Sometimes a book or series of books transcends simple stories and entertainment and becomes something deeper, more personal and yet more universal. You can tell these by a number of factors including how prevalent the terms and names are used in the zeitgeist, how often they’re read long after they’ve been published, and even if they start getting assigned in schools. But another huge way to know of a book’s staying power is how many different editions come out, and with how many different covers. The James Bond novels by Ian Fleming and Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien seem to keep coming out with new editions, but none have had so many covers so quickly as J.K. Rowling‘s endlessly re-readable Harry Potter books.
For a new batch of Potter eBooks, artist Olly Moss has been tapped to do the cover illustrations for all seven books. Each has a mixture of minimalist expressionism and old (wizarding) world timelessness. Moss has made a name for himself as an artist in his reimaginings of movie posters and was even tapped by Kevin Feige to create a poster for the cast of Thor.
In an interview with Pottermore, Moss was asked which one was his favorite to draw and he responded “Deathly Hallows is my favorite cover, because it’s the image that has summed up Harry Potter in my mind for such a long time. The scar – it feels like the culmination of the entire series and that’s the image that’s been stuck in my head.”
If you look closely, the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry’s head has a secret hiding within it… He Who Must Not Be Named. That scar is Harry’s constant reminder of his arch nemesis, so why not visually depict that? What a cool idea!
The eBooks with Moss’s covers are available at all reputable electronic book retailers anywhere. Which of the covers is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
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HT: Entertainment Weekly
Images: Olly Moss/Courtesy Everett Collection
