The book covers of Stanisław Lem’s "Solaris"

February 19, 2025 5:40 PM

"The covers of the book depict some form of the cosmos, the planet, the ocean, and occasionally a lonely man facing it. However, while the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by hallucinogenic, sprawling, or more abstract visions, more recent editions have a more streamlined design."

By way of giving good measure, have some film posters as well.

posted by Lemkin (12 comments total)

The first time I read Solaris it was this copy from my library and I LOVE the cover. The color juxtaposition is even worse in person, it's just super unpleasant to look at for more than a few seconds. It's giving Solaris has two suns and both of them are too bright. It's giving oh you thought the plot was disorienting. It's giving first contact with an unknowable intelligence is overwhelming how about this red contacting this blue. I was reading it in the lunch room at work and my coworker across the table said oh god, that cover hurts my eyes, I really have to move or I'm going to throw up, it's not you it's your book I promise.

I don't like this translation but the COVER ooh I love.
posted by phunniemee at 5:56 PM on February 19 [5 favorites]

For your next post in this series please do Isao Tomita.
posted by phunniemee at 5:58 PM on February 19 [5 favorites]

A shill for big Lem, certainly?
posted by supermedusa at 6:12 PM on February 19

The first time I read Solaris it was this copy from my library and I LOVE the cover. The color juxtaposition is even worse in person, it's just super unpleasant to look at for more than a few seconds.

The book forces you to open it simply to get away from the cover? Very clever!

And you're right, that cover is really hard to look at.
posted by jamjam at 6:29 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

It a series! They have others.
posted by growabrain at 8:32 PM on February 19 [2 favorites]

It's ancillary to the covers but in my mind the descriptions of various shapes that the ocean(?) on Solaris makes ("solaristics") always evoked ferrofluid.
posted by deadbilly at 8:38 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

The color juxtaposition is even worse in person

how?? for the love of god how
posted by taquito sunrise at 9:36 PM on February 19 [1 favorite]

My favorite cover from the featured article: Esperanto (2021)

wait, Esperanto is still around ?
posted by travertina at 7:08 AM on February 20

Does anyone else remember a cover, mostly blue, of a bald woman floating in a large translucent egg, held by two large hands, emerging from an ocean; sort of in the Omni Magazine 1980s painted-almost-realism style?
posted by DataPacRat at 7:46 AM on February 20 [1 favorite]

A few more covers here. You can click on a thumbnail to see the name of the artist.
posted by jabah at 9:00 AM on February 20

Very cool. I'm intrigued by Latvia that changes his last name and Lithuania that changes first and last names.
posted by signal at 12:52 PM on February 20

I did a baby version of this a long time ago! It was a lot of fun.
posted by Rora at 5:37 PM on February 20