Whether it's the style of the cover illustration, the material of the binding, or the staggering attention to detail, a beautifully bound book can create an atmosphere that's uniquely special.
Here are seven websites where you can find beautifully bound books:
1. The Folio Society
For over 70 years, The Folio Society has been delivering stunning editions of prominent books, both fiction and non-fiction.
The Folio Society uses a variety of different illustrators across their books to perfectly capture the tone, style, and attention to detail of the book in question. This creates a diverse range of beautifully bound books, each containing a set of unique illustrations.
With a finite supply as well as their exclusive and incredibly detailed Limited Editions, it's common for The Folio Society books to run out of stock. Therefore, if there's an edition you've had your eye on that's out of stock it may be worth checking Ardis Books, who specialize in rare and out-of-print Folio titles as well as these online alternatives to buying from Amazon.
The Folio Society's consistency and quality among a range of genres and art styles mean that, whatever book or style you're looking for, there will be something that'll catch your eye.
2. Barnes & Noble
They are one of the most popular and renowned booksellers today, with millions of books to choose from. Barnes & Noble has some excellent editions, namely in their B&N Leatherbound Classics and Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions sections.
Both these sections offer unique and picturesque editions of prominent books spanning multiple genres that are as decorative as they are durable.
With a comprehensive display of eye-catching books for all ages and interests, a Barnes & Noble edition may well be the next book to add to your bookshelf.
3. Penguin Books
Another prominent bookseller, this time in the UK, Penguin Books has been at the forefront of publishing since the 1930s, bringing high-quality literature to the mass market.
Penguin Books features two wondrous sections of beautifully bound books. The first is Penguin Clothbound Classics, a series of 85 hauntingly beautiful clothbound hardbacks designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.
Comprising some of the best-known works in fiction, many of these books feature cover images that are unique to look at yet still maintain the same essence within their design.
There are 3 boxed sets here, featuring the works of The Brontë Sisters, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. Also included are more continental works, such as John. D Smith's abridged translation of The Mahabharata and The Journey to the West, one of the 4 great classical novels of Chinese literature.
The second is Puffin Clothbound Classics, a selection of 10 books from Penguin Books' children's imprint. 7 of these clothbound classics contain gorgeous cover designs that appeal to both children and adults alike, making them perfect additions to the family library.
4. Canterbury Classics
Specializing in—you guessed it—classics, Canterbury Classics offers a mix of clothbound and leatherbound books, including 5 complete boxed sets, perfect for any gifting occasion.
Canterbury Classics also include illustrated clothbound editions of classics such as Black Beauty, Peter Pan, and Wizard of Oz as well as offering small collections of modern editions of poetry books, newly illustrated graphic novels, and inspirational journals.
The leatherbound books here are particularly special as they are beautifully presented and formatted, with lush covers and gilded pages. Their books include collections of works by prominent authors such as H. G. Wells and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as compilations like Classic Works from Women Writers.
5. Chiltern Publishing
Chiltern Publishing offers a limited but powerful range of classics, each bound with distinctly ornate covers that reflect their style.
These books stand out due to their beautiful binding and striking covers and are just as elegant to read as they are to behold.
Chiltern Publishing also offers handcrafted journals that match the style of their classics, making them a perfect bundle to buy for yourself or as a gift package.
6. Easton Press
Easton Press features a range of premium leatherbound books with gilded pages accented with 22kt gold across a variety of genres.
These stunningly bound books focus on the intricacy and minimalism of the covers, though there are some amazingly detailed cover illustrations on many of them. What you get is an incredibly sleek and elegant book that oozes charm.
In addition to their individual books, the Easton Press features full collections such as Tolkien's Classics (The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings trilogy, and The Silmarillion), The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and all of Jane Austen's fully completed novels. Easton Press also has signed editions of a limited number of books.
If any of the books on Easton Presses shelf is a particular favorite of yours, its addition to your library will be timeless.
7. Suntup Press
Started in 2016, Suntup Press is a relatively new press, featuring an extremely limited set of books with only a few publications per year.
For each publication, Suntup Press collaborates with "some of today's leading writers, artists, designers, printers and bookmakers to create an edition that is in itself, an art object".
These books are utterly spectacular. One look at their editions is enough to confirm that the quality of craftsmanship on display is second to none. These editions come in multiple formats, featuring individual books, numbered editions, and signed collector's editions.
While these usually go out of stock very quickly and can be quite expensive, it would be worth keeping an eye on Suntup Press in case the perfect edition of your favorite novel appears that you just can't pass up.
Where to Find Your Next Book
The good thing about each of these sites is that they all offer distinctly different covers and styles while maintaining a high quality of craftsmanship. You will look at a book differently when they are so nicely packaged, and these sites are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to finding your next book.
If you're searching for new book recommendations, we've rounded up some of the best sites for finding what books to read next as well as the best books to read this year, which should prove helpful.