Reusable Cover Art in
Historical Novels:
A Gallery
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| Sharon Penman, Here Be Dragons Penguin (UK), 1991, paperback |
Brenda Rickman Vantrease, The Illuminator St. Martin's Press (US), 2005, hardback |
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Oxford World's Classics, 1998, paperback |
| Source: Detail from Arcita and Palamon looking at Emily in her garden, an illustration from Boccacio's Teseida which Chaucer used as a source for The Knight's Tale. Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna. Thanks to Lane Wallett for the Chaucer info and the source. | ||
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| Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of
Love Random House (US), 1994, hardback |
Ann Chamberlin, Sofia Forge (US), 1996, hardback |
Janet Wallach, Seraglio Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (US) 2003, hardback |
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| Katie Hickman, The Aviary Gate Bloomsbury USA, 2008, hb |
Ellen T. White, Simply Irresistible:
Unleash Your Inner Siren... Running Press, 2007, pb |
Rebecca Kohn, The Gilded Chamber Penguin (US), 2005, paperback |
| Cover painting: Adapted
from Sir Frank
Dicksee's Leila (1892) (thanks to Mike Henry for the Ackerman find, and to Deanna Raybourn for the White) |
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| Kate McCafferty, Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl Viking (US), 2002, hardback |
Nancy McKenzie, Queen of Camelot Del Rey (US), 2002, paperback |
Ann Moore, Leaving Ireland New American Library, 2002, paperback |
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| Karen Essex, Kleopatra, Warner (US), 2001, hardback |
Anthony O'Neill, Scheherazade, HarperCollins Australia, 2001, trade paper |
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| Colleen McCullough, The October Horse, Simon & Schuster (US), 2002, hardcover |
Pauline Gedge, Lady of the Reeds |
Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra, St. Martin's Press (US), 1998, paperback |
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Maggie Anton, Rashi's Daughters |
Mike Resnick, Lady with an Alien |
James McKean, Quattrocento |
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Source: Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine (ca.1482) |
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| James McKean, Quattrocento Doubleday (US), 2002, hardcover |
Michele Desbordes, The
Maid's Request Faber & Faber (UK), 2003, hardcover |
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Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci, circa 1474. |
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| Sandra Gulland, The Many
Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. Scribner (US), 1999, trade paper |
Susan Carroll, The Courtesan Ballantine (US), 2005, trade paper |
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Source: Josephine Bonaparte, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1805 |
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| Sandor Marai, Embers Knopf (US), 2001, hardback and Vintage (US), 2002, trade paper |
Dan Jacobson, All for Love Penguin (UK), 2006, trade paper |
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| Henry Grunwald, A Saint More
or Less Random House (US), 2004, hardback, and 2005, trade paperback |
Margaret Starbird, Mary
Magdalene, Bride in Exile Bear & Company, 2005, paperback (nonfiction) |
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Source: Magdalen, painted by Pietro Perugino (AD 1500). |
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| Diana Norman, Taking
Liberties Berkley (US), 2004, trade paper |
James Conroyd Martin, Push Not the River St. Martin's Press (US), 2005, hardbound |
Flora Fraser, Beloved Emma John Murray (UK), 2003, paperback (nonfiction) |
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights Bantam, 1983 reprint ed., paperback |
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Norah Lofts, Emma Hamilton Putnam, 1978, hardbound |
Lauren Willig, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose Dutton (US), 2008, hardbound |
Kate Williams, England's
Mistress Hutchinson (UK), 2006, hardbound |
Katie Hickman, Daughters of Britannia |
| Source: George Romney, Study of Emma Hart as Circe (ca.1782-86). Interestingly, Diana Norman's earlier novel A Catch of Consequence features another Romney portrait of Emma Hart (later Hamilton; Nelson's mistress). Thanks to Susan Higginbotham for the Bronte example, Sonja Marie for the Lofts, and Tracey S. Rosenberg for the Williams. | |||
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| Wendy J. Dunn, Dear Heart: How Like You This? Metropolis Ink (US), 2003, paperback |
Laurien Gardner (Jennifer Ashley), A Lady Raised High New American Library (US), 2006, paperback |
Robin Maxwell, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn Scribner (US), 1998, paperback |
| Source:
Anne Boleyn at the Tower, Shortly After Her Arrest (1835), Edouard Cibot, Musee Rodin, France |
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| Diana Norman, Shores of
Darkness Penguin (UK), 1997, trade paperback |
Amy Hassinger, The Priest's
Madonna Putnam (US), 2006, hardcover |
| Source: Eugene
Delacroix,
Orphan Girl at the Cemetery (1824), Musee du Louvre |
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| Regina McBride, The Marriage
Bed Simon & Schuster (US), 2004, hardcover |
Julia Alvarez, Saving the
World Algonquin (US), 2006, hardcover (new bedframe, courtesy of Photoshop?) |
Angela Hunt, The Awakening WestBow, 2005, hardcover (not historical; same image as the first) |
Deborah Addington, Fantasy Made Flesh Greenery, 2003, pb (not a historical novel by any means!) Thanks to Yui for this one. |
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| J.D. Landis, Longing Ballantine (US), 2001, paperback |
Caroline Petit, The Fat
Man's Daughter Soho (US), 2005, hardcover |
| Source: Madame de Loynes, Amaury-Duval (thanks to Lydia Joyce for the reference) | |
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| Douglas Kelley, The
Captain's Wife Dutton (US), 2001, hardback |
Amy Belding Brown, Mr. Emerson's Wife St. Martin's (US), 2005, hardcover |
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| Francesca Marciano, Casa
Rossa Vintage (US), 2003, paperback |
Lesley Lokko, Saffron Skies Orion (UK), 2005, paperback |
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| Anne Avery, Far Star LoveSpell, 1995, paperback |
Susan Squires, Danegeld LoveSpell, 2001, paperback (thanks to Lydia Joyce for this one) |
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| Pearl Luke, Madame Zee HarperCollins Canada, 2006, paperback |
John Crowley, Little, Big HarperCollins (US), 2006, paperback |
Joel Rose, The Blackest Bird Norton (US), 2007, hardcover |
Ann Harries, No Place for a
Lady Bloomsbury (UK), 2007, paperback |
For three more occurrences of the covers both above and below, see examples on Avis's blog, She Reads and Reads!
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| Kent Haruf, Eventide Pan Macmillan (Australia), 2005, paperback |
Lorna Landvik, Oh My Stars Ballantine (US), 2006, paperback |
Marie Bostwick, River's Edge Kensington (US), 2006, paperback |
Deborah Bedford, Remember Me FaithWords, 2005, paperback |
Chris Bohjalian, Skeletons
at the Feast Shaye Areheart, 2008, hardback |
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| Nigel Tranter, Hope Endures New English Library (UK), 2006, paperback Thanks to Kris McDermott for the first pair! |
Ellen Kushner, The Privilege
of the Sword Small Beer Press (US), 2006, hardcover ltd ed. |
Alexandre Dumas, The Three
Musketeers Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004, hardcover (thanks to David Rapp) |
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| Amy Myers, Tom Wasp and the
Murdered Stunner Five Star (US), hardcover, 2007 |
Ann Chamberlin, The Sultan's
Daughter Forge (US), hardcover & paperback, 1997 & 98 |
Timothy Findley, The Piano
Man's Daughter HarperPerennial Canada, paperback, 1999 |
Helen Dunmore, Counting the
Stars Fig Tree (UK), hardcover, 2008 |
Louise Cooper, The Sleep of
Stone (an interesting variation...) DAW, 1993, pb |
| Source:
Frederick, Lord
Leighton, Flaming June (1895) (Thanks to Amy W for the Findley example, and to Lianne Burwell for the Cooper one.) |
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| Stendhal, The Charterhouse
of Parma Barnes & Noble Books, hardcover, 2006 |
Amanda Grange, Captain
Wentworth's Diary Robert Hale, hardcover, 2007 |
| Thanks to
Susan Higginbotham for
finding this one. Source: Portrait of Achille-Etna Michallon (1796-1822) c1818-1819 by Leon Cogniet; thanks to Amanda Grange and Mike Dow for the source info. |
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| Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonders Viking, paperback, 2002 |
Kathryn Lasky, Dreams in the
Golden Country (Dear America) Scholastic, hardcover, 1998 |
| Thanks to
Kelly Williams for this example. Source: Amarilla by Frederic, Lord Leighton |
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| John Speed, The Temple
Dancer: A Novel of India St. Martin's Press, hardcover, 2006 |
Louisa Burton, Bound in
Moonlight Bantam, paperback, 2007 |
| Source: Evening Mood (Humeur Nocturne) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1882) | |
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| Susan Griffin, The Book of the Courtesans Broadway, 2002, paperback |
Sarah Dunant, In the Company
of the Courtesan Random House, 2006, hardcover |
| Source: Venus of Urbino by Titian (ca. 1530s). Thanks to Laura Keyes for the example. | |
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| Georgette Heyer, False
Colours Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2008, pb |
Ann Herendeen, Phyllida and
the Brotherhood of Philander Harper, 2008, pb |
| Source: Two Strings to Her Bow by John Pettie (1887). Thanks to Susan Higginbotham for the example. | |
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| Margaret George, Mary,
Called Magdalene Penguin, 2003, pb |
Liz Curtis Higgs, Mad Mary WaterBrook, 2001, pb |
| Source: St. Mary Magdalene Approaching the Sepulchre by Gian Savoldo (ca. 1535-40). Thanks to Suzi Hough for the example. | |
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| Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca Virago, 2003, pb |
Thomas H. Cook, The Chatham
School Affair Indigo (UK), 2000, pb |
| Thanks to Karen May for the example. | |
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| Janet Mullany, The Rules of Gentility Avon A, 2008, pb |
Barbara Ker Wilson, The Last
Years of Jane Austen Ulysses Press, 2008, pb |
Jennifer Crusie,
Flirting with Pride & Prejudice BenBella, 2005, pb (nonfiction) |
| Source: "In Love" (1888) by Marcus Stone. Thanks to Megan Congdon for the example and source. | ||
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| Golden Keyes Parsons, In the
Shadow of the Sun King Thomas Nelson, 2008, pb |
Margaret Tanner, The English Rose Enspiren Press, 2008, pb/e-book |
| The model appears to be the same woman... the main difference, besides the "headless" aspect on the one, is the amount of cleavage. | |
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| Jude Morgan, Passion: A
Novel of the Romantic Poets St. Martin's, 2005, hb |
Douglas Carlton Abrams,
The Lost Diary of Don Juan Washington Square, 2008, pb |
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| Kathleen Winsor, Forever
Amber Chicago Review Press, 2000, pb |
Susan Holloway Scott, The French Mistress NAL, 2009, pb |
| Source: Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth (ca. 1671-74) by Sir Peter Lely. Thanks to Susan Holloway Scott for the example! | |
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| Albert French, Cinder Vintage, 2008, pb |
Austin Clarke, The Polished
Hoe Amistad, 2003, hb |
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| Michael Redhill,
Consolation Arrow, 2008, pb |
Margaret Forster, Keeping the
World Away Ballantine, 2007, pb |
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| David Adams Richards, The
Friends of Meager Fortune Vintage UK, 2008, pb |
Walter Zacharius, The Memories We Keep Kensington, 2007, pb |
Last updated May 2009. Do you have additional examples to suggest? Please email
me, Sarah Johnson, at sljohnson2 @ eiu.edu.
Return to Reading the Past.
For more copycat covers, see
She
Reads and Reads and
The Rap
Sheet.