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59 Terrible Book Covers That Somehow Made People Want To Read The Book (New Pics)
We all know that we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover. It’s what’s on the inside that counts! But sometimes, it’s really hard to look past the exterior, especially if it features some absolutely terrible artwork.
Bored Panda has scoured the internet to find the worst examples of the book cover art the world has ever seen. From cringey illustrations to photos that have nothing to do with the actual plot, it’s clear that being a great writer doesn’t mean that someone also has a great eye for art. Enjoy scrolling through these hilarious books, and remember to upvote the images that you can’t help but giggle at!
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#1
Crime And Punishemt - Fyodor Dostoevsky
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#2
But... You're A Horse - Jon Bon Pony
#3
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
#4
How To Let Bro Know That You Want To Be More Than Friends - B. J. Nomnom
#5
Gumby 50 Shades Of Clay - Papercut
#6
The Odyssey - Homer
#7
Loved The Book But Hated This Cover As A Kid
#8
The Annotated Pride And Prejudice - Jane Austen
#9
La Metamorfosis By Kafka
#10
Told My Spouse How Much I Love Terrible Book Covers And He Insisted I Show My Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
#11
The Master And Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
Kristiina Männiste 4 months ago
The rest is ok, but they butchered poor Behemoth! He was my favorite character too!
#12
The Iliad - Homer
#13
What A Gem
Phantom Phoenix 4 months ago
Is... is that meant to be Legolas? Wearing a cowboy hat with a feather?
#14
A Hero Of Our Time - Mikhail Lermontov
#15
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
That's actually the cover for a book called "Morning Glory Milking Farm: a Monster Bait Romance". It's about a company that milks male minotaurs and sells the, er, product. Yes, it is somehow marketed as a "romance" book, because one of the facility's employees falls in love with one of the clients. Yes, I have read the book XD
#16
The Brothers Karamazon - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
Those look more like the Property Brothers than the Brothers Karamazov XD
#17
The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
This looks like a glorious 90s-era Goosebumps/Bone Chillers-esque cover. Nothing wrong here. It's not bad, it's perfect XD
#18
The Dragon With The Girl Tattoo - Adam Roberts
#19
Coplete Works Of Oscar Wilde
Toujin C'Thlu 4 months ago
"His last name is Wilde, so he must write about wild stuff...right?"
#20
The Picture Of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
#21
Do You Want To Play With My Balls? - The Cifaldi Brothers
#22
Anne Frank's Diary - Anne Frank
#23
Pride And Prejudice - Jane Austen
#24
The Pig's Head, Part 1 - Demetri Paul
#25
On Wheels - John Jakes
#26
Time Swirl (Binky Book 1) - John Pirillo
#27
Texting Mr. Right - Diane Dean White
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
So, since she's clearly texting someone else, and not the man on the left, does that mean he's not Mr. Right? XD
#28
How To Contact Space People - Ted Owens
#29
Answer To Job - Carl Jung
David Paterson 4 months ago
Very surreal. I like it. Jung's argument is that Job was more moral than God because God was "incited by Satan to torment Job without justification”. The cheese grater is a nice metaphor for torment.
#30
The Age Of Innocence - Edith Wharton
#31
Firestarter - Stephen King
Liliana Spiro 4 months ago
It's in Swedish. It is, however, NOT the IKEA version of "Firestarter" ;) Eld = fire. Född = born
#32
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
#33
Sportin’ A ‘Tude - Patsy Clairmont
#34
Frankenstein: Or The Modern Prometheus - Mary Shelley
#35
Frankenstein, Or The Modern Prometheus - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
#36
Children Of The Lambs: An Old Myth Brought To Life By Rogue Science! - John Aalborg
David Paterson 4 months ago
If the cover was any good then nobody, literally nobody, would buy the book.
#37
Adolf - Osamu Tezuka
#38
All Change: Winston Can Hardly Wait For Puberty - Roger Day
#39
Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk
#40
Very Bold
Laszlo Larthlanc 4 months ago
The marketing team, none of whom ever read the book, said, "Skin sells, and Lilith is a woman. Go for it.".
#41
Demons - Fyodor Dostoevsky
#42
Eagle Bird One (The Voyage To Save The Earth) - Charles Hinton
#43
Daughter Of Smoke & Bone - Laini Taylor
#44
The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan
Laszlo Larthlanc 4 months ago
The model reminds me of Tom Welling, who played Clark Kent in Smallville. Picture to follow.
#45
La Morte Sous Les Glycines - Harry Street
#46
The Grooming Of Alice - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
#47
Gabi, A Girl In Pieces - Isabel Quintero
#48
The Portrait Of Dorian Gray (Brazilian Edition)
PunchinelloTX 4 months ago
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the name. Not portrait… caption-writer, bad cover notwithstanding.
#49
That Is Some Cover
#50
Isis: The Beauty Myth - Shawn James
#51
Little Friend - Tartt Donna
#52
This Gives Me Nightmares
#53
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
#54
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
I mean, that's probably kind of what they looked like during the practice battles, but maybe not so cutesy? XD
#55
Romeo And Juliet - William Shakespeare
#56
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - George Dibdin Pitt
#57
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
sfgothgirl 4 months ago (edited)
I'm pretty sure this was the actual cover when I read this in high school, circa 1986. Looked it up, survey says . . . YUP! Oh, look at that - source is amazon
#58
Boy Wonder: My Life In Tights - Burt Ward
Laszlo Larthlanc 4 months ago
From goodreads: "As Robin, the Boy Wonder in the popular "Batman" television series -- still seen in every television U.S. and abroad -- Burt Ward has become a durable cult figure recognized the world over. In his book he describes how a 21-year-old former part-time real estate agent coped with the overnight transition to world-wide recognizable male s e x symbol." So, the cover seems accurate, package and all.
#59
Blood Meridian - Cormac Mccarthy
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What do you think ?
Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago
Hmm. Some of these covers appear to be obvious jokes. Some of them are very good. The French Tolkien covers are crimes against art and literature.
Virgil Blue 4 months ago
My pet peeve are SF novels with beautiful space art put on them that has nothing to do with the contents.
Forrest Hobbs 4 months ago
Hmm. Some of these covers appear to be obvious jokes. Some of them are very good. The French Tolkien covers are crimes against art and literature.
Virgil Blue 4 months ago
My pet peeve are SF novels with beautiful space art put on them that has nothing to do with the contents.
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