Some ofm y favourites I found online

Terry Pratchett's Night Watch

The cover illustration for a polish edition of Dune

Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books (I believe editions in all languages look the same)

Also I could put here pretty much every edition of Tolkien's books with cover illustrations by John Howe, Alan Lee or Ted Nasmith.

This one's for Niggles:)

The Sword of Shannara: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+sword+of+shannara&view=detailv2&&id=A5E4DCCAFB10C20071E10B45E01E0315ACBAF605&selectedIndex=1&ccid=vBsvOH6k&simid=608020812790695748&thid=OIP.Mbc1b2f387ea4364440648cfdf02cb7d2H0&ajaxhist=0

I loved it b/c it was all cool and fantasy-ish, but it also was all a lie. The scene depicted is a clever illusion/allusion that makes you think you know what to expect in the book, but when you read it, the image means something entirely different.


Interestingly enough, this book cover: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+sword+of+shannara&view=detailv2&&id=80361A2C4B23CE7780557C9B26CC03FE2220CE98&selectedIndex=91&ccid=HZRpFYFM&simid=608017299516952573&thid=OIP.M1d946915814c96e5ba733c4a1c0f887do0&ajaxhist=0

was far worse, but the book was much better!

This one.

I prefer Josh Kyrby's illustrations they have that mix of fantasy and caricature that fits discworld perfectly

http://www.lspace.org/books/covers/

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

Cheers.
And not anytime soon, but who knows.

Josh Kirby’s cover illustrations for the Discworld novels are my favourite by a long shot ;)
*All* of them are really nice!

Another vote for Josh Kirby.

It was the sole reason I've bought "The Colour of Magic" back in the day.
Too bad my kindle versions of the Discworld books have all lame covers like:

I guess it's a matter of taste. I always liked Paul Kidby's art much more than Kirby's lumpy caricatures, and his work in The Last Hero was downright fantastic (though I still like Night Watch cover best).

I mean, look at these

https://p.gr-assets.com/540x540/fit/hostedimages/1379772975/313592.jpg

http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxhnenGCwj1qltj6zo1_1280.jpg

http://www.katwhelan.com/uploads/3/0/3/7/3037167/5457848_orig.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5L5bX.jpg

Here are a few I like:

Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

Salman Rushdie, The Moor's last sigh

And, rather tinted by childhood nostalgia glasses, most of the cover art of the Edge Chronicles. It always managed to captivate me as a youngster...

Edit: and these:

H.P. Lovecraft, Necronomicon

William King, Gortrek and Felix "Skavenslayer"

Dan Abnett, Gaunt's Ghosts, The Lost

Brandon Sanderson's Alloy of Law

I like the other cover better :D

Whu? Is that the original one?