{"id":7324,"date":"2011-11-29T12:11:08","date_gmt":"2011-11-29T20:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/?p=7324"},"modified":"2012-03-26T14:29:54","modified_gmt":"2012-03-26T22:29:54","slug":"i-ask-you-the-best-book-covers-ever-sff-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/art\/cover-art\/i-ask-you-the-best-book-covers-ever-sff-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"I Ask You | The Best Book Covers Ever: SF\/F Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"East<\/a><\/p>\n

Ever wondered why John Steinbeck\u2019s classic American novel East of Eden<\/em> has proved so popular over the decades since it\u2019s release? Maybe it\u2019s the cover art.<\/p>\n

Recently, Publishers Weekly<\/a> awarded East of Eden<\/em> with the coveted prize of \u201cBest Book Covers Ever.\u201d PW looked back at the many editions of Steinbeck\u2019s novel and declared it as the king of the hill where consistently great cover art is concerned. They also made some interesting observations about the effect cover art has a reader\u2019s experience with a novel:<\/p>\n

A book cover has to both draw you into the book when you first pick it up as well as stand as an aesthetic representation of the story\u2019s heart. For many of us, book covers are a big reason why we\u2019re still holding onto physical books, and there\u2019s something about the best of them that conveys the transportive ability we find in our favorite books.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

East of Eden<\/em> has certainly had some wonderful covers in its tenure, and this had me thinking of some of the best runs of Fantasy and Science Fiction cover art in the past several decades. The clear winner, in my opinion, is The Hobbit<\/em> by J.R.R. Tolkien.<\/p>\n\"Various<\/a>\n

From John Howe to Peter S\u00eds to the man himself, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit<\/em> has been illustrated and covered by some of the genre\u2019s finest artists. Perhaps what strikes me most about the various covers is the sheer variety, a true testament to Tolkien\u2019s vision and storytelling.<\/p>\n

So, what single (Fantasy or Science Fiction) novel do you think has the best covers ever? On the flip side, which novel has had the misfortune of being covered, again and again, with terrible art?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember, this isn\u2019t just the single best piece of cover art ever, but a continued excellence across several published volumes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered why John Steinbeck\u2019s classic American novel East of Eden has proved so popular over the decades since it\u2019s release? Maybe it\u2019s the cover art. Recently, Publishers Weekly awarded East of Eden with the coveted prize of \u201cBest Book Covers Ever.\u201d PW looked back at the many editions of Steinbeck\u2019s novel and declared it… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1285,1283,38,59],"class_list":["post-7324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cover-art","tag-art","tag-cover-art","tag-fantasy","tag-science-fiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n