Classics

15 Rad Reader-Designed Covers for Classic Books

While we at the Riot take some time off to rest and catch up on our reading, we’re re-running some of our favorite posts from the last several months. Enjoy our highlight reel, and we’ll be back with new stuff on Monday, January 6th. This post originally ran June 6, 2013. _________________________ One of the coolest things I saw at Book Expo America was a project called Recovering the Classics, which is a collaboration of the Creative Action Network and DailyLit. These awesome folks identified 50 of the best books that are in the public domain (meaning they’re not longer under copyright) and invited readers to design their own new covers. Then they make the newly covered books available for purchase as ebooks or as paperbacks printed on the Espresso Book Machine at Harvard Bookstore. This project? It’s turning cool up to eleven. Let’s take a look at some of the new covers, shall we? These are some of my favorites–there are TONS to explore at Recovering the Classics. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, cover by Roberlan Borges

brothers karamazov cover by roberlan borges

    The Collected Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, cover by Adam S. Doyle

collected works of edgar allan poe cover by adam s doyle

    The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, cover by Corbet and Curfman

count of monte cristo cover by corbet and curfman

    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, cover by Luis Prado

Frankenstein cover luis prado

    Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, cover by Louise Norman

heart of darkness cover by louise norman

    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, cover by Ashley Cale

jane eyre modern cover by ashley cale

    The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, cover by Wade Greenberg  

jungle cover by wade greenberg

    Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, cover by Lia Marcoux

little women cover by lia marcoux

    The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, cover by Elena Ospina

metamorphosis cover by elena ospina

    Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, cover by Black Dwarf Designs  

moby dick cover by black dwarf designs

    I couldn’t decide between these two takes on Persuasion by Jane Austen. This one’s by Heather Main.

persuasion cover by heather main

  And this one is by Kathryn Delaney.

persuasion cover by kathryn delaney

    The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, cover by MrFurious  

scarlet letter cover by mr furious

  The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, cover by Jon Cain  

Time Machine cover by Jon Cain

    And another H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds, cover by Kjell Roger Ringstad    

war of the worlds cover by kjell roger ringstad

    Visit Recovering the Classics to see more awesome designs, buy books, and contribute your own new covers. Tell me: which do you like best? _________________________ Sign up for our newsletter to have the best of Book Riot delivered straight to your inbox every two weeks. No spam. We promise. To keep up with Book Riot on a daily basis, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, , and subscribe to the Book Riot podcast in iTunes or via RSS. So much bookish goodness–all day, every day.