Book Art: Mid-Century Covers

I must admit, I have a bit of a thing for book covers. And by a bit of a thing, I mean that I dedicated a whole semester last year to creating a digital archive of childrens' book covers. Coming across this collection from the Crossett Library at Bennington College was therefore especially exciting. These designs are such good examples of the mid-century modern aesthetic, using simple shapes and colors palettes to create drama. Don't they just make you want to pick them up and start reading?

Row 1: The Hero by Lord Raglan, cover design by Ivan Chermayeff (1956); The Long March by William Styron, cover design by George Giusti (1962)
Row 2: Lies Like Truth by Harold Clurman, cover design by Roy Kuhlman (1958); The American Democrat by James Fenimore Cooper, cover design by Paul Rand (1956)
Row 3: Britain at War, edited by Monroe Wheeler, cover design by E. McKnight Kauffer (1941); The Fall of the Russian Monarchy by Sir Bernard Pares, cover design by George Giusti (1961)

Images from Flickr, via Aqua-Velvet.