fire of Life is just stunning. You can’t appreciate the detail in this small image, nor does it show how it wraps around onto the back cover. Please try to see a copy in person!
3. Trina Schart Hyman’s fairy tale illustrations are so beautiful. I also especially like the hand lettering she creates for many of her covers; it gives them such a personal touch. Here is her Rapunzel.
4. From another fantastic pair of artists, Leo and Diane Dillon, a lovely cover for Monica Furlong’s Juniper.
5. A somewhat biased selection — this is the cover for a book I designed for the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, For the Children of the World. The illustration and lettering are by Gudrid Malmsten from Sweden. (Note: I have the original painting and have actually been meaning to frame it as art!)
6. And somewhere I have a poster with J.R.R. Tolkien’s own artwork for The Hobbit, which I used to have framed on my wall.
7. Here are a couple of newer titles with landscape-based paintings that caught my eye. First is The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon; I don’t know the cover artist.
8. And The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky (artist also unknown).
A couple of my favorite Folio Society covers:
9. Peter Suart’s binding design for The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies.
10. And Peter Bailey’s for The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
I could keep going, but I’d better stop there. It was interesting to me to find that there are many covers which I find attractive and effective as book covers, but would not want to “frame as art.” That could be another list all its own. Maybe another time!
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
I have a copy of The Golden Day and it is just lovely.And wow The Amber Spyglass is gorgeous and frame-worthy. Nicely done!
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Can you tell me the artist for the Golden Day? I'd love to look up more of their work. And I like Bailey's binding better than his interior illustrations. So simple and perfect. Thanks for visiting!
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Number 9 is stunning! The design for Rushdie's novel is just beautiful as well. 🙂
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I'm afraid I loved the cover of "Luka" more than the book. I found it didn't live up to "Haroun and the Sea of Stories." The Deptford Trilogy, on the other hand, is one (or three) of my all-time favorites. I was so excited to find this beautiful edition.
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Wow, you saved the best for last! I love your covers of The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies and The Amber Spyglass. My copy of Deptford is a paperback and it's blue and black all over. Haha. This Folio Society cover is beautiful.JosetteBooks Love Me
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Folio books are hard to beat! I have a paperback copy of Deptford as well…easier to read in the bath.
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I think you picked some really interesting book covers. The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies is really an amazing cover. I love Folio books. I too could've kept going and picking more and more book covers!!AngieAngela's Anxious Life
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No kidding! Maybe I should make this a monthly feature. I love them!
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The first one is gorgeous. I also had a Rushdie cover in mind, and this one is perfect (though I wasn't the biggest fan of this book!) And The Amber Spyglass cover art is just perfect. 🙂
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I wasn't a fan of the book either, but the cover was spectacular!
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You have excellent taste in cover art 🙂 I actually own that very edition of "The Hobbit". I think JRR Tolkien did the artwork for that set himself. thanks for stopping by today. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
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Yes, the artwork is by Tolkien! Though may artists have illustrated him, I find his own paintings and drawings to be special.
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I really like the Luka and the Fire of Life cover 🙂
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Thanks for commenting, Sue!
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When I saw the Amber SpyGlass – OH MY! That is sooo worth framing! Mine is HERE.
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I agree!
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I love all the covers, but I think my favorite is the Rapunzel cover. Is that illustrator Trina Schart Hyman? I have her Briar Rose illustrated book and the pictures are just beautiful!
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Yes, that's Trina Schart Hyman's Rapunzel. I also considered her Snow White cover (my copy has that title…not Briar Rose). I could do a whole list with just her books!
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