The Best Hand-Drawn Book Covers

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – but what if it features some amazing hand-drawn art? I’d like to call your attention to five books that are beautiful to look at in addition to being great reads.

Our Top 6 Hand-Drawn Book Covers

1. Harry Potter, cover art by Mary GrandPre

Illustrator Mary Grandpre is responsible for the cover art on all of the American versions of the Harry Potter books. GrandPre says that she draws on what the author tells her, and thanks to J.K. Rowling’s descriptive language, she had a lot to work with for each cover. Each cover depicts important scenes and/or objects from the books. My personal favorite will always be the fifth book, because the shades of blue set the tone for the eerie, drama-filled story within.

2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, cover art by Giles Mead

This is my favorite cover for my all-time favorite Shakespeare play. It’s whimsical and beautifully-drawn, and of course the colors are beautiful. I especially like how the pose of each character takes their personality into account. If you enjoy this illustration, you should check out Giles Mead’s tumblr for some more awesome art.

3. Let the Great World Spin, cover art by Matteo Pericoli

What I love most about this cover is the way it makes me feel. Even though it’s just a drawing, my heart catches when I think of that tiny little illustrated man plummeting to the impeccably drawn buildings so many lines of text below. It’s incredibly detailed and features very clever use of perspective, plus it is gracing the cover of a truly wonderful book.

4. Damned, cover art by Rodrigo Corral

What’s not to love about the devil in really dramatic eyeliner? This cover reminds me of a tattoo style-wise. I love the colors and the intensity of Satan’s smokey-eyed stare. This novel, by the author of Fight Club, features a gleeful romp through Hell, and is perfect for distracting yourself from- I’m mean taking a break from your work and getting away for a while.

5. Shakespeare Undead, cover art by Gianni Dagliorti

When most people borrow books from their professors in grad school, this is not the kind of book they borrow. However, when I saw this great cover – elaborate, comical, and a little bit creepy – I knew I just had to read this awesome book. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s ever wondered about the identity of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady.

6. Writers Gone Wild, cover art by Barry Blitt

This book was a gift from my former roommate, and I can honestly say that no cover art beats stylized caricatures of your favorite long-dead writers. Normal Mailer’s, especially, always makes me giggle. And now I’ve got to wrap up this post, because I’ve just started reading this book again, and I want to get through another chapter before bedtime.

Fancy yourself a cover artist? Pick up some of our excellent drawing pencils and draw an alternate cover for your favorite book. Let us know about some of your favorite book covers in the comments!