Sure it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but a well designed book cover—and spine—acts as a form of respect to its contents. The most beautiful book publishers produce tomes that are not only lovingly bound and boast aesthetically pleasing covers, but also pay heed to typeface and layout on the inside, resulting in books that are not only pretty to look at but a joy to read.
Ranging from gloriously illustrated hardback editions from The Folio Society that act of works of art in and of themselves and beautiful leatherbound and clothbound editions by publishing houses like Suntup Editions and Lyra’s Books to those with a niche focus such as Persephone Books, the best beautiful book publishers see style and substance co-exist on the page (and the cover). And while many of our favourite book publishers are independent, we’d be remiss to overlook imprints from bigger names — the likes of Penguin and Barnes & Noble produce lovely classic editions at relatively accessible price points.
Most of the more prolific publishers in this article specialise in a particular type of book—whether it’s classics, contemporary literature, forgotten novels, or female authors—which makes it easy to start a collection when you find a publisher whose style you enjoy.
The best beautiful book publishers
Herewith, the publishers producing the most aesthetically pleasing tomes on the market.
1. The Folio Society
With a wide-ranging repertoire spanning classic and contemporary genre fiction, non-fiction, and children’s fiction, The Folio Society produces gorgeous collectible editions of books worth lingering over. Each hardback edition is individually designed and painstakingly illustrated, with the design adding a new dimension to the reading experience. Each hardcover is almost too pretty to read and the price point is relatively steep here, so we’d recommend The Folio Society editions for books you already love—and ideally have a less finicky paperback copy of—or as a cherished gift for a loved one.
Established in: 1947
Founders: Charles Ede, Christopher Sandford, Alan Bott
Headquarters: London, England
Independently owned? Yes
2. Paper Mill Press
On the other end of the price spectrum, Paper Mill Press editions pose a viable way to curate an aesthetically pleasing bookshelf without breaking the bank. Produced by Canadian bargain book wholesaler Book Depot, Paper Mill Press publishes a range of classic fiction—including the works of Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Louisa May Alcott, and Leo Tolstoy—with colourful sueded cloth covers, ribbon markers, and metallic foiled details. Paper Mill Press produces both a Classics and Prestige collection; the former has flexibound covers while the latter are hardbacks and have illustrated details inside.
Established in: 1985 (Book Depot)
Founder: John Hultink (Book Depot)
Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
Independently owned? No
3. Persephone Books
Persephone Books is something of a cult-favourite amongst book lovers, with the independent publisher having dedicated itself to spotlighting the work of overlooked female authors — particularly from the interbellum period. All of the titles published by Persephone Books—either implicitly or explicitly—focus on women’s everyday lives and are identifiable by their distinctive jackets; all bathed in the same elegant yet severe shade of cool grey and complemented by funky endpapers taken from textiles that were either designed around the time the book was written or thematically reference what the book is about.
Established in: 1999
Founder: Nicola Beauman
Headquarters: Bath, England
Independently owned? Yes
5. Virago Modern Classics
Virago Press was founded by Australian-born, London-based publisher Carmen Callil in 1973 with the intention to “publish books which celebrated women and women’s lives, and which would, by so doing, spread the message of women’s liberation to the whole population.” The feminist publisher is now owned by Hachette, but maintains its commitment to amplifying female writers.
The publisher started the Virago Modern Classics imprint in 1978, with the line identifiable by their iconic green spines. While the new Modern Classics line—which includes novels like Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann and Girl, Interrupted by Suzanna Kaysen—sees the aesthetic of the original green spines contemporised in paperback form, we’re partial to the Designer Collection, which comprises hardcover classics each with covers created by textile designers.
Established in: 1973
Founder: Carmen Callil
Headquarters: London, England
Independently owned? No, owned by Hachette
6. Faber
One of the largest independent publishers in the world, Faber has a long track record for publishing poetry (T. S. Eliot was the publishing house’s inaugural poetry editor) and has thus far published thirteen Nobel Laureates and six Booker Prize-winners. Faber has a long history of strong cover designs, from the early works of German typographer and designer Berthold Wolpe—who was instrumental in shaping the brand’s visual identity and designed the ‘Albertus’ typeface which is inextricably associated with the British publishing house—to the contemporary calligraphy of Seb Lester and striking book jacket designs of Jon Gray. While the publishing house’s prose carries on the tradition of bold cover designs, Faber’s typographic poetry covers are striking in their simplicity, with their plain covers letting the power of the signature Albertus typeface and colour theory do the talking.
Established in: 1929
Founder: Geoffrey Faber
Headquarters: London, England
Independently owned? Yes
7. Penguin Clothbound Classics
The blueprint for many of the vintage-inspired bound books we see today, the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection was conceived by Penguin designer Coralie Bickford-Smith, who was inspired by Victorian-era bindings. Initially released with ten editions and exclusively available in the UK, each book in the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection saw a colourful linen-look cover stamped with an all-over repeated foil-stamped motif that referenced the story within. Almost two decades on and the collection comprises over a hundred works, with the overarching aesthetic remaining the same. The colourful covers, hardback bindings, and reasonable price point make for eminently collectable books.
Established in: 1935 (as Penguin Books)
Founders: Richard, John, and Allen Lane
Headquarters: London, England and New York, United States
Independently owned? No, owned by Penguin Random House
8. The Schocken Kafka Library
Destined to cater to a niche subset of readers, the The Schocken Kafka Library sees Franz Fafka’s oeuvre published in paperback format with beautifully illustrated covers by Peter Mendelsund. Published by Schocken Books, the publishing imprint of Penguin Random House that specializes in Jewish literary works, the collection features the FF Mister K typeface—a font family developed by Julia Sysmäläinen from Kafka’s own handwriting—which pairs with Mendelsund’s abstract surrealist, almost Bauhaus-style cover art to create book designs that are talking points in their own right.
Established in: 1935 (Penguin Books); 1927 (Random House)
Founders: Richard, John, and Allen Lane (Penguin Books); Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer (Random House)
Headquarters: London, England and New York, United States
Independently owned? No, owned by Penguin Random House
9. Fitzcarraldo Editions
For books that hold both aesthetic and intellectual weight, Fitzcarraldo Editions is the publisher of choice. Specialising in contemporary fiction and long-form essays, the independent British publisher focuses on esoteric and imaginative work by underrated authors, with Nobel Prize-winning authors Svetlana Alexievich, Olga Tokarczuk, Annie Ernaux and Jon Fosse among them. Fitzcarraldo Editions are published as paperbacks and bear distinctive covers designed by Ray O’Meara—cobalt blue for fiction and white for essays—and feature a custom-designed serif typeface, called ‘Fitzcarraldo’.
Established in: 2014
Founder: Jacques Testard
Headquarters: London, England
Independently owned? Yes
10. Pushkin Press
Spanning an eclectic range of classics, contemporary fiction, crime (the Japanese crime selection is particularly noteworthy), non-fiction, and children’s books, Pushkin Press produces some of the most consistently beautiful paperbacks. With stylish covers and good paperstock, each of Pushkin Press’ imprints look good on a shelf and are enjoyable to read — with plenty of niche and underrated titles, the Pushkin Classics imprint is a particular standout.
Established in: 1997
Founder: Melissa Ulfane
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Independently owned? Yes
11. Archipelago Books
Bringing international authors who western audiences may not otherwise encounter to the forefront, Archipelago Books is a not-for-profit publisher that specialises in translated works. Visually united by their museum-style covers in muted colours with oversized borders that act as picture frames for the cover art, Archipelago Books are aesthetically cohesive on a shelf yet varied in subject matter.
Established in: 2003
Founder: Jill Schoolman
Headquarters: New York, United States
Independently owned? Yes
12. Suntup Editions
Committed to fine printing and design, Suntup Editions collaborates with artists, typographers, letterpress and offset printers, and hand bookbinders to produce lovingly leather-bound hardback editions of classic books. With just a handful of editions produced each year—each in limited quantities—Suntup Editions proves what’s on the outside is equally as important as what’s inside.
Established in: 2016
Founder: Paul Suntup
Headquarters: California, United States
Independently owned? Yes
Words by T. Angel
