Children of the Night.

Dracula, by Brams Stoker, is one of those rare novels whose influence can still be recognized, even centuries after its début. Right off the top of my head, I can think of Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Dracula themed rock opera, the upcoming 2013 film Stoker (Park Chan-wook's first foray into the American market), and the Count from Sesame Street.

The beauty of a book and character gaining this legendary of a status means that through time, more and more reinterpretations are offered and Dracula achieves a state of immortality, essentially (I couldn't resist the pun).

Thanks to the staying power of this novel, we've been graced with several renditions of the cover throughout the years. Some understated and simple, some intricate yet elegant. The above two are my favorites.

The other day, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a website that hosts a competition where one redesigns the cover of a classic book. In October 2011, the designated book was none other than, you guessed it, Bram Stoker's Dracula.

This cover particularly strikes me due to the vibrancy of the red, tinged with passion and violence.

designed by grégory sujkowski.

The upside-down A's provide a powerful tribute to Dracula's signature fangs. And the quote on the back...is that not why so many of us write? Perhaps not as dramatically as Stoker put it, but the essence of it still remains true. Little is as cathartic and revealing as just sitting down and putting everything down in words.

designed by jennifer talesfore.

How important are book covers to you? The saying is "never judge a book by its cover," but I emphatically disagree. We should always judge by its cover as it is our first glimpse into the story. But then again, perhaps I prioritize aesthetics a bit too high. ^^;