Best Book Covers

I originally wanted to title this post "Worst Book Covers", but then I decided that it wouldn't be very nice to pick on the graphic design problems that plagued the philosophy series of certain American publishers in the late 1990s. If you're in the mood for making such a list, I encourage you to submit your suggestions in the comments section below. Or, if you're that type of (negative) person, you might simply rest content with enjoying the "Worst Album Covers" lists currently circulating the internet, such as the one at the following website:

http://porktornado.diaryland.com/albumcover.html

Anyway, in an attempt to be a positive sort of guy, I nominate Penguin's "Great Ideas" series as the best book covers of 2005. I've posted a couple of their philosophy titles above, which contain selections from Nietzsche and Augustine, respectively. To be honest, however, these books must be seen in person to be fully appreciated, because the designs on the covers are embossed. The gist of the cover design of the series is that each cover aims to emulate the sort of typography (or calligraphy) that is characteristic of the age in which the text was originally written. The full series can be enjoyed at the following website:

http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/articles/greatideas/