15 Fantastically Artistic Alternate Covers For Famous Books

We do a lot of fun artist takes based on movies and TV shows, but I know smarty pants like you Neatonauts are also big fans of books. So, for all you bibliophiles out there, here are a few artist’s takes on some great books.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Artist Jason Edmiston did this great take on cover of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde for a Gallery 1988 show, called Required Reading, that was put on back in 2011.

The Lord of the Flies

The dark, creepy artwork in this cover by DeviantArt user artlyric is perfect for William Golding’s tale of young boys turning totally primal after their plane crashes on an abandoned island.

Moby Dick

DeviantArt user lovedagoldens’ digital painting of Moby Dick is utterly beautiful, and his layout is simply perfect in this alternate cover for Melville’s classic whale of a tale.

The Origin of Species

Darwin’s classic treatise on evolution has never looked so fun and approachable as it does in this fantastic illustration Delicious Design League created for the Required Reading Gallery 1988 show.

Catch 22

The art style Marcos Castillo used in this alternative Catch 22 book cover might not be what you’d expect to see on this Joseph Heller classic, but the message of soldiers dancing for Uncle Sam is pretty darn spot on.

The Philosopher’s Stone

This Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone cover by Keith James does a great job of depicting all of the characters from the story in a fun, stylized fashion, without actually giving away any of the plot. I especially like the Dursley family on the back cover.

The Harry Potter Series: Penguin Classics

Penguin Classics have a very distinct artwork style on their covers and this take on the Harry Potter series by M. S. Corley does a great job showing what J.K. Rowling’s works would look like if they were released as part of the Classics line.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Here’s another take on a modern series made into a Penguin Classic by M. S. Corley. In this case, the books in question are the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

The Hunger Games

To make her alternative book covers of The Hunger Games, Kathryn Rosa Miller drew inspiration from classic Puffin Book covers of Little Women and The Secret Garden. You can see how well they stack up against the originals by clicking on the links on the title names –she did a pretty great job at capturing the style while still illustrating the story of The Hunger Games.

The Hobbit: There and Back Again

In order to read the full title on this stunning Hobbit book cover by Wes Talbott, the reader must actually rotate the book itself, taking him or her “there and back again” in the process. This book cover design is so impressive I would be more than happy to pay for it to be custom printed on my personal copy.

The Hobbit’s Journey

By illustrating this Hobbit book cover in a way that requires the characters to stretch across the entire cover, Max Meinzold manages to foreshadow the epic journey the group must make during their quest in a beautiful and simple manner. 

Slaughterhouse Five

Given that the book is both about a man who continues to become unstuck in time and the Dresden air raid of WWII, DeviantArt user Miss Bagels’ book cover for Slaughterhouse Five really manages to capture the essence of the story without giving any details away. And, as an added bonus, it also includes Kurt Vonnegut’s alternate title for the book.

Mother Night

I’ll be honest, while Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author, I have yet to read Mother Night. Even so, I absolutely love this cover for the book by the Deviant Art user of the same name. In fact, it actually makes me want to go buy this book and read it immediately.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

When you’re hitchhiking through the galaxy, sometimes you have to rely on a sign post in an asteroid to help guide you as this Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy cover by DeviantArt user Chavs reminds us. I really like how modern this cover is as it looks like something you could pick up off the shelf of your local Barnes and Noble right now.

Fahrenheit 451

The cool thing about Joel Bewley’s take on Fahrenheit 451 is that with the futuristic gun and firefighter outfit, it could just as easily be the cover for a cool new video game. In fact, maybe the book itself could become lose inspiration for a game about fighting those who burn books.

What book would you have liked to see on here? There are a lot of these types of artworks out there, so if we know which book covers you would like to see redone, we can make sure they’re in there if we do a follow up article sometime in the future.