The fun thing about creating these lists of books with unique design aspects is that I'm learning a lot about... well, book design. And one of the best things I've learned is the technical terms printers & designers use for the various parts of a book. So most readers just call a hardcover book without its dust jacket a "naked book," which is always a fun term, but a hardbound book's cover is actually the case cover. If you're interested in learning more about the different parts and design aspects of printing books, my favorite source is
The Book Designer. Today, I'm talking about books with case covers that have been embellished in some way as a nod to the book or the author.
How are case covers embellished? Again, most of us typically use the term embossed. I have discovered that this term is factually incorrect as emboss means to raise, and because case covers are cardboard that have been covered in fabric or paper, the surface isn't able to be raised. Deboss is the correct term when talking about stamped case covers, and the two kinds of debossing that occur are a blind stamp—an uncolored depression on the case cover—or foil stamping—using colored foil to make the stamp stand out. Dust jackets, on the other hand, ARE able to be embossed because a stamp can be applied to the bottom, and the title, author name, or art can be pushed up.
Source
The other way covers are embellished is by using a specially designed wrap instead of the more typical paper/cloth wraps. These covers are smoother and glossier, and usually more colorful because they can be printed, unlike the cloth covers. Examples include Suzanne Young's The Program series, Kayla Cagan's Piper Perish, and Matthew Quick's Every Exquisite Thing.
Note 1: Unless specified, the default is the US "regular" edition.
Note 1A: German editions are really fucking cool & super underrated, you guys. Everyone always talks about US & UK/Australia, but GERMAN EDITIONS ARE GORGEOUS.
Note 2: Most of these are YA fiction, but I AM including some middle grade and adult fiction and YA nonfiction.
Note 3: Many books published by HarperCollins's Greenwillow Books imprint are stamped with a Greenwillow-specifc stamp, but I don't know if it's all of them, nor do I have a complete list of those titles. Eliza and Her Monsters is one of these.
Note 4: If I have one book in a series listed instead of the entire series, it's because I can't confirm the entire series has a stamped cover.
Note 5: This list got way longer than I expected. I didn't want to cut the MG & adult fiction because I WORKED HARD TO FIND ALL OF THESE, DANGIT, SO I'M GOING TO SHOW THEM ALL. But I have bolded the "regular" YA editions to make those easier to spot.
10 Things I Can See From Here - Carrie Mac
23 Minutes - Vivian Vande Velde
99 Days - Katie Cotugno
Abarat - Clive Barker
Absent - Katie Williams
The Accidental Highwayman - Ben Tripp
After Alice - Gregory Maguire
Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary - Martha Brockenbrough
All the Bright Places (US & Turkish editions) - Jennifer Niven
The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman (not sure which edition)
American Panda - Gloria Chao
And a Happy New Year - Holly Bourne
And the Ocean Was Our Sky - Patrick Ness
Angel - Cliff McNish
Angel Thieves - Kathi Appelt
Arc of a Scythe series - Neal Shusterman
Armada - Ernest Cline
Artemis (UK) - Andy Weir
Ash - James Herbert
The Astonishing Color of After - Emily X.R. Pan
Awake in the World - Jason Gurley
Batman: Nightwalker - Marie Lu
Becoming Beatriz - Tami Charles
Beneath the Haunting Sea - Joanna Ruth Meyer
Birthright trilogy - Gabrielle Zevin
Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
Black Widow duology - Margaret Stohl
The Blackcoat Rebellion trilogy - Aimée Carter
Blood Countess - Lana Popovic
The Bone Season series - Samantha Shannon
Born Wicked (German edition) - Jessica Spotswood
Borne - Jeff Vandermeer
The Brightest Stars of Summer - Leila Howland
Bumped duology - Megan McCafferty
The Call - Peadar O'Guilin
Caraval trilogy (UK and US editions have different designss) - Stephanie Garber
Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Carve the Mark duology - Veronica Roth
Catwoman: Soulstealer - Sarah J. Maas
Chaos Walking series - Patrick Ness
Charlotte Holmes series - Brittany Cavallaro
Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi
The Chronicles of the Black Tulip series - Barry Wolverton
Circe (UK) - Madeline Miller
City Love series - Susane Colasanti
Clash of Kingdoms series - Erin Summerill
The Conquerer's Saga - Kiersten White
Conviction - Kelly Loy Gilbert
A Corner of White - Jaclyn Moriarty
The Cost of All Things - Maggie Lehrman
Court of Shadows - Madeleine Roux
A Court of Wings and Ruin (Target edition) - Sarah J. Maas
The Cresswell Plot - Eliza Wass
The Crown's Game - Evelyn Skye
Cruel Beauty & Crimson Bound - Rosamund Hodge
The Cruel Prince - Holly Black
The Curiosities - Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff & Tessa Gratton
A Curse Dark as Gold - Elizabeth C. Bunce
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip - Jordan Sonnenblick
Da Vinci's Tiger - L.M. Elliott
The Dark Artifices (special Waterstones edition) - Cassandra Clare
Dark Breaks the Dawn - Sara B. Larson
A Darker Shade of Magic (special edition) - V.E. Schwab
The Deadly Sister - Eliot Schrefer
Deadmen Walking - Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dear Killer - Katherine Ewell
Department Nineteen - Will Hill
Divergent series - Veronica Roth
The Diviners (original hc) - Libba Bray
Doppelganger - David Stahler Jr.
Dorothy Must Die series - Danielle Paige
Draw the Line - Laurent Linn
Dreamology - Lucy Keating
Driving by Starlight - Anat Deracine
Dumplin - Julie Murphy
Echo - Pam Munoz Ryan
Eliza and Her Monsters - Francesca Zappia
Embassy Row - Ally Carter
Ember Quartet - Sabaa Tahir (definitely Ember & Torch. Will have to see if the newly designed covers keep the stamp)
The End or Something Like That - Ann Dee Ellis
Ensnared - A.G. Howard
Enter Title Here - Rahul Kanakia
Even if the Sky Falls - Mia Garcia
The Ever Never Handbook - Soman Chainani
Every Exquisite Thing - Matthew Quick
Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon
Exile series - Kevin Emerson
Exit, Pursued by a Bear - E.K. Johnston
Exo series - Fonda Lee
The Fall of Butterflies - Andrea Portes
Fangirl (special editions in US & UK) - Rainbow Rowell
The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy - Sam Maggs
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them - J.K. Rowling
Farmer Giles of Ham (50th anniversary edition) - J.R.R. Tolkien
Female of the Species - Mindy McGinnis
Final Draft - Riley Redgate
Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella
Firefight - Brandon Sanderson
Firewalker - Josephine Angelini
First & Then - Emma Mills
Foolish Hearts - Emma Mills
The Forgetting duology - Sharon Cameron
Forgotten - P.C & Kristin Cast
Forgotten - Cat Patrick
Frannie & Tru - Karen Hattrup
Freshmen - Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison
The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs
Geekerella - Ashley Poston
The Geek's Guide to Dating - Eric Smith
Gena/Finn - Hannah Moskowitz & Kat Helgeson
Getting the Girl - Markus Zusak
Giant Days - Non Pratt
Girl Against the Universe - Paula Stokes
Girl in the Blue Coat - Monica Hesse
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan
Girls of Storm and Shadow - Natasha Ngan
Girls on the Line - Jennie Liu
Give Me Some Truth - Eric Gansworth
Given to the Sea - Mindy McGinnis
The Glass Casket - McCormick Templeman
The Golden Yarn - Cornelia Funke
Goldenhand - Garth Nix
Good Girls - Laura Ruby
The Grace Year - Kim Liggett
The Gracekeepers - Kirsty Logan
The Graces - Laure Eve
Grandmaster - David Klass
The Great Hunt - Wendy Higgins
Gris Grimly's Frankenstein - Gris Grimly
Gris Grimly's Tales from the Brothers Grim - Gris Grimly
Gwendy's Button Box - Stephen King & Richard T. Chizmar
H20 - Virginia Bergin
Harry Potter & the Cursed Child - J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany
Heartless - Marissa Meyer
Heraclix & Pomp - Forrest Aguirre
Hereafter - Tara Hudson
Hidden Figures (Young readers' edition) - Margot Lee Shetterly
A History of Magic
Holding Up the Universe - Jennifer Niven
Holly Jolly Summer - Tiffany Stewart
Honor Code - Kiersi Burkhart
Horizon - Scott Westerfeld
House of Night - P.C. & Kristin Cast
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
I Am America (And So Can You!) - Stephen Colbert
I Hope You Get This Message - Farah Naz Rishi
The Ice Dragon - George R.R. Martin
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
The Illuminae Files - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Illusionarium - Heather Dixon
Illusions of Fate - Kiersten White
Impostors - Scott Westerfeld
In the Hall with the Knife - Diana Peterfreund
Incarnate trilogy - Jodi Meadows
Infinite In Between - Carolyn Mackler
The Infinite Moment of Us - Lauren Myracle
Ink - Alic Broadway
Irises - Francisco X. Stork
Iron Cast - Destiny Soria
Ivory and Bone - Julie Eshbaugh
Jackpot - Nic Stone
Jane Unlimited - Kristin Cashore
Jasper Dent series - Barry Lyga
Jessica Rules the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey
Juba! - Walter Dean Myers
Juliet Takes a Breath - Gabby Rivera
Kaspar: Prince of Cats - Michael Morpugo
Kill the Boy Band - Goldy Moldavsky
King Dork Approximately - Frank Portman
The King of Bones & Ashes - J.D. Horn
The Kingkiller Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss
Klickitat - Peter Pock
La Belle Sauvage (US & UK have different designs) - Philip Pullman
The Land of Laughs - Jonathan Caroll
Landline - Rainbow Rowell
The Language of Thorns - Leigh Bardugo
The Last Ever After - Soman Chainani
The Last Little Blue Envelope - Maureen Johnson
Last of Her Name - Jessica Khoury
Last Star Burning - Caitlin Sangster
The Last Time We Said Goodbye - Cynthia Hand
The Leaving Season - Cat Jordan
Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters - Emily Roberson
A List of Cages - Robin Roe
Listen to Your Heart - Kasie West
A Little in Love - Susan E. Fletcher
Lois Lane: Fallout - Gwenda Bond
The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor
The Loom Saga - Elise Kova
The Loose Ends List - Carrie Firestone
Lorien Legacies series - Pittacus Lore
The Lost Girl - Sangu Mandanna
A Lotus Grows in the Mud - Goldie Hawn & Wendy Holden
The Lunar Chronicles (German editions) - Marissa Meyer
The Lure - Lynne Ewing
The Madman's Daughter trilogy - Megan Shepherd
A Madness so Discreet - Mindy McGinnis
The Magic Misfits - Neal Patrick Harris
Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Magonia - Maria Dahvana Headley
Maleficent - not sure of the author, but probably the Elizabeth Rudnick version
Maresi - Maria Turschaninoff
Matilda - Roald Dahl (this is a special edition, but I don't know which. Case cover is blue)
Mechanica - Betsy Cornwall
The Mermaid & Mrs. Hancock - Imogen Hermes Gowar
Messenger of Fear series - Michael Grant
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
Mike - Andrew Norriss
Mind Games - Kiersten White
Minor Prophets - Jimmy Cajoleas
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children trilogy - Ransom Riggs
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
Ms. Bixby's Last Day - John David Anderson
Munmun - Jesse Andrews
The Music of What Happens - Bill Konigsberg
My Heart and Other Black Holes - Jasmine Warga
My Lady Jane - Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows
My True Love Gave to Me - Stephanie Perkins
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Nation - Terry Pratchett
The Nevernight Chronicle series (UK) - Jay Kristoff
Night of Cake & Puppets - Laini Taylor
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
Nightmares: The Lost Lullaby - Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Noir - robert Coover
Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
Obsidian (German edition) - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Obsidian Mirror - Catherine Fisher
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
Off the Page - Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer
Once Upon an Alphabet - Oliver Jeffers
One of Us - Jeannie Waudby
Ones and Zeroes - Dan Wells
The Other Normals - Ned Vizzini
Otherbound - Corrine Duyvis
Otherworld - Jason Segel & Kristen Miller
Our Chemical Hearts - Krystal Sutherland
Out of the Blue - Sophie Cameron
Panic - Sasha Dawn
Paper Valentine - Brenna Yovanoff
Paperweight - Meg Haston
Passenger duology - Alexandra Bracken
Pax - Sara Pennypacker
Pearl - Dierdre Hall
Perfect Lies - Kiersten White
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Picture Us in the Light - Kelly Loy Gilbert
Piper Perish - Kayla Cagan
Police - Jo Nesbo
The Power - Naomi Alderman
Pretty Little Liars series - Sara Shepard
The Program - Suzanne Young
PS I Like You - Kasie West
Pushing the Limits series - Katie McGarry
Queer City - Peter Akroyd
Rain - Karen Duve (possibly German edition)
The Raven Cylce - Maggie Stiefvater
Ravenspire series - C.J. Redwine
Rebel Mechanics - Shanna Swendson
Rebel Rising - Beth Revis
Red Queen (collector's edition for sure) - Victoria Aveyard
Revenge & the Wild - Michelle Modesto
Reign of Shadows duology - Sophie Jordan
Release (I think this is the UK edition) - Patrick Ness
Renegades (Target edition) - Marissa Meyer
Replica series - Lauren Oliver
The Rest of Us Just Live Here (US & UK have different stamps) - Patrick Ness
Ripper - Stefan Petrucha
Rook - Sharon Cameron
Royce Rolls - Margaret Stohl
Saint Iggy - K.L. Going
Salt - Hannah Moskowitz
Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
Say What You Will - Cammie McGovern
The Scar Boys - Len Vlahos
Scorched - Mari Mancusi
The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (unknown which edition)
The Selection series - Kiera Cass
Serafina and the Black Cloak - Robert Beatty
Seven Ways We Lie - Riley Redgate
Sewer, Gas and Electric: The Public Works Trilogy - Matt Ruff (not sure of the edition. Possibly German. It's a red cover with a SHARK on it!)
Sexy - Joyce Carol Oates
Shadow & Bone trilogy (German edition) - Leigh Bardugo
The Shadow Society - Marie Rutkoski
The Shadowhunters Codex - Cassandra Clare
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi (I have no idea which edition, but I HAVE SEEN ONE)
She Myself and I - Emma Young
The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett
Shine - Lauren Myracle
Ship It - Britta Lundin
Sightwitch - Susan Dennard
The Silver Trilogy (German edition) - Kerstin Gier
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
Skink No Surrender - Carl Hiaasen
Sky in the Deep - Adrienne Young
Skylark - Meagan Spooner
Slade House - David Mitchell
Slay - Brittney Morris
The Sleeper & the Spindle - Neil Gaiman
Sleeping Giants - Sylvain Newvel
Sleeping Beauties (Waterstones edition has 5 different designs) - Stephen & Owen King
The Smoke Thieves (UK edition, I think?) - Sally Green
Snakehead - can't confirm which author, but possibly Anthony Horowitz
Snow & Rose - Emily Winfield Martin
Snow Like Ashes trilogy - Sara Raasch
So, und jetzt kommst du (obviously German) - Arno Frank
A Song of Ice and Fire series - George R.R. Martin
Spellcaster trilogy - Claudia Gray
Spill Zone - Scott Westerfeld
Spindle Fire - Lexya Hillyer
Splintered trilogy - A.G. Howard
The Stand - Stephen King
Star Wars illustrated novels
└The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy - Alexandra Bracken
└So You Want to Be a Jedi - Adam Gidwitz
└Beware the Power of the Dark Side - Tom Angleberger
Starbound trilogy (German editions) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner (German covers are almost always super fucking cool, guys)
Strange the Dreamer duology - Laini Taylor
Struck - Jennifer Bosworth
Summer Days & Summer Nights - Stephanie Perkins
SuperMoon - H.A. Swain
The Summoner series - Taran Matharu
The Sun is Also a Star - Nicola Yoon
The Surface Breaks - Louise O'Neill
Take the Mic - edited by Bethany C. Morrow
Talon series - Julie Kagawa
Tattoo Atlas - Tim Floreen
Teardrop - Lauren Kate
Tell Me Three Things - Julie Buxbaum
Tell Me Everything - Sarah Enni
This Adventure Ends - Emma Mills
This Dark Endeavor - Kenneth Oppell
This is My Brain on Boys - Sarah Strohmeyer
This Song Will Save Your Life - Leila Sales
A Thousand Nights series (UK & US have different designs) - E.K. Johnston
The Thousandth Floor - Katharine McGee
Three Dark Crowns - Kendare Blake
Tiger's Voyage - Colleen Houck
Timber Creek Station - Ali Lewis
Top Prospect - Paul Volponi
The Traitor's Game series - Jennifer Nielsen
The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
A Trick of the Light - Lois Metzger
Trickster's Choice - Tamora Pierce
Trigger Warning - Neil Gaimon
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean Telt by Hisself - David Almond
Truest - Jackie Lea Sommers
Turtles All the Way Down - John Green
Under Rose-Tainted Skies - Louise Gornall
Unearthly trilogy - Cynthia Hand
The Unlikelies - Carrie Firestone
Unrivaled - Alyson Noel
Valkyrie Rising - Ingrid Paulson
Villains series - Serena Valentino
Vivian Divine is Dead - Lauren Sabel
Warcross (UK) - Marie Lu
Watership Down - Richard Adams
We'll Fly Away - Bryan Bliss
What If - Robert Munroe
What the Dead Want - Norah Olson
What to Say Next - Julie Buxbaum
What We Saw - Aaron Hartzler
Whenever I'm With You - Lydia Sharp
Who Put This Song On? - Morgan Parker
The Wicked Deep - Shea Ernshaw
Wild Awake - Hilary T. Smith
Wing & Claw: Forest of Wonders - Sue Park
Winner's Trilogy - Marie Rutkoski
Winterwood - Shea Ernshaw
The Witch Hunter (German edition) - Virginia Boecker
Wolkenschloss (German edition) - Kerstin Gier
The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware
Wonder - R.J. Palacio
Wonder Woman: Warbringer - Leigh Bardugo
Yes Please - Amy Poehler
Young Man With Camera - Emil Sher
Zombies vs Unicorns - Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier
Gallery
Blood of Eden trilogy - Julie Kagawa
Dumplin - Julie Murphy
Embassy Row trilogy - Ally Carter
Emma Mills's books
top: First & Then, This Adventure Ends
B&N exclusive Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Geekerella - Ashley Poston
Girl Against the Universe - Paula Stokes
Illusions of Fate - Kiersten White
Night of Cake & Puppets - Laini Taylor
Not if I Save You First - Ally Carter
Talon & Rogue - Julie Kagawa
The Wicked Deep - Shea Ernshaw
Which of these hidden designs is your favorite? Is a book missing? Let me know in the comments!
