‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’
Umm! Sometime you have to. Book Covers are part of the experience of reading a book and they should at least capture the essence of the book even if they can’t be aesthetically pleasing. While you must have seen some of the best book covers ever, I have collected a list of the worst book covers of some well-known classics. A ten-year old can make a better cover with stock photos. These are just abominable. I don’t know if I should laugh at them or be disgusted. I will leave that to you.
Take a look at these covers and let me know what you think:
- Macbeth by Shakespeare
Are you kidding me? Is that an advert for vintage hats? A salon in the 1920’s? Women’s fashion magazine? It looks like something Zelda Fitzgerald wore. What and who is it representing? It can’t be the Tragedy of Macbeth. I don’t think Lady Macbeth would have liked all the ribbons on her hat.
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
What exactly is going on here? Dorian Gray with a tail is looking at a portrait that looks like Emmanuel Macron. I was expecting Basil’s studio instead of a brick wall but that should be the least of my concerns. The picture on the bottom left looks like an old finance guy or is he a lawyer, who knows? And what’s wrong with his hands? Is that smoke? Or they didn’t know how to draw hands? This is annoying.
I don’t know why, but Dorian Gray has some of the worst book covers ever. Take a look at these:
3. Middlemarch by George Eliot
Looks like someone wasn’t getting paid enough. This has to be out of spite. I refuse to believe someone can be that stupid. The suspenders guy picture doesn’t even look fit for a Wattpad romance book let alone a classic. The girl is just hanging in the air in her ‘ball gown.’ They are sitting in the middle of a fence except it’s not a fence but a log that’s defying gravity. The guy must have brought it.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
So Pride and Prejudice is a story about American patriotism written by an American patriot. You can’t have any doubt because this is an ‘original copy.’ In case you don’t know, it’s about a cowboy called Mr. Darcy who must defeat the old rancher Bennett and win the love of his spirited daughter Elizabeth.
5. 1984 by George Orwell
Thank God , Orwell isn’t here to see this. For those who don’t know what 1984 is about, it’s definitely not a sexist vintage ad. It’s a political dystopian novel. It is not just a tale of forbidden love, fear and betrayal. So don’t pick this book judging by it’s cover. It’s not as colorful as it looks.
6. Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson
Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver riding their bikes on a lake covered with ice. Or is it a beach? It’s a version where Silver had both legs. Is it deliberate or was the cover artist spaced out?
7. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Even someone who has never read the book will get an idea that it’s not a story about a blonde farmgirl seductively inviting you to her Green Gables. Fans were livid when this cover came out. Harshly criticizing the sexualized depiction of Anne, a skinny eleven-year old red-headed girl, they lashed out at that publishers for committing this blunder.
8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
It’s Jane Eyre. Not Jane Russell. And why is Mr. Rochester so angry? Why can’t these cover artists get the hands right? Her arm looks like it’s been badly twisted and don’t even get me started on her hair and dress.
9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Joffrey Baratheon? Is that you?
It’s a break from all the hideous creatures on every cover, I guess. But what part of a story about a monster made of corpses suggest that a knight with an armor and a sword will be fit for the cover. And what the hell is wrong with the background?
10. Metamorphoses by Franz Kafka
The cover is not even the worst part.
The half ladybug and half blue eyed model of your local barber does a fantastic job in keeping you away from whatever ‘Frank’ wrote. I got this from Reddit and one user wrote ‘This screams “graphic design is my passion” and another said ‘The Extra-Cursed Metamorphosis.’
11. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
What in the name of Charlie Brown creepy kids horror is this? They were trying too hard to look innovative. I bet whoever made this thinks of themselves as illustration genius. It is what’s called ‘epic fail.’
Judging book covers is really fun. You should do it too. Share some of the worst book covers you have ever seen in the comments below.
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