It is really hard to graphically give an idea of a book and make it visually attractive, even harder than when working on brochure printing. I’ve been searching for book covers that achieve this, you can see what I found in this post.
The Gettysburg address, designed by David Pearson.
Czechoslovakian book cover, 1954. Via Flickr.
A great cover for the Great Gatsby. Via Boheme Extreme.
Kant & Phenomenology. A book cover by Isaac Tobin for the University of Chicago Press.
A Monster’s Notes. Via The Book Design Review.
Quarrel & Quandary, a minimalistic typographic cover.
Ernest Hemingway book cover illustrated. Via Flickr.
The Kiss of Anton Chekhov, designed by Darren Haggar.