Cover design crops up occasionally here, sometimes because we are being very critical of a particularly inappropriate or unsuccessful cover, but also when I want to point out something that has been produced with real style or a feel for the material. Back in March I asked if you'd read any W. Somerset Maugham, and I got a great response. Despite all your strong recommendations I have still to read him, but on a superficial level his books are now even more appealing as they have been re-jacketed: click on the picture above to enlarge it and visit Bridgeman to learn about the designs.
More quite beautiful covers, this time by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin, and there is much to swoon over on her site (including that most striking jacket for Anne Fadiman's At Large and at Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist
You may also be interested to read The Casual Optimist's interview with Coralie and to see what she says about the design process.
