We share our top ten picks for the best book covers of 2013 (displayed in no particular order).

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

(Design by W.H. Chong)

For me, this cover is at once classic but also cleverly modern. The contemporary, bold typeface placed over a black-and-white image is a simple solution but it is elegant, refined and lends well to being recreated across the trilogy. I find it really sophisticated; the perfect match for Elena Ferrante’s stunningly brilliant, addictive novels.

– Belle Place

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

A lot of readers loved the original cover for this title (see here) but I find the design they’ve used for the b-format much more memorable. I love how the old-fashioned lay-out juxtaposes with the garish and strange colours of the cut-out figures. And while the original look shouted ‘great holiday read’ (which Beautiful Ruins is!) this new cover has a ‘literary edge’ which suggests there’s something more going on here.

– Bronte Coates

Madness: A Memoir by Kate Richards

(Design by

This jacket is my favourite of the year. The tactile cover of red, blue and black ballpoint pen scribbling makes me anxious. This is no doubt the intention as it prepares you for the dark, unsettling, yet incredibly rewarding journey ahead.

– Emily Harms

A Beautiful Truth by Colin McAdam

Simple and striking, this cover jumps off the shelf and immediately grabs your interest. I think animals on book covers can be especially appealing and attention-grabbing (note four of the covers listed here feature animals in some way) and this is a very straight-forward and effective example. It also does a wonderful job of capturing the book’s premise of a childless couple who adopt a chimpanzee.

– Nina Kenwood

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

(Design by

The design for this year’s Man Booker Prize winner is dramatic and eye-catching. By using the changing phases of the moon as a motif, Jenny Grigg subtly references both themes within the story and the structure of the novel itself. She said her brief was for the cover to look both experimental and historical and I think she delivers beautifully in this regard. If you want to read more about her process for this particular title, here is a really interesting interview.

– Bronte Coates

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

This is such a charming cover, with just the right amount of nostalgia while still feeling contemporary given the modern typeface. The intrigue that comes with a tiger’s paw pushing open a door perfectly sets the tone for Fiona McFarlane’s hypnotically taut debut. It’s grown-up enough, but still suggests that here is a fresh voice.

– Belle Place

Cat and Fiddle by Lesley Jorgensen

(Design by

This is just a straight-up gorgeous cover, especially in person, where you can really appreciate the detail and the extra special touches, such as the gold embossing. I love the colours, the font and the way the overall design fits together, gently referencing the idea of two different cultures meeting.

– Nina Kenwood

The Best 100 Poems of Dorothy Porter

(Design by Peter Long)

This brazen and intriguing jacket is so apt for The Best 100 Poems of Dorothy Porter. The cover reflects the punchy prose of the late poet. This diverse collection of poems contains her usual distinctive, passionate erotic poems as well as explores the magical natural world. Both long-time lovers of Dorothy’s writing and newcomers to poetry need a copy of this book so the mighty fine jacket can sit face out on your bookshelf!

– Emily Harms

Jane, the Fox and Me by Fanny Britt & Isabelle Arsenault

(Cover illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault)

Elegant and restrained with a crudeness that captures the magic of the way children draw, Isabelle Arsenault’s cover is a wonderful taste of what’s inside this large-format graphic novel that’s suitable for older children as well as Jane Eyre fans, booklovers and melancholy introspective types of all ages! You can see Arsenault’s other work in these elegant picture books, Once Upon a Northern Light by Jean E Pendziwol and Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear.

– Emily Gale

A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride

(Design by W.H. Chong)

Minimal in design, with a pared-back colour scheme and relying on an abstract black line, I felt this cover told me everything I needed to know about the contents of Eimear McBride’s début novel. I wanted to own it immediately and I’ve kept it face-up on my coffee table since.

– Belle Place

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