It doesn’t matter where you sit on the scale of book collectors, if you have a single shelf of beloved favorites or far too many books and not enough shelves (guilty), there’s something utterly appealing about books with pretty covers.
As they have always been, the ultimate collectors’ editions are leather-bound beauties with engraved details and foil decorations. The feel of an actual tome of literature in your hands is second to none, but leather-bound classics are expensive, and collecting them is not always feasible.
However, if you’re looking for a relatively finance-friendly way to get into book collecting, clothbound books are your entry point. There are many collections of clothbound classics, but none is better-known than the Penguin Clothbound Classics editions. With everything fromDante’s InfernotoThe Little Prince, there’s something for everyone in this set.
If you want to get into the world of clothbound books, here are 10 of the best and prettiest Penguin Clothbound Classics to get you started.
Animal Farmis one of Orwell’s most well-known novellas alongside1984(which also has a Penguin Clothbound Classic edition), and it’s a story that everyone should read at least once. Styled as a ‘beast fable’,Animal Farmtells the tale of farm animals who rebel against their alcoholic farmer, only to find themselves in a new dictatorship under a power-hungry pig called Napoleon.
The Clothbound Classic cover is decorated with the type of pens you’d see at any farm, but also somehow manages to make you feel almostwatchedthanks to the design.
The Little Princeis one of the best-selling single books of all time, with over 140 million copies sold worldwide in 505 languages. It centers around a young child and a pilot who venture among the stars to explore themes like love, loneliness, friendship, and loss. It’s a beautiful story, even if it is hard to follow if you’re not in the right mindset for the nonsensical, almost childlike encounters.
The cover of the Clothbound Classic edition features stars and planets, all small and far apart, indicating the size of the journey the duo takes during the tale.
There’s something unerringly unsettling about early science fiction novels because you’re forced to remember that none of it had ever been done before, and all of it is purely from the authors’ imagination.Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seawas decades ahead of its time, with most events taking place on a submarine called the Nautilus, which featured designs and features that wouldn’t be implemented on actual submarines for many years.
The jellyfish design of this Clothbound Classic edition immediately tells you everything you need to know, even at a single glance that doesn’t allow enough time for the title to be read.
Crime and Punishmentis the ultimate depiction of morality in the face of immoral acts after the central character has to live with the guilt of his decision to murder. It’s a difficult read and seems to have been inspired at least in part by Dostoyevsky’s suffering during his Siberian exile.
Although the cover of the Penguin Clothbound Classics edition ofCrime and Punishmentmay not seem to relate to the story at first glance, my interpretation of it is that it depicts the various boxes that we place ourselves into or those we are put into by society, all overlapping and with blurred edges where they intersect.
A narrative poem written by Alighieri in the 14th century,Dante’s Infernoconsists of three Cantos, each of which depicts either Purgatory, Heaven, or Hell. It’s a journey through the three settings, guided by various characters who join Dante on his descent through the nine circles of Hell.
Even looking at the cover of the Clothbound Classics edition gives you a sense of falling through the various levels of Hell, in a way that reflects the prose contained within.
If you’re a fan ofhorror literature, then there’s no way you haven’t read Mary Shelley’s classicFrankenstein. It’s now a tale known worldwide, even by those who have never read the original novel, and has gone on to inspire both horror and science fiction writers for generations since its initial publication in 1818.
At the heart of the haunting tale is the desire for Frankenstein’s Monster to be accepted or even loved, but the humans of the village judge him by appearance and not the heart beating within him. This heart is featured on the cover of the Clothbound Classics edition.
The Haunting of Hill Houseis a classic ghost story and psychological horror. Nothing is ever explicitly described or explained, but you somehow know what is happening even without the full explanation.Even the ending is vague and left up to interpretation, to some degree, but all of this vagueness is what makesThe Haunting of Hill Houseso, well, haunting.
The cover of this Clothbound edition features the house, or at least a section of it, repeated in a staggered pattern that’s easy to get lost in. After reading it, you might even imagine seeing faces in any of the many windows.
Although not the first fictional detective, with that title going to Edgar Allan Poe’s August Dupin, Sherlock Holmes is still one of the most famous characters in literary history. His adventures and investigations are well-known around the world, and his exploits have served as inspiration for countless authors over the years.
What I love about the cover of this Clothbound edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is that it looks like a particularly bloody crime scene. The bodies, all oriented differently, are surrounded by dots that, upon closer inspection, resemble blood spatter.
The War of the Worldshas a solid place in literary history, and a radio reading of it in 1938 is even known to have caused panic in those who tuned in late, thinking that Martians had invaded the world. Published in 1898, The War of the Worlds is a formative piece ofscience fiction literature, and it has inspired countless writers since.
This was the first Clothbound Classic I ever purchased, which means it has a special place in my heart. However, the design is undeniably both eye-catching and beautiful. It’s hard to tell whether the circles are planets or explosions, and the colors perfectly contrast against each other to create something that figuratively jumps off the shelf.
WhileThe Fall of the House of Usherwould be worth purchasing alone, that’s not all you’ll get when you purchase this Penguin Clothbound Classic. Also included in the book areThe Tell-Tale Heart,The Pit and the Pendulum,The Raven, andThe Cask of Amontillado. Poe is the father of gothic literature, andeach of his tales or poemsis worth reading at least once.
If you’re like me and hold a certain soft spot for Poe, sadly, you’ll need to wait a little while before you may get your hands on the Clothbound edition. It’s set to be published on June 17, 2025, but with a cover like that, I couldn’t exclude it from this list.
