Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent won last year, but which of these six covers will claim this year’s prize?

The best looking shortlist of the year has been announced, as the Books Are My Bag readers awards reveal who is in the running in the most beautiful book of the year category. The six have been selected by booksellers for the annual event, which celebrates physical books and real-life bookshops. And in an era of ebooks and online piracy, beautiful books are more important and popular than ever. Last year’s winner, The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry – which was released by Waterstones in an extra shiny edition – sold 287,566 copies and helped its publisher, Profile, increase its turnover by nearly 7%.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Viking)

A bold rejection of the baobab-tree-and-setting-sun cliche book cover that plagued Africa-set novels for too long, this design is already being imitated.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Alex Preston (Little, Brown)



The book is beautifully illustrated by the graphic artist Neil Gower, whose work has been adapted for the cover.

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury)

This cover will look beautifully familiar to fans of her international bestseller The Watchmaker of Filigree Street.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sarah Perry … The Essex Serpent won last year’s award. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan (Little Island)

The cover of this “collection of 13 dark, feminist retellings of traditional fairytales” recalls early Angela Carters and The Blue Fairy Book – only in deep, feminist red.

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton)

According to the author, “the idea was that readers would feel a sense of walking into the book, like a landscape”. The result is a publication that is beautifully illustrated by Jackie Morris and suitably massive.

Ravilious & Co by Andy Friend (Thames & Hudson)

As a biography of the 20th-century watercolour artist, Ravilious & Co had to be good-looking. It was described as “magnificent” by … none other than Robert Macfarlane. The winners of the Books Are My Bag awards will be announced on 21 November at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London. See booksaremybag.com for further details.