You know that joy of walking into a bookstore and seeing shelves upon shelves of pretty book covers? From gilded dragons on fantasy covers, to the pastel tones on summer romances, to conceptual art on sci-fi reads, each of them promise to transport you to another realm. More and more, it’s the magic of a well-done cover that’s pulling readers to the billing counter at book shops.

In this age of Kindles, how many people still splurge on a premium hardcover copy for that new book smell? You know what does inspire them to pick up a physical book though? A kickass cover. “I saw the cover for The Poppy War [by R F Kuang, published by HarperCollins] and it was so pretty, I just had to get it,” says Anujashree Roy, 30, a film director’s assistant and avid collector of good-looking books. “It’s a thick book; normally I’d have opted to read it on my Kindle for convenience. But when a book looks that gorgeous, I want to display it on my bookshelf,” she explains.

The Poppy War by RF Kuang made waves on Bookstagram with its vibrant cover and sprayed page edges