Book covers are high art. One image captures and conveys the essence of an entire book. So, if you're trying to find the perfect piece of art to fill that blank space on the wall, why not frame a collection of your favorite covers?

Book covers make great wall art for many reasons. First, you might already have the materials on your book shelf and, if not, the covers are usually cheap and easy to obtain. Second, most book covers are miniature art prints and, when combined, create a beautiful collage of colors and graphics. Third, books are filled with meaningful stories and information, which automatically adds another level of significance to your visual display. Fourth, you can create a unique collection of covers based on any imaginable genre or theme. Then you can curate the covers that best represent your personal interests within that theme.

The collections shown exhibit a few of my favorite book cover categories.

1. Vintage Penguin: Vintage penguin book covers are quite trendy and can be hard to find. However, they can readily be found as posters on numerous online sites .
2. Art Nouveau: I find this period of Art History fascinating. The book covers during this era were tastefully ornate — as were the stories.
3. Typography: It might be nerdy, but I love typography. Unusual fonts, letters and layouts really excite me. Plus, typography is often used to create brilliant book covers.
4. Dr. Seuss: I grew up reading Dr. Seuss. As an adult, I can appreciate his work even more. I look at the Yertle the Turtle cover and part of me is amused by the makeshift ladder of turtles and another part of me is reminded of the arms race of the late 20th century. Of course.
5. Great Irish Novels: There is something touching and sad about the works of great Irish writers. They seem to effortlessly walk the line between histrionics and pretensions unlike any other school of literature.

As you can see, if you thoughtfully choose your collection, it can provide a more intimately personal portrait of you than any singular piece of art ever could.

Images: 1. Etsa Sketch: Penguin Book Cover Art Project 2. Pics Digger: Art Nouveau 3. Smashing Magazine: Excellent Book Covers and Paperbacks 4. Swap Meet Dave 5. Reader2: Finnegans Wake, Esquire: Gulliver's Travels, Nezzyidy Livejournal: Ulysses, Good Reads: The Country Girls, 100 Scope Notes: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Word Power.co.uk: Fools of Fortune