War of the Worlds

It's no secret that I think books are really awesome. I love them not only as works of literature, but as works of art. I can't resist an old book with a really beautiful cover, and I think jacket illustrations are actually a great way to judge a book, thank you very much. My interest in the graphic design of books has taken me to The Book Cover Archive, and their extensive galleries of beautiful illustrations. They have a great collection of covers from "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells, spanning the 100+ years and plethora of countries the book has been in print.

1899, Cohen Zonen, Dutch

1913, World's Work Sixpennies No. 2, English

1939, Scheltens and Giltay, Dutch

Well, it wouldn't be the 50's without a babe sprawling out helplessly for no reason in the direct line of peril!
1951, Famous Fantastic Mysteries Magazine

1961, Heineman, New Windmill, English

So it was Starfleet all along!
1978, Siglo XX, Spanish

1982, Vivo Press, Netherlands

2002, AST, Moscow

2004, Folio Society, London

You can see them all (over 350!) here. It's really interesting to see the reinterpretations of the story and design motifs change over time and through each culture.